JP2006151245A - Occupant knee restraining method and device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an occupant knee restraining device for a vehicle capable of quickening the restraint timing of the occupant knees at the time of collision by increasing the backward moving amount of a knee protector and restraining the knees certainly regardless of the position of the occupant lower limbs. <P>SOLUTION: The occupant knee restraining device is equipped with a guide means 30 to guide the backward motion of the knee protector 20, towing means 40 coupled with the two sides in the vehicle width direction of the knee protector 20 and arranged directed to behind the vehicle upon passing both the sides in the vehicle width direction of the occupant lower limbs, a towing actuation means 50 to tow the towing means 40, a collision sensing means 60 to predict or sense a head-on collision of the vehicle, and a control means 61 to control the actuation of the towing actuation means 50 on the basis of the information given by the collision sensing means 60, whereby the occupant knees are restrained in a position more backward and the restraint timing of the occupant knees at collision is quickened, and further, because the towing means 40 pass both the sides in the vehicle width direction of the occupant lower limbs, the knee protector 20 can be guided certainly to the knees to lead to enhancement of the restraining effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant knee restraint device for a vehicle and an occupant knee restraint method using the restraint device.

  At the time of a frontal collision of an automobile, the seat belt restrains the occupant seated in the seat from moving forward, but at this time, the lower part of the occupant's waist part slips forward and passes through the lap belt. There is.

  For this reason, there is one in which the lower body is moved forward by restraining the knee portion with a knee protector.For example, the knee protector is usually placed in front of the vehicle of the knee portion of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat. It arrange | positions and a knee protector is moved back at the time of front collision, and the front movement of a passenger | crew's knee part is pressed down (for example, refer patent document 1).

  In this case, the knee protector has a lower end pivotally attached to the vehicle body side member, and the rod member pushes the upper end of the knee protector backward by the retreat of the cooling unit accompanying the collapse of the dash panel at the time of collision. It has become.

In addition, when the knee is restrained with a knee protector, the slack remaining on the lap belt of the seat belt flows from the tongue to the shoulder belt. This restraint of the upper body of the occupant is ensured by preventing this belt slack flow. In order to achieve this, there is one that locks the portion of the tongue seat belt that is inserted during a collision (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-2-182553 (page 3, FIG. 1) JP-A-10-152019 (page 3, FIG. 1)

  However, in the structure of the conventional Patent Document 1, since the upper end is pushed backward with the lower end of the knee protector attached to the vehicle body, the rear movement amount of the knee protector is reduced, and the knee is In order to restrain with the knee protector, a large amount of forward movement of the occupant is required.

  For this reason, since it is difficult to restrain by the knee protector when the amount of forward movement of the occupant immediately after the collision is small, it is difficult to minimize the impact.

  Also, when restraining the occupant's knee with a knee protector with a predetermined width in the vehicle width direction, it is not necessary to place the foot on the accelerator pedal or the footrest, especially on the passenger side, so the limb position of the occupant can be widened. It will be different by narrowing.

  For this reason, if the knee protector moves backward during a collision, the amount of interference with the knee protector may decrease, or the knee protector may come off the knee protector. The restraint force of the occupant knee by the protector cannot be obtained sufficiently.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a vehicle occupant capable of increasing the amount of rearward movement of the knee protector to make the occupant knee restraint timing in the event of a collision faster and restrain the occupant knee reliably regardless of the position of the occupant lower limb. A knee restraint device and an occupant knee restraint method are provided.

The vehicle occupant knee restraint device of the present invention is provided with a knee protector that is disposed in front of the occupant's knee seated on the vehicle seat and that moves backward during a frontal collision of the vehicle and suppresses the forward movement of the occupant knee. In the vehicle occupant knee restraint device,
Guide means for guiding the knee protector to move backward;
Traction means connected to both sides of the knee protector in the vehicle width direction, each being disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides of the occupant leg in the vehicle width direction;
Traction actuating means for towing the traction means;
A collision detection means for predicting or detecting a frontal collision of the vehicle;
The main feature is that a control means for controlling the operation of the traction operation means based on information from the collision detection means is provided.

The vehicle occupant knee restraint method according to the present invention also includes a knee protector disposed in front of the occupant's knee seated on the vehicle seat at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. In the vehicle occupant knee restraint method of
When the knee protector is guided to move backward by the guide means and a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected, both sides of the knee protector in the vehicle width direction are disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides of the passenger leg in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle is towed rearward through a pulling means.

  According to the occupant knee restraint device and the occupant knee restraint method of the present invention, the knee protector is guided to move backward along the guide means by predicting or detecting a frontal collision, and both the vehicle width direction sides of the occupant lower limbs are Because it pulls to the rear of the vehicle through the traction means arranged toward the rear of the vehicle, it can earn a large amount of rear movement of the knee protector and can restrain the occupant's knees more rearward. The restraint timing of the occupant knee can be further advanced.

  In addition, since the traction means arranged toward the rear of the vehicle pass through both sides of the occupant's lower limb in the vehicle width direction, the occupant's lower limb is positioned between the traction means on both sides regardless of the state, and the knee protector is placed on the occupant's knee. It is possible to enhance the restraining effect by reliably guiding to the part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 17 show an embodiment of a vehicle occupant knee restraint device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the occupant knee restraint device attached. FIG. 2 is an occupant knee restraint device. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the knee protector, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the operating state of the knee protector, and FIG. 5 is a component of the knee protector. 6 is a perspective view showing the mounting structure of the inner guide member, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the mounting structure of the outer guide member, and FIG. 8 is taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the outer guide member showing a pulling state during operation of the knee protector, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a structure for attaching the rear end portion of the traction means, FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an attachment portion of the traction means to the inner guide member, and FIG. 13 is an attachment of the traction means to the outer guide member. It is the perspective view which looked at the part from the vehicle interior to (a) from the vehicle interior outside to (b).

  14 is a perspective view showing the occupant knee restraint device with the door open, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a flowchart for executing control of the occupant knee restraint device, and FIG. 16 is an occupant knee restraint device. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the restraint load characteristic of the occupant knee by the knee protector. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the operation from the normal operation state to the final restraint state in order from (a) to (d).

  The occupant knee restraint device 10 of the present embodiment is disposed in front of the occupant's knees seated in the driver seat 1 and the passenger seat 2 as vehicle seats as shown in FIG. A knee protector 20 that moves backward and suppresses forward movement of the occupant knee is provided.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, the knee protector 20 is disposed so as to face the knee protector 20 at a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle of the knee Cn of the occupant C during normal operation. When the vehicle M is actuated by a frontal collision, the knee protector 20 moves backward to hold and restrain the occupant knee Cn.

  In the present embodiment, the driver's seat 1 and the passenger seat 2 are provided with a three-point seat belt device S provided with a shoulder belt Ss and a lap belt S1. In FIG. 2, A / B is an airbag provided on the steering wheel W.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the passenger knee restraint device 10 includes a driver seat restraint device 10A provided on the driver seat 1 side and a passenger seat restraint device 10B provided on the passenger seat 2 side. The configurations of the driver's seat side restraint device 10A and the passenger seat side restraint device 10B are substantially subject to the vehicle width direction center portion of the passenger compartment as a boundary, and the correspondence between the driver's seat side / passenger seat side restraint devices 10A and 10B. The same reference numerals are given to the same constituent members to be described.

  The driver side / passenger side restraint devices 10A and 10B are connected to guide means 30 for guiding the knee protector 20 to move backward and to both sides of the knee protector 20 in the vehicle width direction. A webbing 40 as a traction means disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides in the vehicle width direction, a retractor 50 as a traction operation means capable of traction of the webbing 40, and a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected. A detection sensor 60 as a collision detection means and a controller 61 as a control means for controlling the operation of the retractor 50 by a detection signal as information from the detection sensor 60 are provided.

  Further, in the passenger knee restraint method of the present embodiment, the knee protector 20 disposed in front of the vehicle in the knee part Cn (see FIG. 2) of the passenger seated in the driver seat 1 and the passenger seat 2 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle is rearward. When the knee protector 20 moves and presses forward movement of the occupant knee Cn, the knee protector 20 is guided to move backward by the guide means 30, and when the frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected, both sides of the knee protector 20 in the vehicle width direction are detected. The vehicle is pulled to the rear of the vehicle through the webbing 40 disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides of the occupant leg Cl in the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the knee protector 20 has an oval shape whose longitudinal direction is the vehicle width direction. The webbing 40 is inserted in the longitudinal direction on the rear surface (front side in the figure), and on the rear surface. Is provided with a link 21 serving as a guide member for preventing the knee protector 20 from being lifted during operation and smoothly pressing the knee protector 20 against the occupant knee Cn.

  A pair of links 21 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the knee protector 20, and the lower ends thereof are rotatably attached to the lower end of the rear surface of the knee protector 20, and the upper end is an instrument part as shown in FIG. 3 is rotatably attached to the internal skeleton.

  During normal operation, the knee protector 20 is stored on the instrument section 3 side, and when the knee protector 20 moves backward, the link 21 prevents the lower end of the knee protector 20 from being lifted upward, As shown in FIG. 4, it can be pressed along the knee Cn of the occupant C.

  The knee protector 20 is configured as a pad incorporating a cushion material 22 as shown in FIG.

  That is, the knee protector 20 arranges the cushion material 22 on one side (vehicle rear side surface) of the core material 23 formed in a lattice shape with a synthetic resin as shown in FIG. 5, and the cushion material 22 and the core material 23 are arranged. It is formed by covering with an epidermis 24.

  In the longitudinal direction of the core material 23, slits 23 c for inserting the webbing 40 are formed in the outer peripheral frame 23 a and the lattice bones 23 b, and insertion holes 24 a for the webbing 40 are formed at both longitudinal ends of the skin 24. The webbing 40 is slidably inserted into the slit 23c and the insertion hole 24a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the guide means 30 is provided in a pair on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the occupant's lower limb Cl on the driver seat 1 side and the passenger seat 2 side, and is provided with an inner guide member 30A positioned inward in the vehicle width direction, The outer guide member 30B is located outside the vehicle width direction, and the outer guide member 30B is provided on the vehicle door 4 as shown in FIG.

  Of course, the outer guide member 30B of the driver's seat side restraint device 10A is provided on the front door on the driver's seat side, and the outer guide member 30A of the passenger seat side restraint device 10B is provided on the front door on the passenger seat side.

  The inner guide member 30A is formed of a strip-shaped flat plate having a predetermined thickness as shown in FIG. 1, and the longitudinal direction of the inner guide member 30A is substantially the front-rear direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle is mounted in the instrument section 3 in the vehicle width direction and coupled to a steering member 5 that supports a steering column (not shown).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer guide member 30 </ b> B is formed in a Y shape in which the front part of the vehicle branches, and the upper part of the front end part of the branch is the guide main body part 31, and the lower part 32 and the rear end part 33 is in a straight line in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the guide member 30B is connected to the inner panel 4a of the vehicle door 4 via bolts 34 at the front ends of the guide body portion 31, the lower portion 32, and the rear end portion 33. The interior of the vehicle interior is covered with a trim 6.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the trim 6 is formed with an opening 6 a in the take-out portion of the webbing 40, and this opening 6 a covers the range in which the webbing 40 moves when the occupant knee restraint device 10 is operated. The opening 6a has an area and shape, and is closed by a slide door 6b that opens and closes along the inner surface of the trim 6 so as to be slidable back and forth. In the figure, G is window glass.

  The sliding door 6b is normally urged in the closing direction toward the front of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 8, and the webbing 20 is guided into the vehicle interior from a slit 6c formed in the sliding door 6b.

  When the occupant knee restraint device 10 operates, the slide door 6b moves backward in the opening 6a as the webbing 20 is pulled rearward as shown in FIGS. However, the opening 6a maintains the closed state by the slide door 6b even when the webbing 20 is moved, maintains the appearance of the trim 6, and foreign matter such as dust enters the inside of the trim 6. Can be prevented.

  The webbing 40 is formed of a long flexible member similar to a webbing used for a general seat belt that restrains an occupant to a seat, and one end side of the webbing 40 is wound and unwound by the retractor 50. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the retractor 50 is disposed on the center side in the vehicle width direction of the driver seat 1 and the passenger seat 2 substantially extending from the inner guide member 30A, and is tunneled along the floor panel 7 as shown in FIG. Between the part 7a and the body side sill 7b, it connects with the vehicle width direction inner side edge part 8a of the cross member 8 couple | bonded in the vehicle width direction, and the side surface upper end part of the tunnel part 7a via the bolt 51. .

  The retractor 50 has a torque limiter function, and operates at the stage where the controller 61 predicts a frontal collision based on a detection signal from the detection sensor 60, thereby preliminarily pulling the webbing 40, that is, prewinding. An electric motor 52 is provided.

  Further, the retractor 50 is operated when the controller 61 detects a frontal collision based on the detection signal from the detection sensor 60, and the gunpowder-type gas generator that pulls the webbing 40, that is, winds it up. 53.

  The explosive gas generator 53 includes an igniter (not shown), and the explosive gas generator 53 explodes when the controller 61 outputs an ignition signal to the igniter, and the retractor 50 is operated with the gas pressure generated at that time. Thus, the webbing 40 is wound up instantaneously.

  In addition, when retractor 50 winds up webbing 40 with electric motor 52 and explosive type gas generator 53, a torque limiter works and can avoid overtightening.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the webbing 40 fed out from the retractor 50 is inserted into an inward slide anchor 41 attached to the inner guide member 30A so as to be movable back and forth, and from the inward slide anchor 41 to the outside in the vehicle width direction. 7, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer slide anchor 42 is inserted into the guide body portion 31 of the outer guide member 30 </ b> B so as to be movable back and forth, and is guided rearwardly from the outer slide anchor 42. The

  The rear end portion of the webbing 40 guided rearward by the outer slide anchor 42 is coupled to a fixed anchor 44 coupled to the rear end portion of the guide main body portion 31 by a bolt 43.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the inner slide anchor 41 is slidably attached at the center in the width direction of the inner guide member 30A via a bolt 45 inserted through a long hole 35 formed in the longitudinal direction. A compression spring 46 is stretched between 45 and a pin 45a provided at the front end portion of the inner guide member 30A, and the inner slide anchor 41 is biased forward of the vehicle by the compression spring 46.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the outer slide anchor 42 is slid through a bolt 47 inserted through a long hole 36 formed in the longitudinal direction at the center portion in the width direction of the guide main body portion 31 of the outer guide member 30B. As shown also in FIG. 7, a compression spring 48 is stretched between the bolt 47 and a pin 47a provided at the front end portion of the guide main body portion 31 as shown in FIG. 42 is biased forward of the vehicle.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the knee protector 20 is inserted into the webbing 40 disposed between the inner slide anchor 41 and the outer slide anchor 42 through the insertion hole 24a. As described above with reference to FIG. 4, 20 is supported on the inner skeleton part of the instrument part 3 via the link 21 on the back surface.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, when the vehicle door 4 is opened, the outer guide member 30B moves to the outside of the passenger compartment together with the vehicle door 4, thereby routing the lower limb Cl of the occupant C outward in the vehicle width direction. The webbing 20 to be moved also moves outside the vehicle compartment.

  In FIG. 1, the K portion located between the knee protector 20 on the driver seat 1 side and the knee protector 20 on the passenger seat 2 side is a console portion, and the L portion located in front of the driver seat 1 is It is an instrument arrangement part.

  Accordingly, the occupant knee restraint device 10 performs the operation control of the knee protector 20 according to the flowchart of FIG. 15, and the behavior of the knee protector 20 at that time is shown in FIGS.

  That is, the flowchart of FIG. 15 is executed by the controller 61. First, in step S1, the detection signal of the detection sensor 60 is input in the normal operation state as shown in FIG. Information for determining frontal collision, such as the distance between them and the relative speed, is detected, and the possibility of collision is determined in the next step S2.

  In step S3, a frontal collision is predicted and the possibility of collision is judged. If there is no collision (NO), the process returns to step S1, and if there is (YES), the electric motor 52 of the retractor 50 is driven in step S4. Pretension is added to the webbing 40.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the retractor 50 prewinds the webbing 40 and pulls the knee protector 20 toward the rear of the vehicle, and pushes the knee protector 20 against the occupant knee Cn as shown in FIG. 16 (c). Hit it.

  Next, in step S5, it is determined whether or not a frontal collision has actually occurred from the detection signal of the detection sensor 60. If an actual collision does not occur (NO), the process returns to step S1 and if an actual collision occurs (YES) In step S6, an ignition signal is output to the igniter to operate the explosive gas generator 53. As shown in FIG. 16 (d), the retractor 50 winds up the webbing 40 and the knee protector 20 moves the occupant knee Cn. The occupant C's thigh is restrained and prevented from moving forward through the lap belt S1 of the seat belt device S.

  At this time, if it is determined in step S5 that the actual collision is finally avoided (NO), the electric motor 52 is rotated in the reverse direction to loosen the webbing 40 and return the knee protector 20.

  In other words, by loosening the webbing 40 with the retractor 50, the inner and outer slide anchors 41 and 42 are attracted forward by the urging force of the compression springs 46 and 48 provided on the inner and outer guide members 30A and 30B, thereby causing the webbing. 40 is pulled out to the front of the vehicle, and the knee protector 20 is returned to the original state.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the electric motor 52 is actuated at the stage of predicting a frontal collision to add a preload to the webbing 40, and the explosive gas generator 53 is activated upon detection of an actual collision. The load addition time to the webbing 40 is set to be long as shown by the characteristic α of the figure, and the tightening time of the occupant knee Cn by the knee protector 20 is longer than the conventional case shown by the characteristic β of the broken line in the figure.

  In addition, the load limiter is adjusted so that the load applied to the webbing 40 at that time is kept lower than in the conventional case.

  With the above configuration, according to the vehicle occupant knee restraint device 10 and the vehicle occupant knee restraint method of the present embodiment, the knee protector 20 is moved rearward along the inner and outer guide members 30A and 30B by the prediction and detection of the frontal collision. In addition to guiding the movement, the retractor 50 pulls the vehicle rearward through the webbing 40 disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides in the vehicle width direction of the occupant's lower limb Cl, so that the rear movement amount of the knee protector 20 can be greatly increased. As a result, since the occupant knee Cn can be restrained more rearward, the restraining timing of the occupant knee Cn at the time of the collision can be further advanced.

  Further, since the webbing 40 arranged toward the rear of the vehicle passes through both sides of the occupant's lower limb Cl in the vehicle width direction, the occupant's lower limb Cl is positioned between the webbing 40 on both sides regardless of the state, and the knee protector 20 Can be reliably guided to the occupant knee Cn to enhance the restraining effect.

  By the way, in this embodiment, in addition to the above-described effects, the knee protector 20 is configured as a pad with a cushioning material 22 incorporated therein, so that the impact when the knee protector 20 moves rearward and interferes with the occupant knee Cn is alleviated. Thus, damage to the occupant C can be reduced as much as possible.

  Further, since the guide means 30 is constituted by a pair of inner and outer guide members 30A, 30B provided in the vehicle width direction with the occupant's lower limb Cl in the middle, and the outer guide member 30B is provided on the vehicle door 4, FIG. When the door 4 is opened, the outer guide member 30B moves to the outside of the passenger compartment together with the webbing 40 routed in that portion, and does not hinder the passenger C from getting on and off.

  Furthermore, since the webbing 40, which is a long flexible member, is wound and rewound by the retractor 50, the webbing 20 is stored compactly and reliably, and the operation at the time of collision is normally performed without malfunction. be able to.

  Furthermore, the retractor 50 is provided with an electric motor 52 that operates when the collision is predicted to preliminarily pull the webbing 40 (preliminary winding), so that the knee protector 20 is moved backward before the collision by the preliminary winding. Since the occupant knee Cn can be brought into contact with or close to the occupant knee Cn, the occupant knee Cn can be quickly restrained at the time of the main collision.

  Further, the retractor 50 is provided with the explosive gas generator 53 that operates when the collision is detected and performs main pulling (main winding) of the webbing 20, so that the webbing 20 can be quickly wound during the main collision. This allows the occupant knee Cn to be restrained more rearward, and the forward movement of the occupant C can be efficiently suppressed.

  By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the link 21 is provided on the back surface of the knee protector 20 in order to prevent the knee protector 20 from being lifted is shown. As shown in FIG. 19, four guide bars 25 that are slidably inserted from the four corners of the back surface of the knee protector 20 to the lower portion of the instrument section 3 may be provided. The behavior of the knee protector 20 can also be regulated by the four links 26 that are rotatably attached to the instrument section 3.

  In the above embodiment, the inner and outer slide anchors 41 and 42 slidably attached to the inner and outer guide members 30A and 30B are urged forward of the vehicle by the compression springs 46 and 48. As shown in FIG. 20, the retractor 49 is provided, and the webbing 49a attached to each of the inner and outer slide anchors 41 and 42 is wound and rewound by the retractor 49, whereby the retractor 49 is wound in the winding direction. The inner and outer slide anchors 41 and 42 can be urged forward of the vehicle with the urging force.

  The present invention has been described by taking the above embodiment as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various other embodiments can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an attached state of an occupant knee restraint device in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the passenger | crew knee part restraint apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention at the time of the normal time of (a), and the action | operation of (b). It is a back perspective view of a knee protector in one embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the operating state of the knee protector in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structural member of the knee protector in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the inward guide member in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the outward guide member in one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing along the AA line in FIG. It is a perspective view of the outward guide member which shows the pulling state at the time of the action | operation of the knee protector in one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing along the BB line in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the rear-end part attachment structure of the traction means in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment part to the inward guide member of the traction means in one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the attachment part to the outward guide member of the traction means in one Embodiment of this invention from the vehicle interior direction to (a) from the vehicle interior exterior. It is a perspective view which shows the passenger | crew knee part restraint apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention by making a door into an open state. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flowchart for performing control of the passenger | crew knee part restraint apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement from the normal driving | running state of a passenger | crew knee part restraint apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention to the last restraint state in order from (a)-(d). It is a graph which shows the restraint load characteristic of a passenger | crew knee part by the knee protector in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a back perspective view which shows the other examples of the knee protector in this invention. It is a back surface perspective view which shows the other example of the knee protector in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of the attachment part to the guide member of the traction means in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Driver's seat (vehicle seat)
2 Passenger seat (vehicle seat)

10 occupant knee restraint device 20 knee protector 22 cushion material 30 guide means 30A inner guide member 30B outer guide member 40 webbing (traction means)
50 Retractor (traction operation means)
52 electric motor 53 explosive gas generator 60 detection sensor (collision detection means)
61 Controller (control means)
C Crew Cn Knee Cl

Claims (7)

In a vehicle occupant knee restraint device provided with a knee protector that is disposed in front of a vehicle of a knee of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat and moves backward in a frontal collision of the vehicle to suppress forward movement of the occupant knee,
Guide means for guiding the knee protector to move backward;
Traction means connected to both sides of the knee protector in the vehicle width direction, each being disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides of the occupant leg in the vehicle width direction;
Traction actuating means for towing the traction means;
A collision detection means for predicting or detecting a frontal collision of the vehicle;
A vehicle occupant knee restraint device comprising: control means for controlling operation of the traction actuating means based on information from the collision detecting means.   The occupant knee restraint device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the knee protector is a pad in which a cushion material is incorporated.   A pair of guide means is provided in the vehicle width direction with the occupant's lower limb in the middle, and includes an inner guide member positioned inward in the vehicle width direction and an outer guide member positioned outward in the vehicle width direction. The occupant knee restraint device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the member is provided on the vehicle door.   The traction means is formed of a long flexible member, and the traction actuating means is a winding device that winds and unwinds the long traction means. The vehicle occupant knee restraint device according to the description.   The occupant knee restraint device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the traction actuating means includes an electric motor that operates in a stage in which a collision is predicted and preliminarily pulls the traction means. .   The vehicle occupant knee according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the traction actuating means comprises an explosive gas generator that is actuated when a collision is detected and that pulls the traction means. Part restraint device. In the vehicle occupant knee restraint method of moving the knee protector arranged in front of the vehicle of the occupant's knee sitting on the vehicle seat at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle and pressing the forward movement of the occupant knee,
When the knee protector is guided to move backward by the guide means and a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected, both sides of the knee protector in the vehicle width direction are disposed toward the rear of the vehicle through both sides of the passenger leg in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle occupant knee restraint method is characterized in that the vehicle is towed backward through the pulling means.

Images