JP2006335173A - Collided object protective device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collided object protective device capable of securely preventing the deflection of an airbag that is expanded and deployed on the upper surface of front pillars. <P>SOLUTION: This collided object protective device 1 is provided with the airbag 10 expanded and deployed on the upper surface of a vehicle 2. The airbag 10 comprises a main body expanded and deployed along a lower part of a windshield 2a, and a pair of pillars 12 bent from both ends of the main body 11 expanded and deployed along the front pillars 2b. In a range 12g overlapped with the upper surface of the vehicle 2, the pillar 12 as expanded and deployed has a strap 12a to part the inside of the pillar 12 along the length, and groove-shaped dents 12h pulled inward by connection parts with the inner circumferential surface of the pillar part 12. The dent 12h is formed at a position where the upper surface of the front pillar 2b come in. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a collision object protection apparatus that absorbs an impact and protects the collision object when the vehicle collides with the collision object.

  A collision object protection device that absorbs and reduces the impact force applied to a collision object by inflating and deploying an air bag on the upper surface of the vehicle when a collision with the vehicle is detected or predicted. And an air bag comprising a cylindrical bag body formed with a main body portion that inflates and deploys along the vehicle body and a pair of pillar portions that are bent from both ends of the main body portion and inflated and deployed along the front pillar of the vehicle. There is a collision object protection device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this collision object protection apparatus, since the axial cross-sectional shape of the inflated airbag is a perfect circle, the width of the region that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle is narrowed. The air bag may be displaced on the upper surface of the vehicle due to wind pressure acting after inflation and deployment or pressing force from the collision object. In particular, each pillar portion that is bent and inflated and deployed from the main body portion is not easily fixed on the front end portion, and thus is easily displaced on the upper surface of the vehicle.

Therefore, by extending a strap that divides the inside along the longitudinal direction inside the pillar portion that is inflated and deployed along the front pillar, and connecting the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion of the pillar portion via the strap, In the inflated and expanded pillar portion, there is a configuration in which a groove-like depression portion that is drawn inward by a connection portion between the strap and the inner peripheral surface of the pillar portion is formed in a region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle. In this configuration, since the axial cross-sectional shape of the expanded and expanded pillar portion is wide, the width of the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle is wide (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2000-264146 A (paragraph 0015, FIG. 4) JP 2003-306100 A (paragraph 0022, FIG. 5)

  However, in the configuration in which the hollow portion is formed in the region that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle in the expanded and expanded pillar portion, the width of the region that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle can be increased, but the hollow portion does not contact the upper surface of the vehicle. For this reason, the contact area between the inflated and expanded pillar portion and the upper surface of the vehicle is reduced. Therefore, a sufficient frictional resistance between the pillar portion and the upper surface of the vehicle cannot be ensured to prevent the displacement of the pillar portion.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide a collision object protection device that can surely prevent displacement of the airbag inflated and deployed on the upper surface of the front pillar.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a collision object protection apparatus including an airbag that is inflated and deployed on the upper surface of a vehicle when a collision with the vehicle is detected or predicted. A body portion that inflates and expands along the lower portion of the front windshield of the vehicle, and a pair of pillar portions that are bent from both ends of the body portion and inflated and deployed along the front pillar of the vehicle. In the inflated and expanded pillar portion, the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle is drawn inward by the connection portion between the strap that divides the inside of the pillar portion along the longitudinal direction and the inner peripheral surface of the pillar portion. The groove-shaped depression is formed, and the depression is formed at a position where the upper surface of the front pillar enters.

Thus, in the pillar portion that is inflated and deployed along the front pillar of the vehicle, a groove-like depression is formed in a region that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle, and the upper surface of the front pillar is configured to enter the depression. Therefore, the expanded and expanded pillar portion can be locked to the front pillar. In addition, since the upper surface of the front pillar enters the recessed portion of the expanded and expanded pillar portion, a sufficient contact area between the pillar portion and the upper surface of the vehicle can be ensured. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the pillar portion that has been inflated and deployed from being displaced, and it is possible to maintain a state in which the front pillar is covered with the airbag.
Each pillar portion is formed by bending from both ends of the main body portion that inflates and deploys along the lower portion of the front window glass, and when the airbag is inflated and deployed, tension is generated in the bent portion due to internal pressure. Thus, the base portion of the pillar portion is supported by the main body portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pillar portion expanded and deployed from shaking from the base portion.
And, by reliably preventing the displacement of the expanded and expanded pillar portion, when forming the pillar portion, it is not necessary to take into account the displacement of the pillar portion in advance, and the width of the pillar portion is not required to be widened. Since the size can be reduced, the inflator that generates gas for inflating and deploying the airbag can be reduced, and can be easily mounted on the vehicle.

  In the collision object protection device described above, the main body portion that is inflated and deployed can be configured to be provided with a coupling member that connects the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion of the main body portion.

Thus, by providing a coupling member that connects the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion of the main body portion to the main body portion that is inflated and deployed along the lower portion of the front window glass, a depression portion is formed in the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle. Will be formed. As a result, the axial cross-sectional shape of the inflated and deployed main body portion becomes wider, and the width of the region that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle can be widened. Can be prevented.
The configuration of the coupling member is not limited, such as a thread for sewing the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion, or a strap provided inside the main body portion.

  In the above-described collision object protection device, the airbag is formed in a shape in which the inflated and deployed pillar portion is pressed against the front pillar with the base as a fulcrum when the base of the inflated and deployed pillar portion rides on the hood of the vehicle. Can do.

  Thus, when the pillar portion is inflated and deployed, the pillar portion is configured to be pressed against the front pillar with the base portion of the pillar portion riding on the hood of the vehicle as a fulcrum. Since the adhesion can be improved, the pillar portion can be effectively prevented from being displaced.

  In the above-described collision object protection device, the airbag is preferably configured to be inflated and deployed by gas generated by an inflator attached to the main body.

  In this way, the impact protection device is simplified by inflating and deploying the entire airbag with the gas generated by the inflator attached to the main body without attaching the inflator to the main body and each pillar. be able to.

  In the above-described collision object protection device, the pillar portion can be configured such that a plurality of straps are provided.

  In this way, by providing a plurality of straps in the pillar portion, each inflated and expanded pillar portion can be formed with a plurality of recessed portions in a region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle, and further, the interval and angle of each strap can be adjusted. By doing so, the region that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle can be curved so that the lower surface side is concave. Adhesion with the pillar can be improved.

According to the collision object protection device of the present invention, in the pillar portion inflated and deployed along the front pillar of the vehicle, the upper surface of the front pillar enters the groove-like depression formed in the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle. Therefore, the inflated and deployed pillar portion can be locked to the front pillar, and a sufficient contact area between the inflated and deployed pillar portion and the upper surface of the vehicle can be secured. In addition, when the airbag is inflated and deployed, the base portion of the pillar portion is supported by the body portion due to the tension generated in the bent portion of the body portion and the pillar portion. Can be prevented from shaking from the base.
As a result, the inflated and deployed pillar portion can be reliably prevented from shifting, and the front pillar can be kept covered by the airbag, so that when the vehicle collides with the collision object, The applied impact force can be reliably absorbed and relaxed.
And, by preventing the displacement of the expanded and expanded pillar portion, when forming the pillar portion, it is not necessary to take into account the displacement of the pillar portion in advance, and the width of the pillar portion need not be widened, and the airbag is downsized. Therefore, the inflator that generates gas for inflating and deploying the airbag can be made small, and can be easily mounted on the vehicle.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
1A and 1B are diagrams showing a collision object protection apparatus according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view of a state before the airbag is inflated and deployed, and FIG. 1B is a state after the airbag is inflated and deployed. It is a top view. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the collision object protection apparatus of the present embodiment, in which FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. is there. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the collision object protection apparatus of the present embodiment, in which FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1B, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. is there.

  In the present embodiment, when a vehicle, which is an automobile, collides with a colliding object while traveling, and the colliding object has a secondary collision with the upper surface of the front part of the vehicle, in order to absorb and relax the impact force applied to the colliding object. The collision object protection device mounted on the front part of the vehicle will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the collision object protection device 1 includes a collision determination device (not shown) that detects or predicts a collision between the vehicle 2 and the collision object, and the collision determination device detects or predicts a collision with the vehicle 2. The airbag 10 is inflated and deployed on the upper surface of the vehicle 2.

  The collision determination device is configured by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that detects or predicts a collision between the vehicle 2 and a collision object based on a signal from a sensor mounted on the vehicle 2 or a radar (not shown). When the collision with the vehicle 2 is detected or predicted, the inflators 20 and 20 that generate gas for inflating and deploying the airbag 10 are operated. In addition, the collision determination apparatus is configured using an existing apparatus, and the configuration is not limited.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the airbag 10 is a cylindrical bag body, and a body portion 11 that inflates and deploys along the lower portion of the front window glass 2 a of the vehicle 2, and both end portions of the body portion 11. And a pair of pillar portions 12 and 12 that are inflated and deployed along the front pillars 2 b and 2 b of the vehicle 2.

  The airbag 10 before being inflated and deployed is stored in a folded state inside a retainer 2e disposed below the hood 2c of the vehicle 2 as shown in FIG. The retainer 2e opens at the front of the cowl top 2d, and the opening is closed by a lid 2f that forms the same surface as the cowl top 2d.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, two inflators 20, 20 are attached to the main body 11, and the airbag 10 is inflated by the gas generated in each inflator 20, 20. Configured to deploy.
In this way, by inflating and deploying the entire airbag 10 by the gas generated in each inflator 20 and 20 attached to the main body part 11 without attaching the inflator 20 to the main body part 11 and each pillar part 12 and 12, respectively. Therefore, the collision object protection device 1 can have a simple configuration.
When the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed, the lid 2f (see FIG. 2 (a)) is separated from the opening of the retainer 2e by the inflating force as shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 3 (a). Then, it expands and deploys on the upper surface of the vehicle 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B, the main body 11 of the airbag 10 is a cylindrical bag body that inflates and deploys in the vehicle width direction along the lower portion of the front window glass 2 a of the vehicle 2. The two straps 11a and 11a (the “joining member” in the claims) extending inward along the longitudinal direction are extended. The straps 11a and 11a are partition walls arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the front window glass 2a. The upper end edges 11b and 11b and the lower end edges 11c and 11c of the straps 11a and 11a By being connected to the inner peripheral surface 11d, the upper surface portion 11e and the lower surface portion 11f of the main body portion 11 are connected via the straps 11a and 11a.

Thus, in the main body 11, the upper end edges 11b and 11b and the lower end edges 11c and 11c of the straps 11a and 11a are connected to the inner peripheral surface 11d, and the upper surface part 11e and the lower surface part 11f of the main body part 11 are connected to each strap. 11a and 11a. When the main body 11 is inflated and deployed, the outer peripheral surface of the main body 11 is drawn inward by the connecting portions of the straps 11a and 11a and the inner peripheral surface 11d. It becomes a state.
Thus, in the inflated and deployed main body 11, a region 11g that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle 2 has a groove-like recess 11h that is drawn inward by a connection between each strap 11a, 11a and the inner peripheral surface 11d. , 11h are formed along the longitudinal direction. By forming the recesses 11h and 11h, the axial cross-sectional shape of the main body 11 expanded and expanded becomes wide, and the lower surface side of the main body 11 becomes flat, so that the width of the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is increased. Is getting wider.

  As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3, each pillar portion 12, 12 of the airbag 10 is a cylindrical bag body that inflates and deploys in the vertical direction along each front pillar 2 b, 2 b of the vehicle 2. is there. In addition, since each pillar part 12 and 12 is the same structure, the following pillar part 12 is demonstrated about the front side of the vehicle 2, and description about the left pillar part 12 is abbreviate | omitted in the following description.

  The pillar portion 12 is provided with a strap 12a that divides the inside along the longitudinal direction. The strap 12a is a partition wall that is arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the front window glass 2a. By connecting the upper end edge 12b and the lower end edge 12c of 12a to the inner peripheral surface 12d of the pillar part 12, the upper surface part 12e and the lower surface part 12f of the pillar part 12 are connected via the strap 12a.

Thus, in the pillar part 12, the upper end edge 12b and the lower end edge 12c of the strap 12a are connected to the inner peripheral surface 12d, and the upper surface part 12e and the lower surface part 12f of the pillar part 12 are connected via the strap 12a. Therefore, when the pillar portion 12 is inflated and deployed, like the main body portion 11, the outer peripheral surface of the pillar portion 12 is inward by the connection portion between the upper end edge 12b and the lower end edge 12c of the strap 12a and the inner peripheral surface 12d. It will be pulled in.
Thus, in the pillar portion 12 inflated and deployed, a groove-like recess portion 12h that is drawn inward by a connecting portion between the strap 12a and the inner peripheral surface 12d is formed in a longitudinal direction in a region 12g that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle 2. It will be formed along. By forming the recess 12h, the axial cross-sectional shape of the expanded and expanded pillar portion 12 becomes wider, and the lower surface side of the pillar portion 12 becomes flat, so that the width of the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is wide. It has become.
Further, when the pillar portion 12 is inflated and deployed, the groove-like depression 12h formed in the region 12g overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is formed at a position where the upper surface of the front pillar 2b enters.

  Furthermore, in the airbag 10 of the present embodiment, the base portion 12i of the pillar portion 12 that is inflated and deployed is formed in a shape that rides on the upper surface of the rear portion of the hood 2c of the vehicle 2. As a result, the base portion 12i of the pillar portion 12 inflated and expanded along the front pillar 2b is pushed upward (in the direction of arrow E), so that the base portion 12i is used as a fulcrum with respect to the entire pillar portion 12. A rotational moment acts in the direction of arrow F, and the pillar portion 12 is pressed against the front pillar 2b with the base portion 12i as a fulcrum.

The collision object protection apparatus 1 configured as described above operates as follows to achieve the effects of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a collision determination device (not shown) detects or predicts a collision with the vehicle 2 based on a signal from a sensor mounted on the vehicle 2 or a radar (not shown). When this occurs, the collision determination device activates the inflators 20 and 20, and the airbag 10 is inflated on the upper surface of the vehicle 2 by the gas generated in the inflators 20 and 20, as shown in FIG. Will be deployed.

As shown in FIG. 2B, in the main body 11 inflated and deployed along the lower part of the front window glass 2a, the strap 11a and 11a and the inner peripheral surface are formed in a region 11g overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2. Groove-shaped depressions 11h and 11h drawn inward by the connecting portion with 11d are formed.
By forming the recesses 11h, 11h, the axial cross-sectional shape of the inflated and expanded main body 11 becomes wider and the lower surface side of the main body 11 becomes flat, so that the region 11g overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is formed. The width can be increased. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference of the main-body part 11 by the wind pressure which acts after expansion | deployment deployment and the pressing force from a collision object can be prevented, and the shift | offset | difference of the airbag 10 whole can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the pillar portion 12 inflated and deployed along the front pillar 2b, the region 12g overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is inwardly connected by the connecting portion between the strap 12a and the inner peripheral surface 12d. The recessed groove-shaped recess 12h is formed.
By forming the hollow portion 12h, the axial cross-sectional shape of the expanded and expanded pillar portion 12 becomes wider, and the lower surface side of the pillar portion 12 becomes flat. Therefore, the width of the region 12g overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is increased. Can be wide. Thereby, the pillar part 12 can be prevented from being displaced due to the wind pressure acting after expansion and deployment or the pressing force from the collision object.
Furthermore, since the upper surface of the front pillar 2b enters the recess 12h, the pillar portion 12 can be locked to the front pillar 2b, and a sufficient contact area between the pillar portion 12 and the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is ensured. Therefore, the inflated and deployed pillar portion 12 can be reliably prevented from being displaced, and the front pillar can be kept covered by the airbag 10.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the pillar portion 12 is formed by bending from both ends of the main body portion 11 that inflates and deploys along the lower portion of the front window glass 2a, and inflates and deploys the airbag 10. Since the base portion 12i of the pillar portion 12 is supported by the main body portion 11 when tension is generated in the bent portion by the internal pressure, the pillar portion 12 is prevented from swinging from the base portion 12i. it can.

  Further, the pillar portion 12 that is inflated and deployed is configured to be pressed against the front pillar 2b with the base portion 12i riding on the hood of the vehicle 2 as a fulcrum, so that the adhesion between the pillar portion 12 and the front pillar 2b is improved. It can raise and can prevent the shift of the pillar part 12 effectively.

As described above, the collision object protection device 1 can reliably prevent the pillar portion 12 that has been inflated and deployed from being displaced, and can maintain the state in which the front pillar 2 b is covered by the airbag 10. When colliding with a colliding object, the impact force applied to the colliding object can be reliably absorbed and relaxed.
And by reliably preventing the displacement of the expanded and expanded pillar portion 12, when creating the pillar portion 12, it is not necessary to take into account the displacement of the pillar portion 12 in advance and to widen the width of the pillar portion 12. Since the airbag 10 can be reduced in size, the inflator 20 that supplies gas for inflating and deploying the airbag 10 can be reduced and can be easily mounted on the vehicle 2.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another configuration of the collision object protection apparatus according to the present embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of a pillar portion provided with a plurality of straps.
For example, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, one strap 12 a is provided inside the pillar portion 12, but a plurality of straps 12 a may be provided inside the pillar portion 12.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the pillar portion 12 ′ having two straps 12 a and 12 a provided therein, the interval between the lower end edges 12 c and 12 c is larger than the interval between the upper end edges 12 b and 12 b of the two straps 12 a and 12 a. By narrowing, in the inflated and expanded pillar portion 12 ′, a region 12 g that overlaps the upper surface of the vehicle 2 is curved so that the lower surface side is concave so as to correspond to the shape of the upper surface of the front pillar 2 b. In this configuration, the adhesion between the pillar portion 12 'and the front pillar 2b can be enhanced.

  In this manner, the number of straps 12a and 11a (see FIGS. 2A and 3B) provided inside the pillar portion 12 or the main body portion 11 and the interval and angle of the straps 12a and 11a are adjusted. Thus, the regions 12g and 11g overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 can be deformed corresponding to the shape of the upper surface of the vehicle 2, and the adhesion between the airbag 10 and the upper surface of the vehicle 2 can be improved in various vehicles. Can do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, each pillar portion 12, 12 that inflates and deploys along each front pillar 2 b, 2 b of the vehicle 2 inflates and deploys along the lower portion of the front window glass 2 a of the vehicle 2. Since the main body 11 is bent from both ends, the length of the main body 11 in the vehicle width direction and the angle of each pillar 12, 12 with respect to the main body 11 can be adjusted. The object protection device 1 can be applied to various vehicles.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the pillar portion 12 is formed so as to expand and deploy along the front pillar 2b. When the shape of the pillar portion 12 is formed so as to be bent or curved downward with respect to the front pillar 2b, the pillar portion 12 expanded and deployed is surely pressed against the front pillar 2b. 12 and the front pillar 2b can be improved in adhesion.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, the upper surface portion 11e and the lower surface portion 11f of the main body portion 11 are connected via the straps 11a and 11a, thereby overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle 2 11g. A groove-like depression 11h is formed on the lower surface of the main body 11, and the lower surface of the main body 11 is flattened. The upper surface 11e and the lower surface 11f of the main body 11 are sewn together at a plurality of locations with a thread. It is also possible to form a plurality of depressions in a region 11g overlapping the upper surface of the main body 11 so that the lower surface side of the main body 11 is flat. As described above, the connecting member for connecting the upper surface portion 11e and the lower surface portion 11f of the main body portion 11 can use a strap, a thread, or the like, and is not particularly limited.

It is the figure which showed the collision object protection apparatus of this embodiment, (a) is a top view of the state before inflating and deploying an airbag, (b) is a top view of the state after inflating and deploying an airbag. . It is the figure which showed the collision object protection apparatus of this embodiment, (a) is AA sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a), (b) is BB sectional drawing of FIG.1 (b). It is the figure which showed the collision object protection apparatus of this embodiment, (a) is CC sectional drawing of FIG.1 (b), (b) is DD sectional drawing of FIG.1 (b). It is the figure which showed the other structure of the collision object protection apparatus in this embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of the pillar part provided with the several strap.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Collision protection device 2 Vehicle 2a Front window glass 2b Front pillar 2c Hood 10 Air bag 11 Main body part 11a Strap 12 Pillar part 12a Strap 12i Base part 20 Inflator

Claims (5)

A collision object protection apparatus comprising an airbag that inflates and deploys on an upper surface of the vehicle when a collision with a vehicle is detected or predicted,
The airbag is a tubular bag body, a main body portion that inflates and expands along a lower portion of the front windshield of the vehicle, and an air bag that is bent from both ends of the main body portion and expands along the front pillar of the vehicle. A pair of pillars to be developed are formed,
In the inflated and deployed pillar portion, the region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle is inward by a connection portion between a strap that divides the inside of the pillar portion along the longitudinal direction and an inner peripheral surface of the pillar portion. A recessed groove-shaped recess is formed,
The collision object protecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed at a position where an upper surface of the front pillar enters.   2. The coupling body connecting the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion of the main body portion is provided in a region overlapping the upper surface of the vehicle in the inflated and deployed main body portion. Collision object protection device.   The airbag is formed in a shape in which the inflated and deployed pillar portion is pressed against the front pillar with the base portion as a fulcrum when the base portion of the inflated and deployed pillar portion rides on the hood of the vehicle. The collision object protection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   4. The collision object protection according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is configured to be inflated and deployed by gas generated by an inflator attached to the main body. 5. apparatus.   5. The collision object protection device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the straps are provided on the pillar portion. 6.

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