JP2007331511A - Pedestrian protection device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, which sufficiently protects the leg parts of a pedestrian colliding on a vehicle front face by instantaneously and surely whisking the feet off the pedestrian. <P>SOLUTION: Reinforcing beads 20 each having an extension part 22 extending in the vehicle forward and backward direction to the front side part 18 of a plate part 12 positioned extending in the forward and backward direction, and an end part 23 integrally extending from the rear end edge of the extension part 22 and connecting the rear end edge of the extension part 22 to the rear side portion 14 of the plate part 12 are integrally formed at the lower part of the vehicle front part; and connecting portions 40 between the end parts 23 of the reinforcing beads 20 and the rear side part 14 of the plate part 12 are constituted into a gentle curved shape with no folding point. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, and more particularly, such a leg installed by being brought into contact with a lower part of a leg part of a pedestrian that is installed in a lower part of the front surface of the vehicle and collides with or contacts the front surface of the vehicle. The present invention relates to an improved structure of a vehicle pedestrian protection device that protects a leg part of a pedestrian by paying a lower part of the part.

  Conventionally, in vehicles such as automobiles, various protection devices have been installed on the front, rear, or side surfaces of the vehicle mainly for the purpose of absorbing impact energy generated in the event of a collision and protecting the vehicle body and passengers. ing. In recent years, a device for protecting a pedestrian when a pedestrian collides (contacts) with the front of the vehicle has also been installed on the front of the vehicle.

  As a kind of such pedestrian protection device, a reaction force against an impact load input when a pedestrian collides with the front of the vehicle is installed inside the front bumper or under the front bumper and below the front bumper. Is applied to the lower part of the leg part of the pedestrian, so that the lower part of the leg part is removed (scooped up), and the pedestrian falls to the vehicle side, thereby causing a fracture in the leg part of the pedestrian. A so-called leg-paying device is known which is configured to prevent the occurrence of injury as much as possible, and thus to protect and protect pedestrians.

  For example, (a) a resin extending in the vehicle width direction with at least a portion protruding from the front surface of the vehicle at the lower part of the front portion of the vehicle. One having a structure in which a foam and a beam member extending in the vehicle width direction are placed in contact with the back surface of the resin foam (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below) or (A) It consists of a metal pipe or the like, and has a structure fixed to the lower part of the front part of the vehicle so as to extend in the vehicle width direction (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below), and (c) the longitudinal direction of the vehicle A plate portion fixed to a lower portion of the front portion of the vehicle, and a plurality of flat ribs are provided on the front portion of the plate portion, and the rigidity of the front portion is increased. Play is bigger (higher) The rear part of the rear part is a flat plate extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and is configured to be fixed to the vehicle at the rear end of the rear part (for example, see Patent Document 3 below). In both cases, there was a point to be improved.

  That is, in the pedestrian protection apparatus (a), the number of parts is large, so that the cost of parts is unavoidably increased, and the installation is troublesome. In addition, the pedestrian protection apparatus (b) is not only inevitably heavy, but it is not easy to be molded into a shape that matches the front of the vehicle.

  In the pedestrian protection apparatus of (c), for example, if the plate portion and the plurality of ribs provided on the plate portion are integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, sufficient lightness can be exhibited. In the integral molding of the plate portion and the plurality of ribs, by adopting a mold molding technique such as injection molding, excellent moldability and a reduction in the number of parts can be advantageously achieved. Although the disadvantages of each of the pedestrian protection devices of (a) are advantageously eliminated, there is a problem that some obstacles occur when further improvement in impact performance is realized.

  In other words, in the pedestrian protection device of (c) above, when the pedestrian leg is in contact with the pedestrian leg, the impact load in the load characteristic is suddenly raised and quickly reached the target value, thereby providing sufficient reaction against the impact load. Excellent impact performance that can instantly exert force can be secured. For this purpose, the height of each rib provided on the front portion of the plate portion is such that the front portion of the plate portion to which the impact load is input has sufficient rigidity and does not easily deform. The height of the pedestrian protection device will be increased by the increase in the height of each rib, even if it is made of resin molded products. The advantages of light weight are greatly impaired. In addition, when the rib is made high, a recess for forming the rib must be formed at a sufficiently deep depth in the mold used for molding, which is extra for the manufacture of the mold. Not only is it time-consuming, but also the mold releasability of the molded product is lowered, and as a result, the problem that the manufacturability of the entire pedestrian protection device is significantly lowered is caused.

  Under such circumstances, (d) an extending portion extending in the vehicle front-rear direction with a concave groove shape opening downward, and a rear end of the extending portion, integrally extending from the rear end edge of the extending portion. A pedestrian protection device is proposed in which a reinforcing bead including an edge and a plate-shaped end portion connecting the rear portion of the plate portion is formed integrally with the front portion of the plate portion instead of a flat plate-like rib. (For example, see Patent Document 4 below). According to such a structure, it is obtained when a flat plate-like rib having a high height is integrally formed in the front portion of the plate portion while the depth or height of the reinforcing bead is suppressed to a relatively small size. It is possible to ensure the same degree of rigidity. Therefore, it is possible to further eliminate the problems inherent in the pedestrian protection device of (c) after eliminating the disadvantages of the pedestrian protection device of (a) and (b). is there.

  However, when the present inventors conducted various tests on the pedestrian protection device as described above (d) and made various studies, it is clear that the following problems exist. became.

  That is, in the pedestrian protection device of (d), since the connection part between the end part of the reinforcing bead and the rear part of the plate part is configured as a bent part (bent part), Stress concentrates on the bending curve of such a bent portion, and the plate portion can be bent and deformed relatively easily at the boundary portion between the front portion and the rear portion where the bent portion is located. . As a result, a delay in the rise of the impact load in the load characteristics is caused, and it becomes difficult to instantaneously reach the impact load to the target value, and therefore a sufficient reaction force against the impact load can be instantly exhibited. Such excellent impact performance cannot be ensured.

  Further, in this pedestrian protection device, as described above, the connection portion between the end portion of the reinforcing bead and the rear portion of the plate portion is a bent portion, and the entire inner surface (front surface) of the end portion is formed. Of the airflow (air) that flows backward in the lower part of the vehicle when the vehicle in which such a device is installed is traveling, the airflow that has entered the inside of the reinforcing bead is The impact on the entire inner surface (front surface) of the end portion is increased, resulting in a large air resistance, leading to deterioration of the aerodynamic characteristics of the pedestrian protection device and the vehicle. Will also be triggered.

JP 2001-277963 A JP 2004-25976 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-203183 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-264741

  Here, the present invention has been made in the background as described above, and the problem to be solved is an excellent impact performance that can instantly exert a sufficient reaction force against the impact load. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that can be effectively secured, and can also advantageously improve aerodynamic characteristics by reducing air resistance.

  In the present invention, in order to solve such a problem, the gist of the present invention is that the vehicle is disposed at the lower portion of the front portion of the vehicle so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and at the rear portion. An extension portion extending in the vehicle front-rear direction with a groove shape opening upward or downward, and extending integrally from a rear end edge of the extension portion. A reinforcing bead including a rear end edge of the protruding portion and a plate-like end portion connecting the rear side portion of the plate portion is formed integrally with the front side portion of the plate portion, and at the front end portion of the plate portion, In the pedestrian protection device for a vehicle configured to protect the pedestrian by colliding with a pedestrian leg colliding with the front surface of the vehicle, the end portion and the plate portion of the reinforcing bead are configured to pay and protect the leg portion. Contact with the rear part Site, located in the pedestrian protection apparatus being characterized in that a gentle curved shape without bending points.

  In such a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to the present invention, unlike the conventional device in which the connection portion between the end portion of the reinforcing bead and the rear portion of the plate portion is an angular bent portion, The stress can be distributed over the whole of the gently curved portion without concentrating the stress on one portion of the connection portion. As a result, it is advantageously eliminated that the plate portion is easily bent and deformed at the boundary portion between the front portion and the rear portion where such a connection site is located, and thus, the plate portion can be easily bent and deformed. It can also be effectively avoided that the delay of the rise of the impact load in the load characteristic due to the above is caused.

  Moreover, in the device of the present invention, the connecting portion between the end portion of the reinforcing bead and the rear portion of the plate portion has a gently curved shape. The opposite connection part side portion is configured to have a gently curved surface shape. Therefore, when the vehicle in which the device of the present invention is installed, when the airflow flowing into the inside of the reinforcing bead flows in the lower part of the vehicle toward the rear and is brought into contact with the inner surface of the end portion, Among such airflows, an airflow that contacts a portion of the inner surface of the end portion that has a gently curved surface shape is smoothly guided toward the rear while being guided by such a gently curved surface. As a result, it is possible to effectively eliminate the fact that the airflow entering the inside of the reinforcing bead is brought into impact contact with the entire inner surface of the end portion.

  Therefore, in the pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to the present invention as described above, the impact load in the load characteristic can be quickly started up to reach the target value more quickly, and thereby sufficient for the impact load. It is possible to effectively ensure excellent impact performance that can instantly exert reaction force. In addition, the air resistance can be advantageously reduced, so that the aerodynamic characteristics can be effectively improved. As a result, the legs of a pedestrian that has collided with the front of the vehicle can be paid immediately and reliably, and can be sufficiently protected at a higher level. Moreover, the vehicle can travel based on excellent aerodynamic characteristics. Improvements in stability and fuel consumption can also be realized extremely advantageously.

Aspects of the Invention

  By the way, the present invention can be suitably implemented at least in various aspects as listed below.

(1) A concave groove that is disposed in a lower portion of the front portion of the vehicle so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and has a plate portion that is fixed to the vehicle at the rear portion and opens upward or downward. And a plate-like end that integrally extends from the rear end edge of the extension portion and connects the rear end edge of the extension portion and the rear portion of the plate portion. A reinforcing bead including a portion is integrally formed with a front portion of the plate portion, and the leg portion is brought into contact with a pedestrian's leg portion colliding with the front surface of the vehicle at the front end portion of the plate portion. In the pedestrian protection device for vehicles configured to protect by paying, the connection portion between the end portion of the reinforcing bead and the rear portion of the plate portion has a gently curved shape without a bending point. Vehicle walk characterized by that Protection equipment.

(2) In the above aspect (1), the end portion of the reinforcing bead extends from the rear end edge of the extending portion toward the rear side portion of the plate portion in an inclined or curved manner. It has a curved plate form. According to this aspect, the airflow that enters the inside of the reinforcing bead and is brought into contact with the inner surface of the end portion is more smoothly flowed backward while being guided by the entire inner surface of the end portion. It becomes like this. As a result, the air resistance can be reduced more advantageously, and the aerodynamic characteristics can be improved at a higher level.

(3) In aspect (1) or aspect (2) described above, a boundary portion between the extension part and the end part in the reinforcing bead has a gently curved shape without a bending point. In this embodiment, unlike the case where the boundary part between the extension part and the end part of the reinforcing bead is formed into an angular bent (bent) shape, one part of the boundary part is provided when an impact is input. Thus, the stress can be distributed over the whole of the gently curved portion without the stress being concentrated on the surface. Also by this, the easy bending deformation of the plate portion can be advantageously prevented, and thus excellent impact performance that can instantly exert a sufficient reaction force against the impact load can be obtained more reliably. .

(4) In any one of the modes (1) to (3) described above, the front end of the reinforcing bead has a front surface extending in the vertical direction, and at least one of the front end portions of the plate portion. The front side wall part which comprises a part is provided integrally. According to this aspect, for example, the impact load generated by the collision of the leg part of the pedestrian is input at a substantially right angle to the front side wall part constituting at least a part of the front end part of the plate part. Therefore, when an impact load is input, it is possible to effectively avoid the occurrence of an acting force that lifts or pushes the front portion of the plate portion upward or downward only to one side. This also allows the impact load in the load characteristics to rise suddenly and quickly reach the target value, thus providing excellent impact performance that can instantly exert a sufficient reaction force against the impact load. Therefore, it can be secured more effectively.

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

  First, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a top surface form and a cross-sectional form of a leg washer attached to the inside of a front bumper installed on the front surface of an automobile as an embodiment of a pedestrian protection apparatus according to the present invention. Are respectively schematically shown. As is clear from these drawings, the leg cleaning device 10 of the present embodiment has a substrate 12 as a plate portion.

  The board 12 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene or ABS resin, and extends in the vehicle width direction, that is, in the left-right direction of the automobile in the left-right direction in FIG. The dimension of the direction (hereinafter referred to as the left-right direction) is shorter than the vehicle width by a predetermined dimension, and the dimension in the vertical direction in FIG. As a whole, it is made of a thin flat plate having a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape that is sufficiently shorter than the dimension in the left-right direction.

  And in such a board | substrate 12, the rear side part which occupies substantially half of the back side shows a flat plate form, and the flat plate provided with the upper surface and lower surface which spread horizontally in the installation state to the motor vehicle of the leg payment apparatus 10 Part 14. In addition, a plurality of insertion holes 16 that penetrate the plate portion 14 in the plate thickness direction and through which a predetermined fixing bolt or the like can be inserted are provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction (here, 5).

  On the other hand, the front side portion of the substrate 12 excluding the flat plate portion 14 is a reinforcing portion 18 having a reinforcing structure. That is, in the reinforcing portion 18, a plurality of (here, seven) reinforcing beads 20 are adjacent to each other at a certain distance in the left-right direction at an intermediate portion excluding both side portions in the left-right direction. In this state, they are integrally provided, so that a sufficient reinforcing structure is provided.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the reinforcing bead 20 includes an extension portion 22 that extends continuously in the front-rear direction, and an end portion 23 that extends from the rear edge of the extension portion 22. Are integrally formed.

  And the extension part 22 of this reinforcement bead 20 has the upper side bottom wall part 24, the front side vertical wall part 26, and the two side wall parts 28 and 28 further integrally. The upper bottom wall portion 24 has a substantially narrow rectangular shape with a relatively small width, and is sandwiched between adjacent reinforcing beads 20 so as to be located on both sides of one reinforcing bead 20. And at a position above the upper surface of the flat plate portion 14 that is a continuous surface flush with the upper surface of the side portion 30 by a predetermined dimension, it is arranged so as to extend parallel to the upper surface and straight in the front-rear direction. ing.

  The front vertical wall portion 26 has the same width as that of the upper bottom wall portion 24 and a length (dimension in the vertical direction) that is approximately half the distance between the upper bottom wall portion 24 and the side portion 30. It consists of a relatively small flat plate having a substantially rectangular shape, and is integrally formed with respect to the upper bottom wall portion 24 so as to extend vertically downward from its front edge.

  Furthermore, each side wall part 28 consists of a long flat plate, and the distance between the upper bottom wall part 24 and the side part 30 from each of the edge part of the width direction both sides with respect to the upper bottom wall part 24, and It is integrally formed in a state where it is suspended with substantially the same height. Further, at the upper side portion of the front end edge, the front vertical wall portion 26 is integrally connected to the left and right end edge portions.

  On the other hand, the end portion 23 is an inclined plate that integrally extends from the rear end edge portion of the upper bottom wall portion 24 in the extending portion 22 to the height position of the flat plate portion 14 with a predetermined inclination angle. It has a form. Then, on the boundary line between the reinforcing portion 18 and the flat plate portion 14 in the substrate 12: a (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), the rear end edge portion is integrated with the front end edge portion of the flat plate portion 14. It is connected. In addition, the left and right end edge portions are integrally connected to the rear end edge portions of the side wall portions 28 in the extending portion 22.

  Thus, the reinforcing bead 20 is configured to have an overall shape of a longitudinal rectangular casing that protrudes upward and extends straight in the front-rear direction at the same height. In other words, it has a concave groove shape extending straight in the front-rear direction with a U-shaped cross-sectional shape in the vehicle width direction opening downward. A plurality of the reinforcing beads 20 are arranged in parallel in the middle portion of the reinforcing portion 18 with the side portions 30 sandwiched therebetween and the side wall portions 28 facing each other with a certain distance in the left-right direction. Yes.

  As described above, in the leg cleaning device 10, since the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 are integrally formed with the reinforcing portion 18 of the substrate 12, it is sufficient for the reinforcing portion 18, that is, the front portion of the substrate 12. The rigidity is imparted, and the strength against bending deformation is advantageously increased in the reinforcing portion 18.

  Further, as apparent from FIG. 1, in the leg cleaning device 10 of the present embodiment, in the reinforcing portion 18, the front end edge portion of the side portion 30 positioned between the reinforcing beads 20 adjacent to each other is also vertically upward. A front vertical wall portion 32 extending toward the front is integrally formed. The front vertical wall portion 32 is positioned side by side with the front vertical wall portion 26 provided at the front end portion of the extending portion 22 of each reinforcing bead 20 in the left-right direction. Thereby, the front surface of the front vertical wall portion 26 of each reinforcing bead 20 and the front surface of the front vertical wall portion 32 of each side portion 30 exhibit one continuous surface form in plan view, and such a continuous surface is It has a curved surface shape that protrudes forward, corresponding to the inner surface of a bumper cover of the front bumper described later. Then, on the front surface of each of the front vertical wall portions 26 and 32 that become one continuous curved surface in such a plan view, as will be described later, walking to the front surface of the automobile under the installation state of the leg cleaning device 10 on the automobile. An impact input surface 34 to which an impact caused by a person's collision or the like is input is formed.

  Thus, in the leg cleaning device 10 of the present embodiment, as particularly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rear end portion of the extending portion 22 extending horizontally in the front-rear direction and the rearward direction. A rear portion of each reinforcing bead 20 including an end portion 23 having an inclined plate shape inclined downward is configured to exhibit a cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction that draws a gentle S-shaped curve in the front-rear direction.

  That is, the boundary portion between the upper bottom wall portion 24 and the end portion 23 of the extending portion 22 in each reinforcing bead 20 is convex toward the rear, and has a curved boundary portion having a gentle curved shape without a bending point. 36. Further, each reinforcing bead 20 is located at a boundary portion 38 that includes the boundary line between the reinforcing portion 18 and the flat plate portion 14 in the substrate 12 and straddles the rear end portion of the reinforcing portion 18 and the front end portion of the flat plate portion 14. The connecting portion between the end portion 23 and the front end edge portion of the flat plate portion 14 is a curved connecting portion 40 that protrudes forward and has a bending shape without a bending point.

  Accordingly, the upper portion of the inner surface (front surface) of the end portion 23 is a gentle concave curved surface portion 41 that is recessed rearward, while the lower portion thereof is a convexity that protrudes forward. In addition, the intermediate curved portion 43 is configured as an inclined surface portion 45 extending downward and rearward so as to connect the concave curved surface portion 41 and the convex curved surface portion 43. .

  Thus, in such a leg-pasting device 10, when a predetermined impact load is input to the substrate 12 under the installation state in the automobile as will be described later, the upper bottom wall portion of the extending portion 22 in each reinforcing bead 20 is provided. In each of the curved boundary portion 36 formed by the boundary portion between the end portion 23 and the end portion 23 and the curved connection portion 40 formed by the connection portion between the end portion 23 of each reinforcing bead 20 and the front end edge portion of the flat plate portion 14, Can be dispersed advantageously.

  Accordingly, the boundary portion between the upper bottom wall portion 24 and the end portion 23 of the extending portion 22 in each reinforcing bead 20 and the connection portion between the end portion 23 of each reinforcing bead 20 and the front end edge portion of the flat plate portion 14 are respectively provided. Unlike the conventional device that is an angular bent portion, the occurrence of stress concentration at the boundary portion or the connection portion can be effectively eliminated.

  Further, when the automobile on which such a leg wiping device 10 is installed is caused to travel, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, it enters the inside of each reinforcing bead 20 from the lower side of the front vertical wall portion 26, The airflow flowing in each of these reinforcing beads 20 as shown by the arrow A in FIG. 3 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the end portion 23, particularly the inclined surface portion 45 and the convex curved surface portion 43, and is guided by these surfaces. However, as shown by the arrow C in FIG. 3, it flows smoothly backward. Therefore, in such a leg wiping device 10, it is advantageous that the airflow entering the inside of each reinforcing bead 20 is brought into impact contact with the inner surface of the end portion 23 and the air resistance is increased. Can be eliminated or alleviated.

As described above, in the present embodiment having the structure as described above, local stress concentration on the substrate 12 when an impact load is input, and air when the automobile on which the leg wiper 10 is installed is running. The increase in resistance can be advantageously eliminated or alleviated, including the radius of curvature of the curved connecting portion 40 formed by the connecting portion between the end portion 23 and the front end edge of the flat plate portion 14: R ₁ has a great influence. Therefore, it is desirable that the curved connecting portion 40 has a radius of curvature R ₁ of 5 mm or more. As a result, it is possible to more advantageously achieve the dispersion of stress and the reduction of air resistance when an impact load is input. Further, the upper limit value of the radius of curvature R ₁ of the curved connecting portion 40 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that the radius of curvature R ₁ is 45 mm or less. This is because, when the radius of curvature of the curved connecting portion 40: R ₁ exceeds 45 mm, the length of the end portion 23 becomes too large, and the size (length) of the reinforcing bead 20 including the end portion 23, and consequently This is because the overall size (length) of the substrate 12 becomes excessive, which results in an increase in the size of the leg cleaning device 10. Furthermore, the curvature of the curved connecting portion 40 radius: A more preferable range of R ₁ is 10 to 30 mm.

The curvature radius of the curved boundary portion 36 of the boundary portion between the upper bottom wall portion 24 and the end portion 23 of the extending portion 22 of each reinforcing bead 20: R ₂ also, for the same reason as described above, for example, 5 The thickness is preferably about 45 mm, more preferably about 10 to 30 mm.

  By the way, the leg cleaning device 10 having such a structure is attached to the inside of a front bumper 42 installed on the front surface of the automobile, for example, in a conventionally known structure as shown in FIG.

  That is, the front bumper 42 to which the leg wiper 10 is attached is provided with a bumper cover 48 having an upper protruding portion 44 and a lower protruding portion 46 that protrude from the front of the automobile under the installation state on the front of the automobile. is doing. Each of the upper protrusion 44 and the lower protrusion 46 has a curved shape in which the vertical longitudinal section is convex toward the front. The bumper cover 48 is installed, for example, with bolts fixed to the front grille 50 constituting the front portion of the automobile. In FIG. 4, 52 and 54 are a bonnet and a radiator, respectively.

  A known shock absorbing structure 56 having rigidity smaller than that of the leg wiping member 10 is disposed on the inner side of the upper protrusion 44 of the bumper cover 48 (on the rear side of the automobile) with the bumper reinforcement 58 that is a rigid member. It is fixed between.

  On the other hand, the leg wiper 10 projects the front end portion of the reinforcing portion 18 of the board 12 provided with a plurality of reinforcing beads 20 from the front surface of the automobile, and the front end portion enters the lower protruding portion 46 of the bumper cover 48. On the other hand, the flat plate portion 14 of the substrate 12 is horizontally extended in the front-rear direction, and the upper surface of the rear end portion of the flat plate portion 14 is fixed to the front portion of the automobile so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. It arrange | positions in the state made to contact the lower surface of the radiator support 60 which supports the radiator 54. FIG. Then, one fixing bolt 62 is inserted into each of the plurality of insertion holes 16 provided in the rear end portion of the flat plate portion 14 of the substrate 12, and each of the fixing bolts 62 is screwed into the radiator support 60. Thus, the flat plate portion 14 of the substrate 12 is fixed to the radiator support 60 at the rear end portion thereof.

  Thus, the leg cleaning device 10 is disposed in the lower part of the front surface of the automobile so as to extend horizontally in the front-rear direction, and the entire substrate 12 is parallel to the horizontal plane including the input direction of the impact load input to the bumper cover 48. The impact input surface 34 formed by the front surfaces of the front vertical wall portions 26 and 32 provided at the front ends of the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 and the side portions 30 positioned between the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 is provided on the bumper cover. It is installed in a fixed position in a state of being opposed to the inner surface of the lower projecting portion 46 of 48 and orthogonal to the input direction of the impact load.

  Therefore, in the leg wiper 10 of the present embodiment, the pedestrian's leg 64 contacts or collides with the bumper cover 48 of the front bumper 42 as shown in FIG. When fastened, the upper projecting portion 44 and the lower projecting portion 46 of the bumper cover 48 come into contact with the vicinity of the knee 66 and the shin 68 of the leg portion 64 of the pedestrian, respectively. At this time, since the rigidity of the shock absorbing structure 56 is smaller than the rigidity of the leg cleaning device 10, the shock absorbing structure 56 is deformed more easily and in a larger amount than the leg cleaning device 10. It is done. As a result, the bumper cover 48 is configured such that the lower protruding portion 46 protrudes toward the front of the automobile from the upper protruding portion 44, so that the leg 64 collides with the bumper cover 48. Thus, the reaction force against the impact load generated in the leg wiping device 10 is applied to the portion near the shin 68 of the leg portion 64 of the pedestrian via the lower protruding portion 46 of the bumper cover 48. As a result, a portion near the shin 68 of the leg portion 64 of the pedestrian is paid off (scooped up) by the leg wiper 10 so that the pedestrian can fall down to the hood 52 side of the car. The bending of the pedestrian's knee 66 in an unreasonable direction is reduced, and the occurrence of injury such as a fracture to the knee 66 is prevented as much as possible. Thus, protection and safety of pedestrians can be effectively achieved.

  And in this leg-pasting device 10, especially as mentioned above, the curved connection part 40 which consists of the connection part of the end part 23 of each reinforcement bead 20 and the flat plate part 14 is made into the gentle curve shape. It is advantageously reduced or eliminated that stress concentration is induced in the curved connecting portion 40 at the time of impact input. Therefore, the boundary portion 38 between the reinforcing portion 18 of the substrate 12 and the flat plate portion 14 where the curved connecting portion 40 is located is easily bent and deformed by the input of an impact load caused by the collision of the pedestrian leg portion 64 with the bumper cover 48. It can be effectively prevented from being damped.

  Further, the curved boundary portion 36 formed by the boundary portion between the extending portion 22 and the end portion 23 of each reinforcing bead 20 is also gently curved, so that stress concentration is applied to the curved boundary portion 36 at the time of impact input. Induction is advantageously reduced or eliminated, whereby the deformation strength of the reinforcement 18 is also advantageously increased.

  Moreover, in the leg wiper 10 according to the present embodiment, the impact is applied to the impact input surface 34 of the reinforcing portion 18 that is opposed to the inner surface of the lower protrusion 46 of the bumper cover 48 under the installation state in the automobile. Since the load is input at a right angle, when the impact load is input, an action force is generated on the reinforcing portion 18 such that the reinforcing portion 18 is lifted or pushed down only to either the upper side or the lower side. Can be effectively prevented. Also by this, the easy deformation | transformation by the impact input in the reinforcement part 18 in the board | substrate 12 or the boundary part 38 of the reinforcement part 18 and the flat plate part 14 can be prevented effectively.

  Therefore, in the leg wiper 10, when an impact load is input to the impact input surface 34, the impact load is applied to the flat plate portion 14 without causing bending deformation at the reinforcing portion 18 or the boundary portion 38. On the other hand, it is made to act in a substantially horizontal direction via the reinforcing portion 18, whereby the flat plate portion 14 is buckled and deformed reliably and effectively, so that the rising of the impact load in the load characteristics is achieved. Such a delay can be prevented in advance.

  Therefore, in the leg cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment as described above, the impact load in the load characteristic can be quickly started up to reach the target value more quickly, and thereby sufficient reaction against the impact load can be achieved. It is possible to effectively ensure excellent impact performance that can instantly exert force. As a result, the leg portion of the pedestrian that collided with the front surface of the vehicle can be immediately and reliably paid to be sufficiently protected at an even higher level.

  Further, in the leg cleaning device 10 of the present embodiment, the airflow that has entered each reinforcing bead 20 during traveling of the automobile in which it is installed, particularly the inclined surface portion 45 and the convex curved surface portion on the inner surface of the end portion 23. Therefore, the air resistance can be advantageously reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus. Therefore, an improvement in aerodynamic characteristics can be achieved effectively, and thus an improvement in running stability and fuel consumption can be realized extremely advantageously.

  The specific configuration of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited by the above description.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, all of the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 are configured to have a concave groove shape that opens downward, but the opening direction of each of the reinforcing beads 20 is not limited in any way. It is not a thing. That is, for example, all of the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 are configured with a recessed groove shape opening upward, or some of the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 are formed with a recessed groove shape opening downward. On the other hand, the remaining reinforcing beads 20 may be in the form of concave grooves that open upward.

  Further, the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing bead 20 in the vehicle width direction is not particularly limited to the illustrated U-shape, and the reinforcing bead 20 is formed in an arc shape, a curved shape, or a polygonal shape in the vehicle width direction. It is also possible to have a cross-sectional shape. Of course, the cross-sectional shapes in the vehicle width direction of the plurality of reinforcing beads 20 are not necessarily the same.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the end part 23 of the reinforcement bead 20 had the inclination board form which inclines toward the back from the rear-end edge part of the upper side bottom wall part 24, and extends integrally, this is taken. The end portion 23 may be configured to extend integrally from the rear end edge portion of the upper bottom wall portion 24 vertically downward or vertically upward.

  Furthermore, it goes without saying that the number and position of the reinforcing beads 20 and the dimensions of each part can be changed as appropriate.

  In addition, if the number of arrangement | positioning, ie, the parallel number in the state arrange | positioned in parallel in the left-right direction, is increased by reducing the width | variety of the reinforcement bead 20, etc., the rigidity of the board | substrate 12 will be improved in connection with it. It becomes. Therefore, the rigidity of the substrate 12 can be easily tuned by appropriately adjusting the number of the reinforcing beads 20 arranged.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the whole leg payment apparatus 10 was formed using the synthetic resin material, the material of the leg payment apparatus 10 as this pedestrian protection apparatus is not limited to this at all. Instead, for example, a metal material that is relatively lightweight and excellent in formability, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, may be used.

  Furthermore, the installation structure of the protection device for pedestrians (leg-paying device 10) to the lower part of the front portion of the vehicle is not particularly limited to the illustrated structure. In other words, the vehicle portion and the fixing method to which the rear portion (flat plate portion 14) of the plate portion (substrate 12) is fixed can be variously changed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the reaction force with respect to the impact load which arises in the leg cleaning apparatus 10 by the collision with the bumper cover 48 of the leg part 64 of a pedestrian is with respect to the part near the shin 68 of the leg part 64 of a pedestrian. The pedestrian leg 64 where the reaction force against the impact load is applied is the position where the leg wiper 10 is installed. It is a place that is appropriately changed depending on.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to a pedestrian protection device installed inside a bumper fixed to the front surface of an automobile, a device installed separately from the bumper on the front surface of the automobile, or other than an automobile. Of course, the present invention can be advantageously applied to any of the pedestrian protection devices installed in various forms on the front surface of the vehicle.

  The specific configuration of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, this is merely an example, and the present invention can be implemented in various forms. Accordingly, various embodiments relating to various changes, modifications, and improvements of the present invention adopted based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art are all within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be understood that it belongs.

  In the following, typical examples of the present invention will be shown to further clarify the features of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited by the description of such examples. It goes without saying.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a leg washer having a structure according to the present invention was prepared by performing injection molding using polypropylene, and prepared. And this was made into the product of this invention. In addition, the height of the reinforcement bead provided in the leg cleaning device of the present invention was 10 to 15 mm, and the width was 10 to 15 mm. The curvature of the curved connecting portion comprising a connecting portion between the end portion and the flat portion of the reinforcing bead radius: While the R ₁ and 12 mm, of the curved boundary portion consisting of a boundary portion between the extending portion and the end portion of the reinforcing bead Curvature radius: R ₂ was 20 mm.

  In addition, for comparison, separately from the leg cleaning device of the present invention, the connection part between the end part and the flat part of the reinforcement bead, and the boundary part between the extension part and the end part of the reinforcement bead, A leg washer having a structure similar to the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-264541, which is an angular bent portion, was prepared and prepared by performing injection molding using polypropylene. And this was made into the conventional product. The height and width of the reinforcing beads provided in the conventional leg-paying device are the same as the dimensions of the leg-paying device according to the present invention.

  Then, when each of the two types of leg cleaning devices of the present invention and the conventional product thus prepared is positioned in the air flow flowing from the front to the rear, the resistance value and the air flow generated in each leg cleaning device are determined. The relationship with the flow rate was determined by fluid analysis (CFD). The results are shown in FIG.

  As is clear from FIG. 6, the resistance value of the leg-paying device 10 of the present invention is always smaller when the airflow velocity is the same as that of the conventional leg-paying device. It is recognized that From this, according to the present invention, the connecting portion between the end portion and the flat portion of the reinforcing bead and the boundary portion between the extending portion and the end portion of the reinforcing bead are formed into a gently curved shape without a bending point. By doing so, it can be clearly recognized that the air resistance can be advantageously reduced.

  In addition, the two types of leg-pasting devices of the present invention and the conventional product prepared as described above are respectively arranged inside the bumper cover of the front bumper fixed on the front surface of the actual vehicle (automobile), as shown in FIG. Two types of test vehicles were obtained, which were installed in a structure as shown, and were each provided with a leg-wiping device having a different structure. After that, using these two types of test vehicles, a pedestrian collision test was performed assuming a pedestrian collision with the front bumper of the car, and the impact load input to each leg wiper at the time of the pedestrian collision The change with time was examined by a known method. The results are also shown in FIG. In addition, the pedestrian collision test with respect to each test vehicle was carried out by causing a dummy having a weight of 13.4 kg to collide with a front surface of the front bumper of each test vehicle at a speed of 40 km / h.

  As can be seen from FIG. 7, the impact load when using the leg-paying device of the present invention is faster than the impact load when using the conventional leg-paying device after the collision of the pedestrian. It is recognized that the load value has been reached. This clearly shows that the reaction force against the impact load can be instantaneously and sufficiently ensured in the leg cleaning device having the structure according to the present invention.

It is upper surface explanatory drawing which shows an example of the pedestrian protection apparatus which has a structure according to this invention. It is II-II sectional explanatory drawing in FIG. It is III-III cross-section expansion explanatory drawing in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which installed the pedestrian protection apparatus shown by FIG. 1 in the vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the deformation | transformation state of a pedestrian protection apparatus when a pedestrian collides with the front surface of the vehicle in which the pedestrian protection apparatus shown by FIG. 1 was installed. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the flow velocity and resistance value of the airflow which were calculated | required by the fluid analysis in the pedestrian protection apparatus which has a structure according to this invention, and the pedestrian protection apparatus which has a conventional structure. It is a graph which shows the time-dependent change of the impact load in each pedestrian protection apparatus obtained by conducting the pedestrian collision test with respect to the pedestrian protection apparatus which has a structure according to this invention, and the pedestrian protection apparatus which has a conventional structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Leg wiping device 12 Board | substrate 14 Flat plate part 18 Reinforcement part 20 Reinforcement bead 22 Extension part 23 End part 34 Impact input surface 36 Curved boundary part 38 Boundary part 40 Curved connection part 42 Front bumper 48 Bumper cover

Claims (4)

The front and rear of the vehicle have a plate portion that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and is fixed to the vehicle at the rear portion, and has a concave groove shape that opens upward or downward. An extension portion extending in the direction, and a plate-like end portion extending integrally from the rear end edge of the extension portion and connecting the rear end edge of the extension portion and the rear side portion of the plate portion. A reinforcing bead is integrally formed on the front portion of the plate portion, and the front end portion of the plate portion is brought into contact with a pedestrian's leg portion that has collided with the front surface of the vehicle. In the vehicle pedestrian protection device configured to protect,
A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, wherein a connecting portion between the end portion of the reinforcing bead and a rear portion of the plate portion has a gently curved shape without a bending point.   The end portion of the reinforcing bead has an inclined plate or curved plate shape extending from the rear end edge of the extending portion toward the rear portion of the plate portion while being inclined or curved. The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to the above.   The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a boundary portion between the extending portion and the end portion in the reinforcing bead has a gently curved shape without a bending point. The front side wall part which has the front surface extended in a perpendicular direction at the front end of the said reinforcement bead, and comprises at least one part of the front-end part of the said plate part is integrally provided. The vehicle pedestrian protection device according to any one of the above.

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