JP2008254497A - Bumper airbag device for pedestrian protection - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bumper airbag device for pedestrian protection capable of deploying an airbag according to the physique of a pedestrian and certainly ensuring safety of the pedestrian. <P>SOLUTION: The bumper airbag device 10 for pedestrian protection has a bumper airbag 30 installed at an inner side of a bumper 14 of a vehicle 12, deployed by detecting collision of a pedestrian and protecting a lower leg part of the pedestrian; a movable member 20 mounted with the bumper airbag 30 and an inflator 32 for deploying the bumper airbag 30; a support means 18 for supporting the movable member 20 at an initial position; a physique detection means 40 for detecting physique of the pedestrian collided to the vehicle 12; a release mean 34 for releasing the support by the support means 18 when it is required that the initial position of the movable member 20 is changed based on the information detected by the physique detection means 40; and receiving means 24, 26 capable of receiving the movable member 20 dropped off by releasing the support by the support means 18 at a plurality of predetermined positions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bumper airbag device for protecting pedestrians.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pedestrian protection bumper airbag device that protects a pedestrian that has collided with the front side of a vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). The airbag device described in Patent Literature 1 has a function of paying the lower leg of the pedestrian so that the lower leg of the pedestrian first comes into contact with the airbag and receiving the whole body with the airbag when the pedestrian falls down. In addition, it has a function of enhancing the injury reduction effect on the lower limbs, torso, and head by adjusting the hardness of the airbag by protecting the pedestrian according to the contact position of the pedestrian with a plurality of airbags.

  However, in such an airbag apparatus, the deployment height of the airbag that is first brought into contact with the lower limb cannot be changed according to the physique of the pedestrian. Therefore, the injury of a pedestrian with a short height such as a child cannot be reduced, and there is a possibility that it may be harmful.

Moreover, the airbag apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is designed to deploy the airbag stored inside the bumper by removing the cap pinned at the center of the bumper after collision detection. However, even in this case, there is a problem that the deployment height of the airbag cannot be changed according to the pedestrian's physique.
JP 2005-532957 A JP 2005-112210 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a bumper airbag device for protecting a pedestrian that can deploy a bumper airbag according to the physique of the pedestrian and can reliably ensure the safety of the pedestrian. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a bumper airbag device for pedestrian protection according to claim 1 according to the present invention is installed inside a bumper of a vehicle, detects a pedestrian collision, deploys, and A bumper airbag that protects the lower leg of a pedestrian, a movable member to which the bumper airbag and an inflator that deploys the bumper airbag are attached, and a support means that supports the movable member at an initial position; The physique detection means for detecting the physique of the pedestrian that collides with the vehicle, and the support by the support means is released when it is necessary to change the initial position of the movable member based on the information detected by the physique detection means And a receiving means capable of receiving at a plurality of predetermined positions the movable member falling after being released from the support by the supporting means. .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle detects a collision with a pedestrian, gas is ejected by the inflator, and the bumper airbag installed inside the bumper is deployed. As a result, the lower leg (down from the knee) of the pedestrian is protected by the bumper airbag. Here, the bumper airbag and the inflator for deployment thereof are provided on the movable member so that the position (height) of the movable member is changed according to the physique (height) of the colliding pedestrian. It has become.

  That is, the pedestrian protection bumper airbag device is provided with receiving means capable of receiving a movable member at a plurality of predetermined positions according to the physique (height) of the pedestrian. Therefore, the height position at which the bumper airbag is deployed can be adjusted according to the pedestrian's physique (height), and the safety of the pedestrian can be reliably ensured.

  The pedestrian protection bumper airbag device according to claim 2 is the pedestrian protection bumper airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the release means presses the movable member downward. It includes an air bag for use.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the release airbag is deployed at the moment of the collision, the support of the movable member supported at the initial position is released, and the movable member is pressed downward. The Accordingly, the movable member can move (fall) to one of a plurality of predetermined positions that can be received by the receiving means faster (instantly) than the dropping speed due to the action of gravity.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to deploy a bumper airbag according to the pedestrian's physique, and to provide a pedestrian protection bumper airbag device that can ensure the safety of the pedestrian. can do.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view and a schematic front view showing a state of a vehicle 12 equipped with a bumper airbag device 10 for protecting a pedestrian according to the present embodiment before a bumper airbag 30 is deployed. FIG. It is the schematic side sectional view and schematic front view which show the state after the airbag 30 deployment. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the state after the bumper airbag 30 is deployed, and FIG. 4 is a schematic side sectional view and a schematic front view showing the state after the bumper airbag 30 is deployed when the height is changed. It is. 1 to 4, the arrow UP is the vehicle body upward direction, and the arrow FR is the vehicle body front direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a bumper 14 is provided at the front portion of the vehicle 12, and a lower portion 14 </ b> A of the bumper 14 faces the front side of the vehicle body downward when a bumper airbag 30 described later is deployed. The rear side of the vehicle body is hinged to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable. At this time, a stopper or the like (not shown) has a hinge portion (not shown) so that the lower part 14A is rotated only to a predetermined position immediately before the front side of the vehicle body of the lower part 14A of the bumper 14 contacts the road surface (ground). (Omitted).

  In addition, a pedestrian collision detection device 16 is provided inside the bumper 14, and the pedestrian collision detection device 16 detects that a pedestrian collides with the vehicle 12. A bumper airbag 30 and an inflator 32 for injecting gas to the bumper airbag 30 are provided on the vehicle body inner side of the bumper 14. The bumper airbag 30 and the inflator 32 are arranged in the vehicle width direction. Is attached to a movable plate (movable member) 20 having a rectangular shape longer than the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and having a predetermined thickness.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the movable plate 20 is fished (supported) to a predetermined position (initial position) by a rope-like member (hereinafter referred to as “rope”) 18 on the vehicle body side, and in the vicinity of each corner portion. Each of the columns 22 is disposed at a position where the interval is slightly larger than the length of the movable plate 20 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body when viewed from the vehicle width direction. A plurality of (two in the figure) stoppers (receiving means) 24 and 26 having a substantially semicircular shape in plan view are provided on the four support posts 22 at different height positions in the vehicle front direction. Alternatively, it protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle body, and the movable plate 20 that has fallen can be received by the stoppers 24 and 26.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a stopper 26 protrudes near the lower end of each column 22 (hereinafter referred to as the “lowermost position”), and the stopper 26 and the initial position of the movable plate 20 are A stopper 24 protrudes from a substantially intermediate portion (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate position”). In a normal state (when the bumper airbag 30 is not deployed), the stopper 24 protrudes toward the rear side of the vehicle body at the support 22 on the front side of the vehicle body, and protrudes toward the front side of the vehicle body at the support column 22 on the rear side of the vehicle body. It is installed. The stopper 26 protrudes toward the front side of the vehicle body on the support 22 on the front side of the vehicle body, and protrudes toward the rear side of the vehicle body on the support column 22 on the rear side of the vehicle body. Furthermore, each support column 22 is configured to be rotatable 180 degrees (half-rotatable) with the height direction as an axial direction by driving means such as a motor (not shown).

  Accordingly, the height of the movable plate 20 can be changed to a total of three positions (in three stages) including the initial position supported by the rope 18. That is, the initial position where the rope 18 is fishing (supported) and the four support columns 22 are in the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 (the state where they are not rotated respectively), and the support with the rope 18 is released and dropped. Sometimes, the intermediate positions received by the stoppers 24 protruding from the respective struts 22 and the four struts 22 are rotated 180 degrees (half rotation) from the state shown in FIGS. When released after being released, the movable plate 20 can be supported at a total of three positions, which are the lowest positions received by the stoppers 26 protruding from the respective columns 22. Thereby, according to the detected physique (height), the height position where the bumper airbag 30 is deployed can be adjusted.

  At this time, the movable plate 20 may be configured to drop only by the action of gravity, but in order to instantaneously drop the movable plate 20, a fixed plate (fixed) fixed to the vehicle body above the movable plate 20. The member (38) may be provided with an airbag 34 for moving the movable plate and an inflator 36 for injecting gas into the airbag 34. As described above, when the movable plate moving airbag 34 (including the inflator 36) is provided, the movable plate 20 can be dropped faster (instantly) than the action of gravity by the deployment force of the airbag 34. become.

  When it is necessary to drop the movable plate 20 due to a collision with a pedestrian, the rope 18 that supports the movable plate 20 at the initial position is cut by a rope cutting means (release means) (not shown). For example, the support for the movable plate 20 is released, but the rope 18 is cut by the deployment force of the airbag 34 described above, so that the support for the movable plate 20 is released. Also good. According to this, since it is not necessary to provide a separate rope cutting means, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The pedestrian protection bumper airbag device 10 is provided with physique detection means 40 as shown in FIG. The physique detection unit 40 includes, for example, an imaging unit (not shown) and a collision monitoring control unit (not shown), and corresponds to a pedestrian estimated to collide from the latest image captured by the imaging unit. An image to be extracted is extracted. Then, the vertical size and the horizontal size of the extracted image are calculated, and the height H of the pedestrian is determined based on the vertical size of the image and the distance between the pedestrian and the image. Based on the size in the left-right direction and the distance between the pedestrian and the pedestrian, the body width W of the pedestrian is determined (see FIG. 9A). Thus, it is determined which position the height of the movable plate 20 is set to.

  On the other hand, the collision monitoring control unit is provided with a non-volatile memory. In the non-volatile memory, the human weight WT predicted from the height H and the body width W is registered (stored) in advance as a database (DB). (See FIG. 9B). Therefore, by searching the database (DB) using the pedestrian's height H and body width W detected by the imaging unit as keys, the pedestrian's height H and body width W corresponding to the combination of the pedestrian's height H and body width W are searched. The weight WT can be predicted with high accuracy. Thus, the amount of gas ejected from the inflator 32 to the bumper airbag 30 can be adjusted (changed) in, for example, three stages.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, if the estimated weight WT of the pedestrian is 70 kg or more, the amount of gas ejected to the bumper airbag 30 is set to “large”, and the estimated weight WT of the pedestrian is If it is 30 kg or more and less than 70 kg, the amount of gas ejected to the bumper airbag 30 is set to “medium”, and if the estimated weight WT of the pedestrian is less than 30 kg, the amount of gas ejected to the bumper airbag 30 is “Small” is set, and after the setting, gas is injected into the bumper airbag 30. Thereby, it is the structure by which the safety | security of a pedestrian is improved further.

  In the bumper airbag device 10 for protecting a pedestrian having the above-described configuration, the operation thereof will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process from detection of a pedestrian's physique where a collision is predicted to deployment of the bumper airbag 30 at a position corresponding to the physique to remove a foot. First, when it is detected by the pedestrian collision detection device 16 that a pedestrian collides with the vehicle 12, the physique (height H and width W) of the pedestrian is calculated by the physique detection means 40.

  Here, when the detected pedestrian is an adult having a height of 160 cm or more, the inflator 36 for moving the movable plate 20 does not operate, and the airbag 34 for moving the movable plate does not deploy. That is, the movable plate 20 remains at the initial position supported by the rope 18 and the position of the bumper airbag 30 is also left at the initial position.

  On the other hand, when the detected pedestrian is an adult or a dwarf whose height is 120 cm or more and less than 160 cm, as shown in FIG. 6, the four struts 22 do not rotate and the inflator for moving the movable plate 20 is used. 36 operates to deploy the movable plate moving airbag 34. As a result, the rope 18 supporting the movable plate 20 is cut by the deploying force of the airbag 34, and the movable plate 20 is pressed evenly on the upper surface by the airbag 34 and falls, and the column 22 Is supported by a stopper 24 projecting at a predetermined position. Thus, the position of the bumper airbag 30 is instantly changed to the intermediate position.

  On the other hand, when the detected pedestrian is a dwarf who is less than 120 cm tall, as shown in FIG. 7, the support 22 rotates 180 degrees (half rotation), and the inflator 36 moves the movable plate 20. Is activated to deploy the movable plate moving airbag 34. As a result, the rope 18 supporting the movable plate 20 is cut by the deploying force of the airbag 34, and the movable plate 20 is pressed evenly on the upper surface by the airbag 34 and falls, and the column 22 It is supported by a stopper 26 projecting in the vicinity of the lower end portion. Thus, the position of the bumper airbag 30 is instantly changed to the lowest position.

  The amount of gas in the inflator 36 that deploys the airbag 34 can be adjusted so that the amount of gas when the movable plate 20 is changed to the lowest position is larger than when the movable plate 20 is changed to the intermediate position. It is desirable to configure. Further, the movable plate 20 may be configured to drop only by the action of gravity when the pedestrian is less than 160 cm in height. However, not only the action of gravity but also the gas is blown out by the inflator 36 for moving the movable plate. Then, it is desirable that the airbag 34 be deployed and forcibly dropped (pressed) downward. According to this, the movable plate 20 can be reliably moved instantaneously at the moment of collision. Further, in this case, if the rope 18 can be cut by the deploying force of the airbag 34, there is an advantage that no additional rope cutting means is required.

  In this way, when the height position of the bumper airbag 30 installed inside the bumper 14 of the vehicle 12 is adjusted, gas is injected into the bumper airbag 30 by the inflator 32. At this time, since the predicted weight WT of the pedestrian is calculated from the height H and the body width W detected and calculated by the physique detection means 40, the gas to the bumper airbag 30 according to the weight WT is calculated. Is selected from, for example, three set amounts (three stages).

  That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, if the estimated weight WT of the pedestrian is 70 kg or more, the amount of gas ejected from the inflator 32 is set to “large”, and the estimated weight WT of the pedestrian is 30 kg or more and less than 70 kg. If there is, the amount of gas ejected from the inflator 32 is set to “medium”, and if the estimated weight WT of the pedestrian is less than 30 kg, the amount of gas ejected from the inflator 32 is set to “small”. Thereby, the excessive impact to the pedestrian by the deployed bumper airbag 30 can be prevented, and the safety of the pedestrian can be further enhanced.

  Thus, when the height position of the movable plate 20 is adjusted according to the height H of the pedestrian and the amount of gas ejected from the inflator 32 is adjusted according to the weight WT of the pedestrian, the bumper airbag 30 is moved to the inflator 32. It expands and expands by the gas ejected from. That is, as the bumper airbag 30 is deployed, the lower portion 14A of the bumper 14 escapes from the predetermined position. In other words, the deploying force of the bumper airbag 30 causes the lower portion 14A of the bumper 14 to rotate downward with the hinge portion provided at a predetermined position as the rotation center, so that the bumper airbag 30 is moved to the outside of the vehicle 12. Deploy across the entire vehicle width direction (more than the vehicle width).

  As a result, the lower leg portion (down from the knee) of the pedestrian can be reliably raised (foot removal), and the safety of the pedestrian can be reliably ensured. In addition, when the bumper airbag 30 is deployed, the positions of the struts 22 and the ropes 18 on the front side of the vehicle body are set to appropriate positions in advance so that the bumper airbags 30 do not collide with the struts 22 and the ropes 18 on the front side of the vehicle body. Needless to say that it is. In other words, in this case, the struts 22 and the ropes 18 on both sides in the vehicle width direction are arranged substantially in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body as shown in a plan view of FIG.

  As described above, the pedestrian protection bumper airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment detects the physique (height H and body width W) of a pedestrian that collides with the vehicle 12, and the physique (height H, height H, and body). The height position of the bumper airbag 30 and the amount of gas ejected to the bumper airbag 30 can be changed (adjusted) according to the weight WT derived from the width W). It is possible to properly remove the foot from below the knee, and to reduce fractures of the lower limbs and ligament damage. In addition, this can prevent an increase in acceleration that occurs in the head due to excessive foot removal, which contributes to a reduction in head injury. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of pedestrian accident deaths, the number of injured persons, and particularly the lower limb injury.

  In the above embodiment, the stoppers 24 and 26 are provided on the support column 22 so that the height position of the bumper airbag 30 can be changed in, for example, three stages according to the height H of the pedestrian. You may comprise so that rotation of 22 can be received in many steps, for example, every 90 degree | times. Similarly, the amount of gas ejected to the bumper airbag 30 can be changed to, for example, three stages according to the predicted weight WT of the pedestrian, but can be ejected in more stages. You may comprise.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the movable plate 20 is not supported by the rope 18 at the initial position, but the movable plate 20 is formed of a magnetic material, and the movable plate 20 is supported at the initial position by the electromagnet 28. It may be configured. In this case, when viewed from the vehicle width direction, the support plate 22 is provided so as to be substantially the same distance as the length of the movable plate 20 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the energized state supports the movable plate 20 by the action of the electromagnet 28. You just have to do it. When the movable plate 20 needs to be disposed at a lower position (intermediate position or lowermost position) according to the detected physique (height H), the energization is cut off and the action of the electromagnet 28 is eliminated. What is necessary is just to cancel | release support. In addition, as the electromagnet 28 used here, a control rod or the like of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute can be used.

(A) Schematic side sectional view showing a state of a vehicle equipped with a pedestrian protection bumper airbag device according to the present embodiment before deployment of an airbag, (B) also a schematic front view (A) The schematic sectional side view which shows the state after the airbag deployment of the vehicle by which the bumper airbag apparatus for pedestrian protection which concerns on this embodiment was equipped, (B) Same schematic front view Schematic top view which shows the state after airbag deployment of the vehicle by which the bumper airbag apparatus for pedestrian protection which concerns on this embodiment was equipped. (A) In the vehicle equipped with the bumper airbag device for pedestrian protection according to the present embodiment, a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a state after deployment of the airbag whose height has been changed, (B) also a schematic front view Schematic perspective view showing the structure of the column Explanatory drawing showing the process of dropping the movable plate to the middle position Explanatory drawing showing the process of dropping the movable plate to the lowest position Flow chart showing setting process by physique detection means (A) Explanatory drawing which shows the detection result of a pedestrian's height and body width, (B) The table | surface which shows the database of the weight estimated from a pedestrian's height and body width Explanatory drawing showing another process of dropping the movable plate to the lowest position

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pedestrian protection bumper airbag apparatus 12 Vehicle 14 Bumper 16 Pedestrian collision detection apparatus 18 Rope (support means)
20 Movable plate (movable member)
22 Prop 24 Stopper (Receiving means)
26 Stopper (Receiving means)
28 Electromagnet (supporting means)
30 Bumper airbag 32 Inflator 34 Air bag (release means)
36 Inflator 38 Fixed plate 40 Body size detection means

Claims (2)

A bumper airbag that is installed inside a vehicle bumper, detects and deploys a pedestrian collision, and protects the lower leg of the pedestrian;
A movable member to which the bumper airbag and an inflator for deploying the bumper airbag are attached;
Supporting means for supporting the movable member at an initial position;
Physique detection means for detecting the physique of a pedestrian that collides with the vehicle;
Based on the information detected by the physique detection means, when it is necessary to change the initial position of the movable member, release means for releasing the support by the support means,
Receiving means capable of receiving at a plurality of predetermined positions the movable member that is released after being supported by the supporting means;
A bumper airbag device for protecting pedestrians, comprising:   The pedestrian protection bumper airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the release means includes a release airbag that presses the movable member downward.

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