JP2009208695A - Actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an actuator having a piston rod capable of stably securing a prescribed moving stroke and stably supporting a receiving material, when the piston rod is operated. <P>SOLUTION: This actuator A1 is provided with a lock mechanism R1 for regulating retracting of the piston rod 46 advanced in a cylinder 23. The lock mechanism R1 is provided with a rotating piece part 50 projectingly provided from the piston rod 46, a guide surface 32 formed on an inner peripheral surface side of the cylinder 23, and a locking surface formed at an arrangement position when completing the advancing of the piston rod 46 in the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 23 to lock a locking part provided in the piston rod 46. The piston rod 46 is advanced, while being rotated along a shaft rotating direction in relation to the cylinder 23 by moving the rotating piece part 50 along the guide surface 32, and the retracting is regulated by locking the locking part on the locking surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an actuator used in an automobile safety device, and more particularly, to an actuator used for an operation such as lifting a hood panel when receiving a pedestrian as an object to be protected.

  Conventionally, as an actuator of an automobile safety device mounted on a vehicle, the rear end side of the hood panel is used so that a pedestrian can be received by the hood panel itself by using energy absorption during plastic deformation of the hood panel. There was something to raise. Specifically, as a conventional actuator, a piston rod disposed in a cylindrical cylinder is configured as a piston-cylinder type that is moved by flowing a working fluid into the cylinder. ) Has a configuration including a lock mechanism that restricts the backward movement (downward movement) of the piston rod (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this conventional actuator, the piston rod is composed of a piston portion and a support rod portion that extends from the piston portion and can support the hood panel. As a locking mechanism, the piston rod is constricted at a portion in the vicinity of the piston portion. After the upward movement, the support rod portion is bent at the constricted portion, and the bent portion acts as a stopper to restrict the downward movement of the piston rod.
JP 2002-29366 A

  However, in the conventional actuator, the support rod portion is provided with a constricted portion with reduced strength, and the constricted portion is bent to serve as a stopper, thereby restricting the downward movement of the support rod portion. If the constricted part bends so as to form a stopper after the part is moved upward, it is inevitable that the constricted part bends further when the hood panel receives a pedestrian. In other words, the piston rod of the actuator cannot stably support the hood panel, and the pedestrian cannot be smoothly received by the hood panel.

  Further, in the conventional actuator, there is a possibility that the constricted portion is bent in the cylinder before the completion of the upward movement of the support rod portion. In this case, the piston rod is not arranged at the predetermined upward movement position, and the piston In some cases, the rear end of the hood panel supported by the rod cannot be moved up to a predetermined position.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an actuator in which a piston rod during operation can stably secure a predetermined movement stroke and can stably support a receiving material. And

The actuator according to the present invention is used in an automobile safety device,
The piston rod arranged in the cylindrical cylinder is configured as a piston cylinder type that moves forward during operation,
It is configured with a lock mechanism that regulates the backward movement of the piston rod that has moved forward,
An actuator configured to be connected to the receiving material so that the tip of the piston rod protruding from the tip wall of the cylinder supports the receiving material that receives the object to be protected,
Lock mechanism
A rotating piece projecting from the piston rod so as to be substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the piston rod;
A guide surface formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the cylinder and capable of guiding the rotating piece portion so that the piston rod immediately before the completion of the forward movement can be rotated with respect to the cylinder along a direction around the axis; ,
A locking portion formed on the piston rod;
A locking surface that is formed at an arrangement position at the time of completion of the forward movement of the piston rod on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, and that can lock the locking portion after the rotational movement;
Is configured to include,
By moving the rotating piece portion along the guide surface during the forward movement of the piston rod, the piston rod is moved forward while rotating around the axis with respect to the cylinder, and the locking portion is moved. It is configured to restrict the backward movement of the piston rod by being locked to the locking surface.

  In the actuator of the present invention, the piston rod housed in the cylinder moves forward during operation. When the rotating piece provided on the piston rod that moves forward contacts the guide surface formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder immediately before completion of the moving forward, the rotating piece moves along the guide surface. As the rotating piece moves, the piston rod moves forward with respect to the cylinder while rotating around the axis. Thereafter, the piston rod is moved forward while rotating around the axis until the locking portion provided on the piston rod is disposed at a position corresponding to the locking surface provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder. In this case, the locking portion is locked to the locking surface, and the locking portion restricts the backward movement of the piston rod. That is, in the actuator of the present invention, the piston rod is rotated with respect to the cylinder along the direction around the axis that intersects the moving direction (axial direction) during forward movement, and then the locking surface provided on the cylinder side. In addition, since the piston rod is prevented from moving backward by locking the locking portion, the locking portion can be stably locked by the locking surface, and the piston rod can be retracted after the operation. The movement can be surely prevented. Therefore, in the actuator of the present invention, the receiving material can be stably supported by the piston rod moved forward. In addition, since the actuator of the present invention has a configuration in which the locking portion is locked by the locking surface immediately before the completion of the forward movement of the piston rod, the predetermined movement stroke of the piston rod during operation can be stably performed. Can be secured.

  Therefore, in the actuator of the present invention, the piston rod at the time of operation can stably secure a predetermined movement stroke and can stably support the receiving material.

In the actuator of the present invention, the piston rod is composed of a piston part and a support rod part that extends from the piston part and can support the receiving material,
The piston part is a columnar shape with a non-circular cross section.
Cylinder,
A sliding part capable of sliding the piston part;
A storage recess that is disposed between the tip wall and the sliding portion and has an inner diameter dimension larger than that of the sliding portion so as to store the piston portion after completion of the forward movement; and
And comprising
With the piston portion as a locking portion in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge, after the forward movement is completed, the bottom surface side is locked by a locking surface constituted by the opening peripheral surface of the sliding portion in the storage recess, and the piston rod It is preferable to adopt a configuration that restricts the backward movement of.

  In the actuator having the above configuration, the bottom surface side is locked to the locking surface formed by the surface of the opening peripheral edge of the sliding portion in the storage recess, with the portion near the outer peripheral edge of the piston portion after the ascending movement as the locking portion. Since it is the structure to be made, it is not necessary to form a latching | locking part separately, and the structure of an actuator can be simplified.

Furthermore, in the actuator of the present invention, the piston rod is composed of a piston portion and a support rod portion that extends from the piston portion and can support the receiving material,
The piston part is substantially cylindrical,
At the front end side in the moving direction of the rotating piece portion on the guide surface in the cylinder, the rotating piece portion after rotating movement is locked, and a locking surface that can lock the backward moving direction side of the rotating piece portion is formed,
It is good also as a structure which regulates the backward movement of a support rod by making a rotation piece part latch on a latching surface as a latching part.

  If the actuator is configured as described above, the cylinder can be formed in a cylindrical shape, so that the manufacturing cost of the cylinder and the piston portion can be reduced as compared with the case where the piston portion is formed in a non-columnar shape. In addition, since the actuator having the above-described configuration also serves as the rotating piece portion and the locking portion, it is not necessary to separately form the locking portion, and the configuration of the actuator can be simplified.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the actuator A <b> 1 of the first embodiment is used for a lifting device U in a pedestrian protection device M as an automobile safety device mounted on a vehicle V, and this lifting device U Is a configuration in which the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 is raised when the actuator A1 is operated. The actuator A1 of the embodiment is disposed below the vicinity of the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 of the vehicle V. Note that the pedestrian protection device M includes a lifting device U that raises the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 as a receiving material that receives the pedestrian, and an airbag 10 that protects the pedestrian from the front pillar 4. The airbag device 9 is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a sensor 6 capable of detecting or predicting a collision with a pedestrian as a protection target is disposed on the front bumper 5 of the vehicle V. When an operating circuit (not shown) that receives a signal from the sensor 6 detects or predicts a collision with the pedestrian of the vehicle V based on the signal from the sensor 6, the inflator 11 (see FIG. 3) and a gas generator 41 (see FIG. 5) as a drive source in the actuator A1 of the ascending device U are operated.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the hood panel 15 is disposed so as to cover the upper part of the engine room ER in the vehicle V, and is a hinge portion 16 disposed in the vicinity of the rear end 15 c at both edges in the left-right direction. Thus, the vehicle 1 is connected to the body 1 of the vehicle V so that it can be opened and closed by opening it forward. The hood panel 15 is made of sheet metal made of aluminum (aluminum alloy) or the like, and includes an outer panel 15a on the upper surface side and an inner panel 15b that is located on the lower surface side and has higher strength than the outer panel 15a. The food panel 15 is plastically deformed so as to absorb the kinetic energy of the pedestrian when receiving the pedestrian. In the embodiment, for the purpose of providing a large space above the engine room ER so as to increase the amount of deformation at the time of plastic deformation, the actuator A1 of the ascending device U during a collision with a pedestrian of the vehicle V is provided. Is operated to raise the rear end 15c. The lifting device U of the embodiment also serves to provide a large gap S for lifting the airbag 10 between the cowl 7 and the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 by lifting the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15. Yes.

  The hinge portion 16 is disposed on the left edge 15d and the right edge 15e on the rear end 15c side of the hood panel 15 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and is connected to the hood ridge rein hose 2 on the body 1 side. The hinge base 17 is fixed to the flange 2a, and the hinge arm 19 is fixed to the hood panel 15 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As shown in FIG. 3, each hinge arm 19 is formed in a shape in which a sheet metal angle member is curved in a substantially semicircular arc shape so as to protrude downward, and a base end 19a on the hinge base 17 side is supported. The shaft 18 is pivotally connected to the hinge base 17. Further, each hinge arm 19 is configured to include a connecting plate portion 20 extending substantially along the lower surface of the hood panel 15 from the tip 19b on the tip 19b side away from the base end 19a. The lower surface of the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 is coupled using welding or the like. Further, a notch recess 19c is formed in the vicinity of the tip 19b of the hinge arm 19 so that the lower edge is notched in a substantially circular shape, and the area around the notch recess 19c is the operation of the actuator A1. At this time, when a piston rod 46, which will be described later, pushes up the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15, the plastic deformation portion 19d is plastically deformed, and the hood panel 15 is allowed to rise (see FIG. 4).

  Each support shaft 18 is arranged so that the axial direction thereof is along the left-right direction of the vehicle V. When the hood panel 15 is opened, as shown by a two-dot chain line from the solid line in FIG. If the side (refer FIG. 1) is raised by front opening, the food panel 15 can be opened by front opening. Incidentally, when the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 is raised, the front end 15f of the hood panel 15 is moved from the body 1 side by a latch mechanism that engages a hood lock striker (not shown) disposed on the front end 15f side for normal closing. It will not come off.

  2 and 3, the airbag device 9 includes an airbag 10, an inflator 11 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 10, a case 12 that houses the airbag 10 and the inflator 11, and the airbag 10. And an air bag cover 13 that covers the case 12 housing the inflator 11 so as to be openable. The rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 has a cowl 7 near the lower portion of the left edge 15d and the right edge 15e. It is installed. The airbag device 9 is configured so that the inflator 11 projects the airbag 10 from the gap S between the rear end 15c and the cowl 7 when the lifting device U operates to raise the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15. Is activated to supply inflation gas to the folded airbag 10 (see FIG. 4). When the inflation gas flows in, the airbag 10 expands and inflates by pushing and opening the door 13a of the airbag cover 13 that covers the opening 12a on the rear side of the case 12, and the left and right front pillars 4, 4 Will be covered (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cowl 7 includes a highly rigid cowl panel 7a on the body 1 side and a cowl louver 7b above the cowl panel 7a. The cowl louver 7b is disposed so that the rear end side is connected to the lower portion 3a side of the front windshield 3. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, front pillars 4 and 4 are disposed on the left and right sides of the front windshield 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lifting device U is disposed in the vicinity of the left and right hinge portions 16 in the hood panel 15, and includes an actuator A <b> 1 disposed below the rear end 15 c of the hood panel 15. And a receiving seat 55 disposed on the hood panel 15 side above the actuator A1 corresponding to each actuator A1.

  Each actuator A1 is a piston-cylinder type that uses a gas G generated when the gas generator 41 is actuated as a drive source. Each of the actuators A1 is a mounting flange connected to the hood ridge rein hose 2, as shown in FIG. 2b, which is held by a mounting bracket 52 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that is bolted to the bolt 53 and below each hinge portion 16 below the left edge 15d and the right edge 15e on the rear end 15c side of the hood panel 15. Arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, each actuator A <b> 1 has a cylindrical cylinder 23 that is arranged with its axial direction substantially along the vertical direction (vertical direction), and a gas G as an operating fluid flows into the cylinder 23. A gas generator 41 to be moved, a piston rod 46 disposed so as to protrude upward from the cylinder 23, and a lock mechanism R1 for restricting the downward movement (reverse movement) of the piston rod 46 after the upward movement (forward movement). , And is configured. In the case of the embodiment, the lock mechanism R1 includes a locking surface 30 and a guide surface 32 provided on the cylinder 23 side, and a locking portion 48 and a rotating piece portion 50 provided on the piston rod 46 side. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cylinder 23 includes a cylindrical main body 24 and caps 35 and 37 that are respectively fixed to the upper and lower ends of the main body 24. The main body 24 has a sliding portion 25 that slides a piston portion 47 (described later) of the piston rod 46 during the upward movement, and an upper end 24a that is located above the sliding portion 25 so that the piston portion 47 after the upward movement can be accommodated. The storage recessed part 26 arrange | positioned and the guide surface 32 arrange | positioned above the storage recessed part 26 are provided. The sliding portion 25 has an elliptical cylindrical shape with the inner peripheral surface 25a being substantially elliptical in accordance with the outer shape of the piston portion 47 so that the piston portion 47 moving upward on the inner peripheral surface 25a can slide. . In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the sliding portion 25 has a cross-sectional shape along the horizontal direction and a substantially elliptic cylindrical shape configured so that the major axis direction is substantially along the left-right direction. .

  The storage recess 26 is configured to be able to store a piston portion 47 (piston portion 47 after completion of the upward movement) that rotates and moves immediately before completion of the upward movement, and is disposed above the storage concave portion 26 and the storage recess 26. The guide surface 32 is disposed above the sliding portion 25, and an inner diameter dimension D1 (an inner diameter dimension of the housing recess 26) in the vicinity of the lower end (see FIG. 8) is set to the long axis direction side of the sliding portion 25. The cylindrical sleeve portion 27 having a larger diameter than the opening width dimension W1 (see FIG. 10), that is, the width dimension W2 (see FIG. 10) of the piston section 47 on the long axis direction side. In the case of the embodiment, the cylindrical sleeve portion 27 is configured such that the central axis C1 coincides with the central axis C2 of the sliding portion 25, as shown in FIG. More specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the cylindrical sleeve portion 27 has a larger inner diameter than the members constituting the sliding portion 25 and opens the upper end side to connect the sliding portion 25. A bottom wall portion 28 extending in the horizontal direction so as to form the periphery of the opening 25b on the upper end side of the sliding portion 25, and a bottom wall And a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall portion 29 extending upward from the periphery of the portion 28. The cylindrical sleeve portion 27 is integrated with a member constituting the sliding portion 25 by welding or the like at the bottom wall portion 28. In the case of the embodiment, the end surface of the peripheral portion of the opening 25 b on the upper surface 28 a side of the bottom wall portion 28 in the cylindrical sleeve portion 27, that is, the upper end side of the sliding portion 25 in the storage recess 26 is the rotation of the piston portion 47. After the movement, the locking surface 30 that locks the bottom surface 47a side of the portion near the outer peripheral edge on the bottom surface 47a side of the piston portion 47 (specifically, the edge side portions 47b and 47b on the long axis direction side) is configured. It becomes. Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the locking surfaces 30 are portions 28b disposed on both the front and back sides of the opening 25b on the upper end side of the sliding portion 25 on the upper surface 28a of the bottom wall portion 28 of the cylindrical sleeve portion 27. 28c (see FIGS. 8 and 11).

  Further, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the peripheral wall portion 29 of the cylindrical sleeve portion 27 has a lower region as a thin portion 29 a with a reduced thickness and an upper region with a increased thickness. As the thick portion 29b, a step 29c is provided between the thin portion 29a and the thick portion 29b. In the embodiment, the storage concave portion 26 that stores the piston portion 47 after the upward movement is configured by the region of the thin portion 29a, and the storage concave portion 26 (the thin portion 29a) has a length dimension L1 in the vertical direction ( 8), the piston portion 47 that has moved up and detached from the sliding portion 25 is further rotated and moved upward in the housing recess 26. After the rotational movement, the piston portion 47 shown in FIGS. As shown in A, the dimension is set so that the upper surface 47 c of the piston portion 47 does not contact the step 29 c in the peripheral wall portion 29. The thick wall portion 29b has an inner peripheral surface protruding inward from the thin wall portion 29a so as to be able to come into contact with a tip 50a of a rotating piece portion 50 provided on a support rod portion 49 described later of the piston rod 46. The wall thickness is increased. More specifically, in the case of the embodiment, as will be described later, the guide surface 32 is configured from the lower end surface of the thick portion 29b (the end surface on the storage recess 26 side), and the thick portion 29b is directed to the center side. The overhanging dimension (width dimension of the lower end surface) t1 (see FIG. 8) (the same as the width dimension of the stepped portion 29c on the side perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder 59) is a dimension that can stably guide the tip 50a of the rotating piece 50. And so on.

  Then, a position directly above the rotary piece 50 on the lower end surface of the thick wall portion 29b (in the case of the embodiment, the rotary piece 50 has a protruding direction along the major axis direction of the piston 47 as described later. Since it is formed so as to protrude to both the left and right sides, the position of the piston portion 47 on the end surface side in the left and right direction, which is the end portion side in the long axis direction, is lower than the step 29c with the thin portion 29a. A guide recess 31 is formed so as to cut out the end face side (see FIG. 7). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the guide recess 31 is configured such that the thickness of the cylinder 23 along the direction perpendicular to the axis substantially matches the thickness of the thin portion 29a. The guide recess 31 is formed at two locations corresponding to the rotary piece 50 of the piston rod 46. Each guide recess 31 is formed so as to be point-symmetric about the central axis C1 of the cylindrical sleeve portion 27 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. When viewed, the lower surface 31a side is made into a substantially right triangle shape that is inclined so as to be raised along the clockwise direction (axial direction) as shown in FIG. It is configured (see FIG. 8). The lower surface 31 a (the lower end surface of the thick portion 29 b) in the guide recess 31 constitutes the guide surface 32 that guides the rotating piece 50. The guide surface 32 abuts the rotating piece portion 50 on the side of the base portion 32a located immediately above the rising rotating piece portion 50 (see A in FIG. 10). As shown by the dotted line, the guide rod is guided so as to be guided toward the tip 32b on the clockwise direction inclined upward, and the entire piston rod 46 is further moved upward and rotated in the clockwise direction. (Refer to FIG. 10B and FIG. 11A). In the case of the embodiment, each guide recess 31 (guide surface 32) is a substantially ¼ arc-shaped region when the peripheral wall portion 29 is viewed from above so that the piston rod 46 can be rotated 90 °. (See FIG. 9). In the case of the embodiment, the guide surface 32 is set so that the inclination angle α (see FIG. 8) with respect to the horizontal direction is around 45 °. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a side surface 31b of the guide recess 31 is formed on the tip (upper end) 32b side of the guide surface 32 so as to extend in the vertical direction. The side surface 31b comes into contact with the rotating piece portion 50 that rotates and constitutes a stopper surface 32c that restricts further rotational movement of the piston rod 46.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end 24 b of the main body 24 is configured such that the inner diameter is made smaller than the sliding portion 25 and the lower end is opened, and the upper end of the gas generator 41 is held. A cylindrical holding cylinder portion 33 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cap 35 disposed on the upper end 24 a side of the main body 24 constitutes a tip wall portion of the cylinder 23, and is formed in a substantially columnar shape, and a support to be described later on the piston rod 46 at the center. The rod portion 49 is configured to pass through an insertion hole 35a through which the shaft portion 49a is inserted, and on the outer peripheral surface on the lower end side, on the inner peripheral side of the upper end 24a in the main body 24 of the cylinder 23 (the peripheral wall portion 29 in the cylindrical sleeve portion 27). And a male screw 35b for screwing a female screw 24c provided on the inner peripheral side of the thick portion 29b. The cap 35 is attached to the main body 24 by screwing the male screw 35b with the female screw 24c in a state where the shaft portion 49a of the support rod portion 49 is inserted through the insertion hole 35a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cap 37 disposed on the lower end 24 b side of the main body 24 includes a base end wall portion 38 disposed so as to close the lower end side of the holding cylinder portion 33, and a base end wall portion 38. And a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall portion 39 extending upward from the outer peripheral edge. An insertion hole 38 a into which a connector 42 (to be described later) of the gas generator 41 can be inserted is formed in the former end wall portion 38. The peripheral wall portion 39 is provided with a female screw 39 a that is screwed into a male screw 24 d provided on the outer peripheral side of the lower end 24 b (the outer peripheral side of the holding cylinder portion 33) of the main body 24 of the cylinder 23 on the inner peripheral surface of the upper end side. . The cap 37 is in a state in which the gas generator 41 is attached to the base end wall 38 using the peripheral part of the insertion hole 38a in the base end wall 38 and the part on the lower side of the peripheral wall 39. The female screw 39a is screwed into the male screw 24d and attached to the main body 24.

  A micro gas generator is used as the gas generator 41, and a connector 42 to which a lead wire 42a for inputting an electric signal from a control circuit (not shown) is connected is arranged on the lower end surface of the gas generator 41. (See FIG. 5). When an electric signal from a control circuit (not shown) is input via the lead wire 42a, the gas generator 41 generates a combustion gas by burning a built-in explosive, and uses the gas (combustion gas) G for operation. The fluid is supplied to the bottom surface 47 a side of the piston portion 47 in the cylinder 23.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the piston rod 46 includes a piston portion 47 that is slidably accommodated in the cylinder 23, and a support rod portion 49 that extends from the piston portion 47 and can support the hood panel 15 as a receiving material. And a rotating piece portion 50 guided by a guide surface 32 provided in the cylinder 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the piston portion 47 has a substantially elliptical column shape that is slidable with respect to the sliding portion 25 of the cylinder 23, and in the case of the embodiment, a cross-sectional shape along the horizontal direction ( The outer shape when viewed from above is configured as a substantially elliptical shape configured so that the major axis direction is substantially along the left-right direction (see FIG. 6). In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the piston portion 47 moves relative to the cylinder 23 by sliding the rotating piece portion 50 with respect to the guide surface 32 in a state where the bottom surface 47 a is detached from the sliding portion 25. The edge portions 47b, 47b on the long axis direction side after the rotational movement of the piston portion 47 are positioned at the upper end of the sliding portion 25 in the storage recess 26 of the cylinder 23 on the bottom surface 47a side. A locking portion 48 that is locked to the locking surface 30 formed at the periphery of the opening 25b on the side is configured (see B in FIG. 9 and B in FIG. 11).

  The support rod part 49 is configured to extend upward from the center of the piston part 47 so that the piston part 47 and the central axis coincide with each other. As shown in FIG. It is comprised from the substantially cylindrical head part 49b arrange | positioned at the upper end side of the axial part 49a, and the outer diameter dimension larger diameter than the axial part 49a. As shown in FIG. 4, the head 49 b contacts the lower surface 55 a of the receiving seat 55 provided on the hood panel 15 side and pushes up the rear end 15 c of the hood panel 15 upward when the piston rod 46 moves upward. Will be supported. In the case of the embodiment, the support rod portion 49 is made of a metal material such as steel integrally with the piston portion 47.

  The rotary piece portion 50 is formed at a position in the vicinity of the piston portion 47 in the shaft portion 49a of the support rod portion 49. In the case of the embodiment, the rotary piece portion 50 has a round bar shape, and the axial direction of the piston portion 47 is Formed in two locations that protrude from the shaft portion 49a to the left and right sides orthogonal to the moving direction of the piston rod 46 (the axial direction of the support rod portion 49) so as to be substantially along the left-right direction along the long axis direction. (See FIGS. 7 and 9). In the case of the embodiment, each rotary piece 50 does not project the length dimension (projection amount from the shaft portion 49a) L2 (see FIG. 9) from the end of the piston portion 47 on the long axis direction side, and The dimension is set such that the upper surface 50b of the tip 50a can be brought into contact with the guide surface 32 provided on the cylinder 23 side after the upward movement. More specifically, when the piston rod 46 is moved upward and the tip 50a is brought into contact with the base portion (lower end) 32a of the guide surface 32, the rotating piece portion 50 has the piston portion 47 shown in FIG. As shown, the bottom surface 47 a is separated from the sliding portion 25 and is formed at a position where it can be stored in the storage recess 26.

  When the piston rod 46 moves upward and the piston portion 47 is disengaged from the sliding portion 25, the rotating piece portion 50 is brought into contact with the base portion 32 a side of the guide surface 32 provided on the cylinder 23. In response to the pressing force of the gas G generated from the gas generator 41, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8, it is inclined so as to rise along the clockwise direction (axis direction) (see FIG. 9). The piston rod 46 as a whole moves in the clockwise direction with respect to the cylinder 23 in response to the movement toward the tip (upper end) 32 b of the guide surface 32 of the rotating piece 50. It will rotate along (the direction around the axis) (see B in FIG. 10 and A in FIG. 11). In the case of the embodiment, when the rotary piece 50 moves, the piston rod 46 receives the pressing force of the gas G acting to push up the bottom surface 47a of the piston 47 and moves upward while rotating. In a state where the portion 47 is detached from the sliding portion 25, the portion 47 further moves upward while rotating so as to provide a gap between the bottom surface of the storage recess 26 (the upper surface 28a of the bottom wall portion 28). (See FIG. 10B and FIG. 11A). And if the rotation piece part 50 contact | abuts the stopper surface 32c formed in the front-end | tip 32b side of the guide surface 32, the rotational movement of the piston rod 46 will be stopped. If the generation of the gas G from the gas generator 41 is stopped after the rotation of the piston rod 46 and the pressing force of the gas G does not act on the bottom surface 47a side of the piston portion 47, the piston rod 46 moves downward. However, since the piston rod 46 is rotated by 90 ° with respect to the cylinder 23, the long axis in the elliptical columnar piston portion 47 that has been rotated so that the long axis direction is directed in the front-rear direction. Locking portions 48 constituted by direction side edge portions 47b and 47b are arranged on both front and rear sides which are the periphery of the opening 25b on the upper end side of the sliding portion 25, as shown in FIG. The bottom surface 47a side is locked to the surface 30 (the upper surfaces of the portions 28b and 28b disposed on the front and rear sides of the sliding portion 25 in the bottom wall portion 28), and the downward movement of the piston rod 46 is restricted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the receiving seat 55 is attached to a portion of the connecting plate portion 20 provided on the front end 19 b side of the hinge arm 19 disposed on the lower surface of the rear end 15 c of the hood panel 15. At the portion of the lower surface 55a, the head 49b of the support rod portion 49 provided on the upper end side of the piston rod 46 where the actuator A1 ascends can be received.

  In the pedestrian protection apparatus M of the first embodiment, when an operation circuit (not shown) detects or predicts a collision with the pedestrian of the vehicle V based on a signal from the sensor 6, the gas in the actuator A1 of each ascending apparatus U is detected. While operating the generator 41, the inflator 11 of the airbag apparatus 9 will be operated.

  When the gas generator 41 of the actuator A1 is operated, the generated gas G pushes up the piston portion 47 of the piston rod 46 accommodated in the main body 24 of the cylinder 23 as shown in FIG. The head 49b at the upper end of the rod portion 49 is brought into contact with the lower surface 55a of the seat 55 to raise the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15, and a gap S is formed between the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 and the cowl 7. Form. Further, when the inflator 11 of the airbag device 9 is activated, the airbag 10 that is folded and accommodated causes the gas from the inflator 11 to flow in as shown in the two-dot chain line in FIGS. Then, the door 13a of the airbag cover 13 is pushed open and protrudes from the case 12, and further expands so as to protrude above the front windshield 3 through the gap S. The airbag 10 that has been inflated covers the front side of the front pillar 4. Thereafter, when the hood panel 15 as a receiving material receives a pedestrian, the hood panel 15 is plastically deformed so as to absorb the kinetic energy of the pedestrian.

  In the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, when the gas G is generated from the gas generator 41 during operation, the gas G (working fluid) flows into the cylinder 23 and is filled. The piston rod 46 housed inside is pushed upward by the gas G on the bottom surface 47a side of the piston portion 47, and moves upward. Then, the rotary piece 50 provided on the piston rod 46 that moves upward contacts the guide surface 32 formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the cylinder 23 as shown in FIG. Then, the rotary piece 50 moves along the guide surface 32, and the piston rod 46 rises while rotating around the axis with respect to the cylinder 23 as the rotary piece 50 moves. It moves (see B in FIG. 10 and A in FIG. 11). Thereafter, the piston rod 46 rotates around the axis until the locking portion 48 provided on the piston rod 46 is disposed at a position corresponding to the locking surface 30 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 23. If it moves upward, the bottom surface of the locking portion 48 is locked to the locking surface 30, and the locking portion 48 restricts the downward movement of the piston rod 46 (see B in FIG. 11). ). That is, in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, the piston rod 46 is rotated and moved along the axis direction intersecting the moving direction (axial direction) during the upward movement with respect to the cylinder 23, and then the cylinder 23 side. Since the downward movement of the piston rod 46 is regulated by locking the locking portion 48 on the locking surface 30 provided on the locking surface 30, the locking portion 48 is stably locked by the locking surface 30. Therefore, the downward movement after the operation of the piston rod 46 can be reliably prevented. Therefore, in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 as a receiving material can be stably supported by the piston rod 46 moved upward. Further, in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, since the locking portion 48 is locked by the locking surface 30 immediately before the upward movement of the piston rod 46 is completed, a predetermined amount of the piston rod 46 during operation is determined. A moving stroke can be secured stably.

  Therefore, in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, the piston rod 46 during operation can stably secure a predetermined movement stroke and stably supports the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 as a receiving material. be able to. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the upward movement amount of the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 can be ensured stably, and the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 that has moved upward is stabilized by the piston rod 46. Since it can support, the amount of plastic deformation of the hood panel 15 when the hood panel 15 receives the pedestrian can be secured stably, and the kinetic energy of the pedestrian can be stably absorbed.

  Further, in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, the piston portion 47 of the piston rod 46 has a substantially elliptical column shape with a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and is a length near the outer peripheral edge on the bottom surface 47a side of the piston portion 47 after the upward movement. Since the edge side portions 47b and 47b on the axial direction side are configured to be locked by the locking surface 30 formed from the peripheral surface of the opening of the sliding portion 25 as the locking portion 48, the locking portion Need not be formed separately, and the configuration of the actuator A1 can be simplified. In the first embodiment, the piston portion 47 has a substantially elliptic cylinder shape, and the sliding portion 25 of the cylinder 23 that slides the piston portion 47 has a substantially elliptic cylinder shape. However, the shape of the piston and the sliding portion is as follows. After the rotational movement of the piston, it is not limited to this, as long as it is possible to prevent the downward movement of the piston by locking the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the piston by the surface of the opening peripheral edge of the sliding portion. May be configured to have a polygonal column shape such as a triangular column or a quadrangular column, and the sliding portion may have a polygonal cylindrical shape corresponding to the piston.

  In particular, in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the piston rod 47 having a substantially elliptical column shape is rotated by approximately 90 ° with respect to the cylinder 23. 46 is formed in the piston portion 47 even when the gas generator 41 stops generating gas G and moves downward in the direction around the axis. The locking portion 48 can be reliably locked by the locking surface 30 formed at the periphery of the opening 25b of the sliding portion 25, and the downward movement of the piston rod 46 can be prevented stably. The upward movement state of the piston rod 46 can be maintained.

  Next, the actuator A2 that is the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Although not shown, the actuator A2 of the second embodiment is also used for a lifting device that raises the rear end of the hood panel of the vehicle, like the actuator A1 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the actuator A <b> 2 includes a cylindrical cylinder 59 that is disposed so that the axial direction is substantially along the vertical direction (vertical direction), and a gas generator 41 that causes the gas G to flow into the cylinder 59. The piston rod 67 is provided so as to protrude upward from the cylinder 59, and a lock mechanism R2 that restricts the downward movement of the piston rod 67 after the upward movement. The gas generator 41 has the same configuration as that of the gas generator 41 used in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the detailed description thereof. The lock mechanism R2 includes a locking surface (upper surface 64a) and a guide surface 63 provided on the cylinder 59 side, and a rotating piece portion 69 provided on the piston rod 67 side.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the cylinder 59 includes a cylindrical main body 60 and caps 35 </ b> A and 37 </ b> A that are respectively fixed to the upper and lower ends of the main body 60. Since the caps 35A and 37A have the same configuration as the caps 35 and 37 in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment described above except that the outer shape is slightly different, the same members have the same reference numerals at the end. A detailed description is omitted with “A”. The main body 60 includes a sliding portion 61 that slides a piston portion 68 (described later) of the piston rod 67 during the upward movement, and a guide surface 63 disposed above the sliding portion 61. The sliding portion 61 has a substantially cylindrical shape that can slide the piston portion 68 that moves upward on the inner peripheral surface 61a.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the main body 60 has a thin wall portion 60 a constituting the sliding portion 61 and a thin wall portion 60 a (sliding portion 61). And a thick portion 60b that is thickened so that the inner peripheral surface protrudes inward from the portion 60a, and a step 60c is provided between the thin portion 60a and the thick portion 60b. ,It is configured. The lower end surface (end surface on the sliding portion 61 side) of the thick portion 60b is a guide surface 63 that guides a rotating piece portion 69 provided on a support rod portion 49 (to be described later) of the piston rod 67, similarly to the actuator A1 described above. The thick wall portion 60b has an overhanging dimension toward the center side (the width dimension of the lower end surface, which coincides with the width dimension on the side perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder 59 at the step 60c) t2 (see FIG. 14). ) Is set so that the tip 69a of the rotary piece 69 can be stably guided.

  And in the position of the edge part of the left-right direction above the rotation piece part 69 in the lower end surface of the thick part 60b, as shown in FIG. 13, from the level | step difference 60c with the thin part 60a, the protrusion wall part mentioned later A guide recess 62 is formed so as to cut out the lower end surface side, leaving 64 portions. The portion of the guide recess 62 is configured such that the thickness of the cylinder 59 along the direction perpendicular to the axis substantially matches the thickness of the thin portion 60a. In the case of the embodiment, the guide recess 62 is formed at two locations corresponding to the rotary piece 69 of the piston rod 67. As shown in FIG. 15, each guide recess 62 is formed so as to be point-symmetric about the central axis C <b> 3 of the main body 60. It is configured as a substantially right triangle that is inclined so that the side is raised along the clockwise direction (see FIGS. 13 and 14). The lower surface 62 a (the lower end surface of the thick portion 60 b) in the guide recess 62 constitutes a guide surface 63 that guides the rotating piece portion 69. The guide surface 63 abuts the tip 69a of the rotating piece 69 that moves upward, and then guides the rotating piece 69 to the tip 63a on the clockwise side that is inclined upward. Then, the entire piston rod 67 is rotated and moved in the clockwise direction while further moving upward. In the case of the embodiment, each guide recess 62 (guide surface 63) is formed so as to extend from the position directly above the rotary piece 69 to both sides along the axis direction. In the case of the embodiment, in order to be able to come into contact with the rotating piece portion 69 even if the rotating piece portion 69 is slightly rotated along the axis direction with the piston rod 67 during the upward movement, Is formed in a substantially ３ arc-shaped region when viewed from above (see FIG. 15). In the case of the embodiment, the guide surface 63 is set so that the inclination angle β (see FIG. 14) with respect to the horizontal direction is around 45 °. Further, a side surface 62b of the guide recess 62 is formed on the tip (upper end) 63a side of the guide surface 63 so as to be along the vertical direction (see FIG. 13). The side surface 62b comes into contact with the tip 69a of the rotating piece 69 that rotates and constitutes a stopper surface 63b that restricts further rotational movement of the piston rod 67.

  Further, a plate-like protruding wall portion 64 that protrudes from the stopper surface 63b along the direction of the axis is formed on the lower end side of the side surface 62b (stopper surface 63b) in the guide recess 62 (FIGS. 13 and 14). reference). The protruding wall portion 64 has an overhanging dimension t3 (see FIG. 14) toward the center side matched with an overhanging dimension toward the center side of the thick portion 60b (a width dimension on the side perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder 59 in the step 60c). The rotating piece 69 is configured to be able to contact the lower surface side of the tip 69a of the rotating piece 69. The rotating piece 69 in contact with the stopper face 63b can be prevented from moving downward in a substantially horizontal direction. It is formed along. And in the case of 2nd Embodiment, the upper surface 64a of this protrusion wall part 64 will comprise the latching | locking surface which latches the front-end | tip 69a of the rotation piece part 69, and in actuator A2 of 2nd Embodiment, FIG. As shown in B, the rotary piece 69 is used as a locking part to be locked to the upper surface (locking surface) 64a of the protruding wall 64, thereby restricting the downward movement of the piston rod 67. .

  On the inner peripheral surface side of the thick portion 60b on the upper end side of the main body 60, a female screw 60d that is screwed into the male screw 35b provided on the cap 35A is formed. Further, on the outer peripheral surface side of the thin wall portion 60a on the lower end side of the main body 60, a male screw 60e for screwing a female screw 39a provided on the peripheral wall portion 39A of the cap 37A is formed (see FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIG. 12, the piston rod 67 is guided by a piston portion 68 slidably accommodated in the cylinder 59, a support rod portion 49 extending from the piston portion 68, and a guide surface 63 provided in the cylinder 59. The rotary piece 69 is made up of. The support rod portion 49 has the same configuration as the support rod portion 49 in the actuator A1 described above, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The piston portion 68 has a substantially cylindrical shape that can slide with respect to the sliding portion 61 of the cylinder 59 (see FIGS. 12, 13, and 15).

  The rotating piece portion 69 is formed at a position near the piston portion 68 in the shaft portion 49a of the support rod portion 49. The rotating piece portion 69 is shaped like a round bar, and the axial direction is the moving direction of the piston rod 67 (shaft portion). 49a (axial direction of 49a), it is formed in two places which protrude from the shaft part 49a to the left and right sides (see FIG. 15). In the case of the embodiment, each rotary piece 69 has a length dimension (projection amount from the shaft portion 49a) L3 (see FIG. 15) smaller than the radius of the piston portion 68 and protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the piston portion 68. In addition, the dimensions are set such that the upper surface 69b of the tip 69a can come into contact with the guide surface 63 provided on the cylinder 59 side after the upward movement. Further, the rotating piece 69 has a distance L5 (see FIG. 16) from the upper surface 68b to the upper surface 69b of the piston portion 68 larger than a distance L4 (see FIG. 14) from the step 60c on the side surface 62b side in the guide recess 62. When the rotary piece 69 is guided and moved upward by the guide surface 63, as shown in FIG. 16B and FIG. 17A, the upper surface 68b of the piston portion 68 is the lower end surface (projecting) of the thick portion 60b. The wall portion 64) is configured not to contact the wall portion 64).

  Then, when the piston rod 67 moves upward and the rotating piece 69 makes the guide surface 63 provided on the cylinder 59 abut the upper surface 69b side of the tip 69a (see A in FIG. 16), the gas generator In response to the pressing force of the gas G generated from the gas 41, the gas G moves along the guide surface 63 inclined so as to rise in the clockwise direction, and the tip 63a of the guide surface 63 of the rotating piece portion 69 is moved. The piston rod 67 as a whole moves upward while moving in a clockwise direction (axial direction) with respect to the cylinder 59 (B in FIG. 16 and A in FIG. 17). reference). In the case of the embodiment, the rotary piece 69 moves so as to rotate the piston rod 67 by approximately 90 ° in the clockwise direction (see FIG. 15). Then, when the rotating piece 69 comes into contact with the stopper surface 63b formed on the tip 63a side of the guide surface 63, the rotational movement of the piston rod 67 is stopped. If the generation of the gas G from the gas generator 41 is stopped after the rotational movement of the piston rod 67 and the pressing force of the gas G does not act on the bottom surface 68a side of the piston portion 68, the piston rod 67 moves downward. The lower surface side of the rotary piece 69 is locked to the upper surface 64a (locking surface) of the projecting wall portion 64 formed below the rotary piece 69, and the piston rod 67 is moved downward. Is restricted (see B in FIG. 17).

  Also in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, when the gas G is generated from the gas generator 41 during operation, the gas G flows into the cylinder 59 and is filled, and the piston stored in the cylinder 59 is filled. As shown in B of FIG. 12, the rod 67 moves upward while the bottom surface 68 a side of the piston portion 68 is pushed by the gas G. When the rotating piece 69 provided on the piston rod 67 that moves upward comes into contact with the guide surface 63 formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the cylinder 59 immediately before completion of the upward movement (see A in FIG. 16). The rotary piece 69 moves along the guide surface 63, and the piston rod 67 moves upward while rotating around the axis with respect to the cylinder 59 as the rotary piece 69 moves. (See FIG. 16B and FIG. 17A). Thereafter, the rotating piece portion 69 as a locking portion provided on the piston rod 67 is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper surface 64 a of the protruding wall portion 64 as a locking surface provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 59. If the piston rod 67 moves upward while rotating around the axis, the rotating piece 69 is locked to the upper surface 64a of the projecting wall 64, and the rotating piece 69 serving as the locking portion causes the piston to move. The rod 67 is restricted from moving backward. That is, also in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, after the piston rod 67 is rotationally moved with respect to the cylinder 59 along the axis direction intersecting the moving direction (axial direction) during the upward movement, the cylinder 59 Since the downward movement of the piston rod 67 is restricted by engaging the rotary piece portion 69 with the upper surface 64a of the protruding wall portion 64 provided on the side, the rotary piece portion 69 is controlled by the upper surface 64a of the protruding wall portion 64. Can be stably locked, and the downward movement after the operation of the piston rod 67 can be reliably prevented. Therefore, also in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, a hood panel (not shown) as a receiving material can be stably supported by the piston rod 67 moved upward. Also in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, since the rotating piece 69 is locked by the upper surface 64a of the protruding wall 64 immediately before the upward movement of the piston rod 67 is completed, the piston rod at the time of operation is 67 predetermined moving strokes can be secured stably.

  Therefore, also in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, the piston rod 67 during operation can stably secure a predetermined movement stroke, and can stably support a hood panel (not shown) as a receiving material. it can.

  Further, in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, since the piston portion 68 of the piston rod 67 has a substantially columnar shape, the sliding portion 61 of the cylinder 58 that slides the piston portion 68 can be cylindrical. As in the actuator A1 of the first embodiment, the manufacturing cost of the cylinder 58 and the piston portion 68 can be reduced as compared with the case where the piston portion 47 has a non-cylindrical shape. Further, in the actuator A2 of the second embodiment, the rotating piece portion 69 itself is locked to the upper surface 64a of the protruding wall portion 64 as a locking surface, and the rotating piece portion and the locking portion are combined. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately form a locking portion, and the configuration of the actuator A2 can be simplified.

  In the actuators A1 and A2 of the embodiment, the rotary piece portions 50 and 69 are disposed on the shaft portion 49b of the support rod portion 49 of the piston rods 46 and 67. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if a concave groove capable of inserting the rotating piece portion is formed in the sliding portion of the cylinder, the rotating piece portion may be configured to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the piston portion.

  In addition, although not specifically shown in the embodiment, the shaft portion 49a of the support rod portion 49 in the piston rods 46 and 67 has the kinetic energy of the pedestrian when the hood panel 15 receives the pedestrian and plastically deforms. You may comprise so that it may plastically deform so that absorption is possible.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the actuators A1 and A2 are used for the raising device U for raising and moving the rear end 15c of the hood panel 15 as the movement that raises the forward movement and the movement that lowers the backward movement. The operating direction of the actuator and the safety device for automobiles to which the actuator of the present invention can be applied are not limited to this, and the actuator of the present invention is used for an automotive safety device whose operating direction is the horizontal direction. Also good.

  In the actuators A1 and A2 of the first and second embodiments, the piston rods 46 and 67 are moved using the gas G generated when the gas generator 41 is operated as a drive source. The working fluid is not limited to gas, and water or oil may be used. Further, it is not necessary to use a fluid as a drive source for moving the piston rods 46 and 67. For example, a suction force of a solenoid or a biasing force (restoring force) of a compressed spring is used as a drive source. can do. When using the attraction force of the solenoid as the drive source, the piston rod is composed of a movable iron core, placed in the cylinder, an excitation coil is placed around the piston rod in the cylinder, and this excitation coil is energized. Then, the piston rod can be moved forward. When a spring is used as a drive source, a piston rod is connected to the free end of the compressed coil spring, and a stopper composed of a solenoid or the like that can be retracted is used to freely move the piston rod or the compression coil spring. If the end is locked and the stopper is retracted to release the locking, the piston rod can be moved forward by the urging force restored by the compression coil spring.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a pedestrian protection device using an actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial enlarged plan view of the vehicle carrying the pedestrian protection device using the actuator of the first embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-back direction in the pedestrian protection apparatus of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the III-III site | part of FIG. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the time of the action | operation of the pedestrian protection apparatus of embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the actuator of 1st Embodiment, and shows the time before an operation | movement and the time of completion | finish of an operation | movement. It is sectional drawing of the VI-VI site | part of FIG. In the actuator of 1st Embodiment, it is a schematic exploded perspective view which shows a piston rod and the site | part of the storage recessed part of a cylinder. In the actuator of the first embodiment, it is a cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-rear direction of a large diameter portion that constitutes a storage recess of the cylinder, and corresponds to the VIII-VIII portion of FIG. In the actuator of 1st Embodiment, it is a schematic cross-sectional view of the site | part of the storage recessed part of a cylinder, and shows before rotation and after rotation of a piston rod. In the actuator of 1st Embodiment, it is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the left-right direction which shows the site | part of the storage recessed part of a cylinder, and shows before rotation and after rotation of a piston rod. In the actuator of 1st Embodiment, it is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction which shows the site | part of the storage recessed part of a cylinder, Comprising: It is a figure corresponding to the XI-XI site | part of FIG. Indicates after movement. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the actuator which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and shows the time before an operation | movement and the time of completion | finish of an operation | movement. In the actuator of 2nd Embodiment, it is a schematic exploded perspective view which shows a piston rod and the site | part of the upper end side of the main body in a cylinder. In the actuator of the second embodiment, it is a cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-rear direction of a portion on the upper end side of the cylinder body, and corresponds to the XIV-XIV portion of FIG. In the actuator of 2nd Embodiment, it is a schematic cross-sectional view of the site | part of the upper end side of the main body of a cylinder, and shows before rotation and after rotation of a piston rod. In the actuator of 2nd Embodiment, it is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the left-right direction which shows the site | part of the upper end side of the main body of a cylinder, and shows before and after rotation of a piston rod. In the actuator of 2nd Embodiment, it is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction which shows the site | part of the upper end side of the main body of a cylinder, Comprising: It is a figure corresponding to the XVII-XVII site | part of FIG. And after moving down.

Explanation of symbols

15 ... Food panel (receiving material),
23, 59 ... cylinder,
24, 60 ... main body,
25, 61 ... sliding part,
26: Storage recess,
30 ... locking surface,
31, 62... Guide recess,
32, 63 ... guide surface,
41 ... Gas generator,
46, 67 ... piston rod,
47, 68 ... piston part,
47b ... edge side part,
48 ... locking part,
49. Support rod part,
49a ... shaft part,
49b ... head,
50, 69 ... rotating piece,
52 ... Mounting bracket,
55 ...
64 ... protruding wall,
64a ... upper surface (locking surface),
M ... Pedestrian protection device,
R1, R2 ... Lock mechanism,
U ... Lifting device,
V ... Vehicle,
A1, A2 ... Actuators.

Claims (3)

Used in car safety equipment,
The piston rod arranged in the cylindrical cylinder is configured as a piston cylinder type that moves forward during operation,
It is configured to include a lock mechanism that regulates the backward movement of the piston rod that has moved forward, and
An actuator having a configuration in which a tip of the piston rod protruding from a tip wall portion of the cylinder is coupled to the receiving material so as to support the receiving material that receives an object to be protected;
The locking mechanism is
A rotating piece projecting from the piston rod so as to be substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the piston rod;
The rotating piece can be guided so that the piston rod formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the cylinder and immediately before completing the forward movement can be rotated about the axis with respect to the cylinder. A guide surface,
A locking portion formed on the piston rod;
A locking surface that is formed at an arrangement position at the completion of forward movement of the piston rod on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, and that can lock the locking portion after the rotational movement;
Is configured to include,
By moving the rotating piece portion along the guide surface during the forward movement of the piston rod, the piston rod is moved forward while rotating along the axis direction with respect to the cylinder, An actuator configured to restrict the backward movement of the piston rod by locking the locking portion to the locking surface. The piston rod is composed of a piston portion, and a support rod portion that extends from the piston portion and can support the receiving member.
The piston part is a columnar shape with a non-circular cross-sectional shape,
The cylinder is
A sliding part capable of sliding the piston part;
A storage recess that is disposed between the tip wall and the sliding portion and configured to have an inner diameter dimension larger than that of the sliding portion so as to store the piston portion after completion of forward movement;
With
The piston portion locks the bottom surface side by the locking surface formed by the surface of the opening peripheral edge of the sliding portion in the storage recess after the forward movement is completed with the portion near the outer peripheral edge as the locking portion. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to regulate a backward movement of the piston rod. The piston rod is composed of a piston portion, and a support rod portion that extends from the piston portion and can support the receiving member.
The piston portion is substantially cylindrical,
The cylinder is configured to lock the rotating piece portion after the rotational movement to the distal end side in the moving direction of the rotating piece portion on the guide surface, and to lock the retreating direction side of the rotating piece portion. With a surface,
2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein a backward movement of the piston rod is restricted by locking the rotating piece portion as the locking portion on the locking surface.

Images