JP2015003600A - Pedestrian protection system for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a pedestrian from a road surface by deploying a bumper between the pedestrian and road surface in case a vehicle collides with the pedestrian.SOLUTION: A pedestrian protection system for vehicles 10 includes a front bumper 3, a collision detection sensor, and left and right activation units 14. Assuming that a controller determines a state in which collision is unavoidable on the basis of image information sent from the collision detection sensor, the activation units 14 lift restrictions on the tilting of the front bumper 3, and the front bumper 3 tilts forward from a normal position due to a constraining force of a coil spring. In this case, the upper edge 43 of the front bumper 3 abuts on the legs of a pedestrian existent ahead on a track. The pedestrian who has the legs thereof pushed from behind turns down with his/her head oriented toward the vehicle body, and the pedestrian's head falling on the side of the vehicle body collides with the back surface 19 of the front bumper 3 at a deployed position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that protects a pedestrian from the road surface by deploying a bumper between the pedestrian and the road surface when the vehicle collides with the pedestrian.

  Patent Document 1 describes a pedestrian protection device having a pedestrian protection panel arranged in the vehicle width direction so as to cover from the lower end of the bumper to the upper end of the front panel, and a collision prediction sensor. The upper end of the pedestrian protection panel is attached to the upper end portion of the front panel so as to be rotatable about an axis in the vehicle width direction. In this pedestrian protection device, at the time of a collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian, the pedestrian protection panel rotates in accordance with the prediction of the collision with the pedestrian by the collision prediction sensor, and the lower part of the pedestrian protection panel is the front of the vehicle. Therefore, the human body is shaped like a scooped leg, and then the human body falls to the road surface with the leg far from the vehicle and the head closer to the vehicle.

  In Patent Document 2, a hinge with a spring is provided at the lower part of a large bumper at the front of the vehicle body, and this is attached to a bumper mounting arm so as to open forward, and a hinge with a spring is provided at the upper part of the bumper, A bumper with a rescue device for an automobile, in which a frame with a frame is attached to a spring hinge, is described. This bumper with a rescue device of a car usually folds the frame receiving net inside the bumper and keeps the bumper on the front grille, and when operating, the bumper and frame receiving net open forward through a spring hinge. And catch pedestrians. The front end of the frame-supporting net and the vehicle body are connected by a rope, and the bumper and the frame-supporting net are supported by the rope so as not to hang down.

JP 2010-202055 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 49-134033

  In the pedestrian protection device of Patent Document 1, a leg of a human body (pedestrian) is scooped by a pedestrian protection panel protruding forward of the vehicle at the time of a collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian, and the head of the pedestrian is on the vehicle side. The pedestrian is defeated so as to face, and the head injury of the pedestrian is reduced. However, even if the pedestrian falls with the head directed toward the vehicle, there is a high possibility that the pedestrian's head will directly collide with the road surface. In this case, there is a possibility that head injury cannot be reduced.

  In the bumper with a rescue device for an automobile of Patent Document 2, the road surface after the pedestrian that has collided with the vehicle is received by the bumper and the receiving network with the frame by connecting the front end portion of the receiving network with the frame and the vehicle body with a rope. The pedestrian is prevented from falling down to protect the pedestrian. Since the front end of the framed mesh and the vehicle body are connected by a rope, for example, when a pedestrian falls to the framed mesh front side of the bumper, Load is input. For this reason, in order to reliably receive the pedestrian during operation and prevent falling, the bumper does not deform due to the downward load input from the pedestrian and the backward load input from the frame-side receiving net side. It is necessary to ensure a predetermined rigidity for the bumper. However, the higher the predetermined rigidity for receiving a pedestrian reliably and preventing falling, the higher the pedestrian falls to the bumper side and the pedestrian's head collides with the bumper, The possibility of injury to the head increases.

  Then, this invention aims at provision of the pedestrian protection apparatus for vehicles which can protect a pedestrian when a vehicle collides with a pedestrian.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle pedestrian protection device according to the present invention is a vehicle pedestrian protection device provided in a vehicle provided with a bumper on the front of the vehicle to mitigate a collision with a collision object, the collision detection unit, A bumper and an operation mechanism are provided. The collision detection means detects a collision with the front portion of the vehicle. The bumper has one end portion that is rotatably supported with respect to the front end portion of the vehicle body frame with a rotation axis along the vehicle width direction as a fulcrum, and a normal position that stands upward from the one end portion and extends in the vehicle width direction. , And can be tilted between one end portion and a deployment position that develops forward, and collides with a colliding object that falls from above at the deployment position and cushions. The operation mechanism tilts the bumper from the normal position to the deployed position when a collision with the front portion of the vehicle is detected by the collision detection means.

  In the above configuration, when the collision detection unit detects a collision, the operation mechanism tilts the bumper at the normal position rising upward from the one end to the deployment position where the bumper is deployed forward from the one end. As the bumper tilts, the other end of the bumper moves forward from the front of the vehicle. Therefore, when the vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the other end of the bumper after reaching the unfolded position or the deployed position is the pedestrian. It is easy to come into contact with the leg part from behind. When the bumper comes into contact with the leg of the pedestrian and the leg of the pedestrian is pushed forward by the bumper, the pedestrian is likely to fall down with the head directed toward the vehicle body.

  In addition, since the bumper at the unfolded position deploys forward from one end, the bumper protrudes forward from the front of the vehicle, and if a pedestrian that collides with the vehicle falls down with its head directed toward the vehicle body, The head is likely to collide with the bumper in the deployed position. For this reason, the impact added to a pedestrian's head can be reduced compared with the case where it collides with a hard road surface like concrete, for example. Also, even if the pedestrian's head collides with the bumper at the deployment position and then collides with the road surface, the pedestrian's head falls at the time of collision with the bumper at the deployment position, so it collides with the bumper. The impact applied to the pedestrian's head from the road surface is reduced as compared with the case where the vehicle directly collides with the road surface.

  In addition, since the bumper reduces the impact applied to the colliding object by colliding with the colliding object falling from above, the bumper is high, for example, when the colliding colliding object is received so as not to fall on the road surface. Rigidity is not required. That is, since the impact applied to the collision object can be reduced without increasing the rigidity of the bumper, when the vehicle and the pedestrian collide and the pedestrian's head collides with the bumper from above, The possibility of injury to the part can be kept low.

  Further, the bumper at the unfolded position may be unfolded forward and downward from one end and inclined with respect to the road surface.

  In the above configuration, since the bumper at the deployment position is inclined with respect to the road surface, even if the head of the pedestrian falls substantially vertically downward after colliding with the vehicle, it is difficult to collide with the bumper vertically. For this reason, compared with the case where it collides perpendicularly with respect to a bumper, the impact added to a pedestrian's head can be reduced. In addition, by finding a suitable tilt angle of the bumper that can effectively reduce the impact on the pedestrian's head by experiment, simulation, calculation, etc., and setting the bumper at the deployment position to the above preferred tilt angle, walking The head of the person can be effectively protected.

  The vehicle may include a front underrun protector below the front end of the body frame, and one end of the bumper may be coupled to the front underrun protector via a rotating shaft.

  In the above configuration, one end portion of the bumper is coupled to the front underrun protector provided below the front end portion of the vehicle body frame via the rotating shaft. For this reason, since the rotation shaft can be arranged at a relatively low position, when the bumper tilts from the normal position to the deployed position, the bumper easily hits the low position of the leg of the pedestrian, and the head is directed to the vehicle body side. Pedestrians are more likely to fall in the

  In addition, since one end of the bumper is connected to the front underrun protector via a rotating shaft, when the bumper at the unfolded position is deployed forward and downward from the one end, the other end of the bumper at the unfolded position is front under. It is arranged below the run protector. In this case, the bumper easily closes the gap between the front under-run protector and the road surface from the front, and a pedestrian who falls to the front of the bumper does not easily enter below the front under-run protector.

  Further, the bumper may contact a road surface below the front of the vehicle at the unfolded position.

  In the above configuration, the bumper at the unfolded position contacts the road surface below the front of the vehicle from the front of the vehicle. Therefore, the pedestrian who falls to the front of the bumper while keeping the gap between the other end of the bumper at the unfolded position and the road surface narrow. Can be reliably prevented from entering the vehicle below.

  The bumper may have a shock absorber on the back surface.

  In the above configuration, since the shock absorbing material is provided on the back surface of the bumper that is the upper surface at the deployed position, when the vehicle and the pedestrian collide with each other, the pedestrian's head collides with the bumper at the deployed position. The impact applied to the part can be further reduced by the impact absorbing material.

  According to the present invention, when a vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the pedestrian's head can be protected.

It is a perspective view of the front part of a truck provided with the pedestrian protection device for vehicles concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the principal part of the pedestrian protection device for vehicles concerning this embodiment. It is a typical side view of the pedestrian protection device for vehicles concerning this embodiment. It is a typical side view of an action mechanism, (a) shows the state where it was regulated to the normal position, and (b) shows the state where the regulation to the normal position was canceled, respectively.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, UP indicates the upper side, IN indicates the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and in the following description, the left-right direction means the left-right direction when facing the front of the vehicle. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a truck (vehicle) 1 including a pedestrian protection device 10 for a vehicle according to this embodiment is a cab over type in which a cab 2 is generally disposed above an engine (not shown). The truck 1 includes a vehicle body frame 7, a front bumper (bumper) 3, left and right headlights 4, and a front underlamp protector 6.

  The vehicle body frame 7 includes left and right side frames 8 that extend across the front and rear of the truck 1 on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of cross frames 9 that extend along the vehicle width direction and connect the left and right side frames 8. Left and right light brackets 5 that support the left and right headlights 4 are fixed to the outer surface in the vehicle width direction of the cross frame 9 that connects the front end portions of the left and right side frames 8 by welding, bolts (not shown), etc. The left and right front under-run protector brackets 11 are fixed to the lower surfaces of the front end portion 21 of the frame 7 in the vehicle width direction by bolts (not shown) and extend downward. The front underrun protector bracket 11 is a structure that divides a closed space inside by a plurality of plates, and is formed in a substantially triangular shape in a side view. In FIG. 2, only the cross frame 9 that connects the front end portions of the left and right side frames 8 is shown.

  The front under-run protector 6 is a rod-shaped body having a rectangular cross-section with both ends in the vehicle width direction closed, and welding and bolts with the rear surface of the front under-run protector 6 facing the front of the front under-run protector bracket 11. (Not shown) is fixed to the lower end portion of the front underrun protector bracket 11 and extends in the vehicle width direction below the front end portion 21 of the body frame 7 of the truck 1. The front under-run protector 6 is provided for the other vehicle (not shown) having a vehicle height lower than that of the truck 1 and the truck 1 when the other vehicle (not shown) collides with the front under-run protector 6. The movement is restricted, and the above-mentioned other vehicles are prevented from getting under the truck 1.

  The left and right headlights 4 are fixed to the left and right light brackets 5 and are disposed inside the left and right light openings 12 of the front bumper 3 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vehicle pedestrian protection device 10 includes a front bumper 3, a collision detection sensor (collision detection means) 13, and left and right operation devices (operation mechanisms) 14.

  The front bumper 3 is a substantially plate-like body configured by a front panel portion 17 extending in the vehicle width direction and left and right side panel portions 18 extending rearward from both ends of the front panel portion 17 in the vehicle width direction. It has a light opening 12, a ventilation opening 15, and left and right bumper fixing members 16 with round terminals. A plate-like impact absorbing rubber (impact absorbing material) 24 is affixed to the entire rear surface 19 (rear surface) of the front bumper 3. The lower end portion (one end portion) 22 of the front panel portion 17 of the front bumper 3 is rotatable with respect to the front portion of the front underrun protector 6 via left and right hinge portions 20 having a rotation axis along the vehicle width direction. Connected. That is, the lower end portion 22 of the front panel portion 17 of the front bumper 3 is rotatably supported with respect to the front end portion 21 of the vehicle body frame 7 with a rotation axis along the vehicle width direction as a fulcrum. The upper end 43 side (the other end side) of the front panel portion 17 of the front bumper 3 bends gently toward the rear. The front bumper 3 is extended from the lower end portion 22 of the front panel portion 17 to the normal position (see FIGS. 1 and 3) and forwardly and downwardly from the lower end portion 22 of the front panel portion 17 to the road surface 23. It can be tilted between a tilted deployment position (see FIGS. 2 and 3 (a position indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 3)). The front bumper 3 at the normal position is disposed in front of the truck 1 to alleviate the collision with the collision object. The front bumper 3 in the unfolded position has the upper end 43 side at the normal position in contact with the road surface 23 in front of and below the front surface of the truck 1 and a collision object falling from above collides with the back surface 19 (upper surface of the unfolded position). It is buffered by the shock absorbing rubber 24. The rigidity of the front bumper 3 is set to a rigidity that can be arranged on the front surface of the track 1 at a normal position and can mitigate a collision with a collision object. That is, a general existing front bumper 3 can be used.

  As for the inclination angle of the front bumper 3 at the unfolded position with respect to the road surface 23, a suitable inclination angle capable of effectively reducing the impact when colliding with the colliding object is obtained by experiment, simulation, calculation, etc. In the embodiment, it is set to approximately 45 degrees).

  The left and right light openings 12 are opened on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the front panel portion 17 of the front bumper 3 so that the left and right headlights 4 are disposed inside the front bumper 3 in a normal position. .

  The ventilation opening 15 is a substantially rectangular opening extending in the vehicle width direction at the vehicle width direction central portion of the front panel portion 17 of the front bumper 3, and serves as an intake port for air supplied to an engine (not shown) or the like. Function. A radiator grill 25 is fixed to the ventilation opening 15.

  The left and right bumper fixing members 16 with round terminals are substantially rod-like bodies rotatably supported on the back surface 19 of the front bumper 3, and include a support portion 26 on the front bumper 3 side and a shaft portion 27 extending from the support portion 26. And a round terminal 28 on the distal end side fixed to the shaft portion 27, and is arranged in the vicinity of the outer end portion of the ventilation opening 15 in the vehicle width direction. The support portion 26 is rotatably supported by the front bumper 3 via a rotation shaft extending in the vehicle width direction. The outer surface of the bumper fixing member 16 with a round terminal is substantially entirely covered with a shock-absorbing rubber.

  The collision detection sensor 13 is a CCD camera, and is arranged at the center in the vehicle width direction inside the front window (not shown) of the cab 2 and fixed toward the front lower side of the truck 1. The collision detection sensor 13 images the front of the track 1 in the traveling direction, and sequentially outputs image information to the controller (collision detection means) 29. The controller 29 is composed of a CUP, a memory, and the like (not shown), and is in a state where collision between the track 1 and the pedestrian cannot be avoided from image information input from the collision detection sensor 13 (hereinafter simply referred to as a state where collision cannot be avoided). When it is determined that the collision cannot be avoided, an operation signal is transmitted to the air pump 30 described later. For example, the controller 29 obtains the estimated collision time between the track 1 and the pedestrian by obtaining the distance and relative speed from the image information and dividing the distance by the relative speed, and the estimated collision time. Are compared with a preset threshold value of the expected collision time. When the estimated collision time is lower than the threshold, the controller 29 determines that the collision cannot be avoided and transmits an operation signal to the air pump 30 described later. As described above, the collision detection sensor 13 and the controller 29 function as a collision detection unit that detects a collision with the front portion of the track 1 by detecting a state in which a collision with the front portion of the track 1 cannot be avoided. In the present embodiment, the collision detection sensor 13 is a CCD camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be a radar sensor or the like.

  The left and right actuators 14 each include a case 31, a stopper 32, a coil spring 33, and an air pump 30. The case 31 is a bottomed rectangular cylindrical body that opens to the front, and the body portion 34 and the rear surface portion 35 of the rear end of the body portion 34 are integrally formed, and the front end opening 36 at the front end of the body portion 34 is formed. The fixing member insertion hole 38 extends linearly from the rear to the rear. The case 31 is disposed at a position where the bumper fixing member 16 with a round terminal can be inserted into the fixing member insertion hole 38 from the front end opening 36 in a state where the front bumper 3 is disposed at the normal position. It is fixed to the outer surface in the vehicle width direction by welding, bolts (not shown) or the like. The stopper 32 has an air cylinder 41 and a piston stopper 42 that is inserted into the air cylinder 41 and is slidable in the vertical direction. The bumper fixing member 16 with a round terminal at a normal position inserted into the fixing member insertion hole 38 is provided. Are arranged on the upper and lower sides in front of the round terminal 28 and are fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the inner surface of the fixing member insertion hole 38 with the piston stopper 42 facing each other. The air cylinder 41 has a spring (not shown) inside, and the spring urges the piston stopper 42 in a direction protruding from the air cylinder 41. The coil spring 33 is a spring that is disposed inside the case 31 and can be expanded and contracted in the front-rear direction, and has a rear end fixed to the front surface of the rear surface portion 35 of the case 31 and a square terminal 39 fixed to the front end. The air pump 30 is connected to the stopper 32 via the air pipe 40, and supplies air to the stopper 32 via the air pipe 40 when receiving an operation signal from the controller 29.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, while the controller 29 does not determine that a collision cannot be avoided, the front bumper 3 is disposed at the normal position, and the bumper fixing member 16 with a round terminal is positioned at the front end opening 36 of the case 31. To the fixing member insertion hole 38. The square terminal 39 of the coil spring 33 is pressed backward by the round terminal 28 of the bumper fixing member 16 with the round terminal, and the coil spring 33 contracts backward. That is, the coil spring 33 urges the bumper fixing member 16 with a round terminal forward. The piston stopper 42 of the stopper 32 sandwiches the shaft portion 27 in front of the round terminal 28 from above and below in a state where no air is supplied from the air pump 30. The rear surface of the piston stopper 42 is in contact with the front surface of the round terminal 28 of the bumper fixing member 16 with a round terminal biased by the coil spring 33. The abutment between the piston stopper 42 and the round terminal 28 restricts the tilting of the front bumper 3 forward against the biasing force of the coil spring 33.

  When the controller 29 determines that the collision cannot be avoided based on the image information from the collision detection sensor 13, the controller 29 transmits an operation signal to the air pump 30. The air pump 30 that has received the operation signal supplies air to the stopper 32. When air is supplied to the stopper 32, the upper and lower piston stoppers 42 slide in the direction of immersing in the air cylinder 41 against the urging force of the spring inside the air cylinder 41. When the upper and lower piston stoppers 42 slide and move away from each other, the forward movement restriction of the bumper fixing member 16 with the round terminal is released, and the front bumper 3 is biased forward by the coil spring 33 and tilted (see FIG. 4 (b)). The front bumper 3 is tilted by the urging force of the coil spring 33 from the normal position to the unfolded position in the front and lower direction with the rotating shaft of the hinge portion 20 as a fulcrum. That is, when the controller 29 determines that the collision cannot be avoided based on the image information from the collision detection sensor 13, the actuator 14 tilts the front bumper 3 from the normal position to the deployed position. The bumper fixing member 16 with the round terminal at the unfolded position tilts forward with the rotation axis of the support portion 26 as a fulcrum and falls down. In the unfolded position, the other end portion (upper end portion 43) of the front bumper 3 contacts the road surface 23 forward and lower than the front surface of the truck 1, and the front bumper 3 unfolds from the one end portion (lower end portion 22) to the front lower side. (See FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 (position indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 3)). The truck 1 moves forward while rubbing against the road surface at the other end (upper end 43) side of the front bumper 3 that bends gently upward until the vehicle is braked and stopped.

  Next, the vehicle pedestrian protection device 10 and the movement of the pedestrian when the truck 1 collides with the pedestrian will be described. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the truck 1 collides at a low vehicle speed (for example, 40 km / h or less).

  Based on the image information from the collision detection sensor 13, the controller 29 determines that the collision cannot be avoided, the actuating device 14 releases the restriction on the tilt of the front bumper 3, and the front bumper 3 biases the coil spring 33. As a result of tilting forward from the normal position, the upper end 43 of the front bumper 3 comes into contact with the leg of the pedestrian in front of the track 1. A pedestrian whose leg has been pushed from behind falls with the head directed toward the vehicle body, and the pedestrian's head falling downward on the vehicle body collides with the back surface 19 of the front bumper 3 in the deployed position. .

  In the vehicle pedestrian protection device 10 configured as described above, when the controller 29 determines that the collision cannot be avoided based on the image information from the collision detection sensor 13, the actuator 14 detects the front of the normal position. The bumper 3 is tilted from the lower end portion 22 to a deployment position where the bumper 3 is deployed forward and downward. As the front bumper 3 tilts, the upper end portion 43 side of the front bumper 3 moves forward from the front surface of the track 1, so that when the track 1 and a pedestrian collide, The upper end 43 side of the bumper 3 is likely to come into contact with the leg of the pedestrian from behind. When the front bumper 3 comes into contact with the leg part of the pedestrian and the leg part of the pedestrian is pushed forward by the front bumper 3, the pedestrian easily falls down with the head directed toward the vehicle body.

  Further, the lower end portion 22 of the front bumper 3 is connected to the front underrun protector 6 provided at the front lower end of the track 1 via a hinge portion 20. As described above, since the rotation shaft is disposed at a relatively low position, when the front bumper 3 tilts from the normal position to the deployed position, the front bumper 3 easily hits a low position of the leg of the pedestrian, and further the pedestrian However, it becomes easy to fall down with the head directed toward the vehicle body.

  Further, when a pedestrian who collides with the track 1 falls with the head directed toward the vehicle body, the pedestrian's head collides with the front bumper 3 at a deployment position where the pedestrian expands forward from the entire surface of the track 1. easy. The rigidity of the front bumper 3 is set to a rigidity that can be arranged on the front surface of the track 1 at a normal position and can mitigate a collision with a collision object. For this reason, the impact added to a pedestrian's head can be reduced compared with the case where it collides with a hard road surface like concrete, for example. Further, since the plate-like impact absorbing rubber 24 is attached to the entire rear surface 19 of the front bumper 3 which is the upper surface at the unfolded position, the impact applied to the pedestrian's head can be further reduced by the impact absorbing rubber 24. Can do.

  Moreover, even if the pedestrian's head collides with the road surface 23 after colliding with the front bumper 3 at the deployed position, the falling speed of the pedestrian's head decreases at the time of collision with the front bumper 3 at the deployed position. Compared with the case of directly colliding with the road surface 23 without colliding with the front bumper 3, the impact applied to the pedestrian's head from the road surface 23 is reduced.

  Further, the rigidity of the front bumper 3 is set to a rigidity that can be arranged on the front surface of the track 1 at a normal position and can mitigate a collision with a collision object. That is, the rigidity is set to ensure the function of a general bumper. Thus, since the impact applied to the collision object can be reduced without specially increasing the rigidity of the front bumper 3, the truck 1 and the pedestrian collide, and the head of the pedestrian moves from the upper side to the front bumper 3. In the event of a collision, the possibility that the pedestrian will injure the head can be kept low.

  Further, since the front bumper 3 in the deployed position is inclined with respect to the road surface 23, it is difficult to collide with the front bumper 3 vertically even if the head of the pedestrian falls substantially vertically downward after colliding with the vehicle. For this reason, compared with the case where it collides perpendicularly with respect to the front bumper 3, the impact added to a pedestrian's head can be reduced. Moreover, since the inclination angle of the front bumper 3 with respect to the road surface 23 is set to a suitable inclination angle that can effectively reduce the impact applied to the pedestrian's head, the pedestrian's head can be effectively protected. Can do.

  Further, the lower end 22 of the front bumper 3 is connected to the front under-run protector 6 provided at the front lower end of the track 1 via the hinge portion 20, and the front bumper 3 in the unfolded position is forward from one end (lower end 22). Since it expands downward, the other end (upper end 43) side of the front bumper 3 at the unfolded position is disposed below the front under-run protector 6. For this reason, the front bumper 3 easily closes the gap between the front under-run protector 6 and the road surface 23 from the front, and a pedestrian who falls to the front of the front bumper 3 does not easily enter below the front under-run protector 6.

  In addition, since the front bumper 3 in the unfolded position contacts the road surface 23 that is forward and lower than the front surface of the truck 1, the gap between the other end (upper end 43) side of the front bumper 3 in the unfolded position and the road surface 23 is kept small. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the pedestrian who has fallen forward of the front bumper 3 from entering the track 1 below.

  Thus, according to this embodiment, when the truck 1 collides with a pedestrian, the pedestrian can be protected.

  Moreover, since it is a simple structure which does not require the components (for example, inflator etc.) which cannot be reused once used, the vehicle pedestrian protection device 10 is returned to the state before the operation without replacing the components after the operation. When the vehicle body is small in damage, the driver or the like can relatively easily return the vehicle pedestrian protection device 10 to the state before the operation and use the truck 1.

  Further, since the front bumper 3 is not required to have high rigidity as in the case of receiving the collided object so as not to fall on the road surface, a general existing front bumper can be used. For this reason, no special reinforcement or the like is required, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

  The front bumper 3 may not be connected to the front underrun protector 6, and a bracket or the like may be provided separately, and the front bumper 3 may be rotatably supported with respect to the vehicle body frame 7 via the bracket. Good.

  In the present embodiment, the collision detection sensor 13 and the controller 29 function as collision detection means for detecting a collision with the front portion of the track 1 by detecting a state in which a collision with the front portion of the track 1 cannot be avoided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an actual sensor may be detected by providing an acceleration sensor, a touch sensor, or the like as a collision detection unit.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to the content of the said embodiment, Of course, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from this invention. That is, it is needless to say that other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are all included in the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the operation device 14 has been described as the operation mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the hinge that connects the front bumper 3 and the front under-run protector 6 instead of the coil spring 33 is described. The part 20 may be provided with a torsion spring or the like, and the front bumper 3 may be urged forward by the torsion spring. In this case, the front bumper 3 in the unfolded position is urged toward the road surface 23 by the torsion spring, so that a pedestrian who has fallen forward of the front bumper 3 is less likely to go under the track 1.

  Further, the contact between the other end portion (upper end portion 43) side of the front bumper 3 and the road surface 23 at the unfolded position is limited to a line contact extending in the vehicle width direction as long as the gap between the front bumper 3 and the road surface 23 is kept narrow. It may be a plurality of point contacts. In addition, for example, a roller that rotates about an axis along the vehicle width direction may be provided on the upper end 43 side of the front bumper 3 so that the roller contacts the road surface 23. In this case, the frictional resistance between the front bumper 3 and the road surface 23 can be reduced.

  Further, although the shock absorbing rubber 24 is pasted on the back surface 19 of the front bumper 3 as a shock absorbing material, foamed urethane or the like may be used. Or you may form the shape of the back surface 19 of the front bumper 3 in the shape (for example, arch type etc.) which can absorb a shock, without providing an impact-absorbing material.

1: Truck (vehicle)
3: Front bumper (bumper)
6: Front underrun protector 7: Body frame 10: Pedestrian protection device 13 for vehicle: Collision detection sensor (collision detection means)
14: Actuating device (actuating mechanism)
19: Back surface of front bumper 20: Hinge portion 21: Front end portion of body frame 22: Lower end portion of front bumper (one end portion of bumper)
23: Road surface 24: Shock absorbing rubber (shock absorbing material)
29: Controller (collision detection means)
43: Upper end of front bumper

Claims (5)

A vehicle pedestrian protection device provided in a vehicle provided with a bumper on the front surface of the vehicle to mitigate a collision with a collision object,
Collision detection means for detecting a collision to the front of the vehicle;
A normal position having one end portion rotatably supported with respect to the front end portion of the vehicle body frame with a rotation axis along the vehicle width direction as a fulcrum, and extending upward from the one end portion in the vehicle width direction; The bumper that is tiltable between a deployment position that is deployed forward from one end, and that collides with and impacts a collision object that falls from above and cushions at the deployment position;
An pedestrian protection device for vehicles, comprising: an operating mechanism that tilts the bumper from the normal position to the deployed position when a collision with the front portion of the vehicle is detected by the collision detection means. The vehicle pedestrian protection device according to claim 1,
The vehicular pedestrian protection device, wherein the bumper at the unfolded position is unfolded forward and downward from the one end and is inclined with respect to a road surface. The vehicle pedestrian protection device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle includes a front underrun protector below a front end portion of the body frame,
The vehicle pedestrian protection device, wherein the one end portion of the bumper is connected to the front underrun protector via the rotating shaft. The vehicle pedestrian protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The bumper is in contact with a road surface in front of the vehicle lower than the front surface of the vehicle at the deployed position. The vehicle pedestrian protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The bumper has a shock absorber on the back surface. A pedestrian protection device for vehicles.

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