JP2015101222A - Collision detection device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collision detection device for a vehicle that is a tube type collision detection device for a vehicle and improves durability against external force.SOLUTION: A collision detection device 1 for a vehicle includes a hollow detection tube member 2 that is disposed at a vehicle front side of a bumper reinforcement 9 inside a bumper of a vehicle, and a pressure sensor 3 that detects pressure in the detection tube member 2, and detects collision of an object to the bumper based on the pressure detection result by the pressure sensor 3. The collision detection device 1 for a vehicle comprises a connection tube 4 whose one end is connected to the detection tube member 2 and whose other end is connected with the pressure sensor 3, a hollow joint member 11 that is installed between the detection tube member 2 and the connection tube 4 and connects both members to each other, and a protective member 12 that is fixed to the joint member 11 at one end thereof and disposed so as to planarly face a vehicle front side of the connection tube 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle collision detection device that can accurately detect the occurrence of a vehicle collision accident.

  Conventionally, there is a vehicle including a pedestrian protection device for reducing an impact on a pedestrian when the pedestrian collides with the vehicle. In this vehicle, a bumper unit is provided with a collision detection device, and when this sensor detects that a pedestrian or the like has collided with the vehicle, the pedestrian protection device is activated to reduce the impact on the pedestrian. It has a configuration. This pedestrian protection device includes what is called a pop-up hood, for example. This pop-up hood raises the rear end of the engine hood when a vehicle collision is detected, increases the clearance (clearance) between the pedestrian and hard parts such as the engine, and uses that space to the pedestrian's head. It absorbs collision energy and reduces the impact on the head.

  In the vehicle collision detection device described above, a chamber member having a chamber space is disposed in front of a bumper reinforcement in the vehicle bumper, and the pressure in the chamber space is detected by a pressure sensor. There is something. With this configuration, when an object (pedestrian or the like) collides with the bumper (bumper cover), the chamber member is deformed along with the deformation of the bumper cover, and a pressure change is generated in the chamber space. The pressure sensor detects this change in pressure to detect an object collision.

  In recent years, a tube-type vehicle collision detection device that detects a collision using a tube member that is smaller and more easily mounted than the chamber-type vehicle collision detection device has been proposed. In this vehicle collision detection device, a hollow tube member extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed in the bumper, and pressure sensors are provided on both outer sides of the left and right sides of the bumper reinforcement to change the pressure in the tube member. Based on the detection by the pressure sensor, it is detected that an object has collided with the bumper (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

German Patent Application Publication No. 10201101964

  However, in the tube-type vehicle collision detection device having the above-described configuration, since the pressure sensor is disposed outside the left and right side surfaces of the bumper reinforcement, when an object collides near the left and right ends of the bumper, As the bumper cover is deformed, the tube member hits the corner of the bumper reinforcement end and damages it, or the sharply shaped part on the back of the bumper cover damages the end of the tube member. There is a problem that there is a risk of.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular collision detection device with improved resistance to external forces in a tube-type vehicular collision detection device.

  The vehicle collision detection device (1) according to claim 1 made to solve the above object is a hollow disposed in the front side of the bumper reinforcement (9) in the bumper (6) of the vehicle. The detection tube member (2) and the pressure sensor (3) for detecting the pressure in the detection tube member are detected, and the collision of the object with the bumper is detected based on the pressure detection result by the pressure sensor. And it is a hollow tube-shaped member, one end of which is connected so that the hollow portion is in communication with the tube member for detection and the other end is connected to the pressure tube (4), A hollow joint member (11) that is provided between the detection tube member and the connection tube, and that joins the two members. One end of the joint member is fixed to the joint member. And a protective member (12, 121, 122, 123) disposed so as to face each other.

  According to this configuration, since the protective member facing the surface is disposed on the front side of the connection tube, for example, when an object such as a pedestrian collides near the left and right ends of the bumper, an external force is applied from the front of the vehicle. When the protective member receives the bumper cover that has been deformed, the sharply shaped part on the back of the bumper cover damages the connection tube, or the connection tube hits the corner of the bumper reinforcement end. It can be prevented from being damaged. Thereby, the tolerance with respect to the external force of the collision detection apparatus for vehicles can be improved. In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each means described in this column and the claim shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle collision detection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the bumper part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the arrangement structure of the protection member of FIG. It is IV-IV sectional drawing which looked at the protection member of FIG. 3 from the vehicle right side. It is a cross-sectional view of the bumper part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a pressure sensor. It is a figure which shows the arrangement structure of the protection member in 2nd Embodiment. It is VIII-VIII sectional drawing which looked at the protection member of FIG. 7 from the vehicle right side. It is a figure which shows the arrangement structure of the protection member in 3rd Embodiment. It is XX sectional drawing which looked at the protection member of FIG. 9 from the vehicle right side. It is a figure which shows the arrangement structure of the protection member in 4th Embodiment. It is XII-XII sectional drawing which looked at the protection member of FIG. 11 from the vehicle right side. It is a figure which shows the arrangement structure of the protection member in 5th Embodiment. It is the XIV-XIV sectional view which looked at the protection member of Drawing 13 from the vehicles right side. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the arrangement structure of the tube member for a detection. It is sectional drawing which shows the other modification of the arrangement structure of the tube member for a detection.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a vehicle collision detection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle collision detection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a hollow detection tube member 2, a pressure sensor 3, a connection tube 4, a collision detection ECU 5, a protection member 12, and the like. It is configured. This vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 detects a collision of an object (such as a pedestrian) with a bumper 6 provided in front of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 5, the bumper 6 is mainly composed of a bumper cover 7, a bumper absorber 8, and a bumper reinforcement 9.

  The detection tube member 2 has a hollow portion formed therein and extends in the vehicle width direction (vehicle left-right direction). The front surface 9a of the bumper reinforcement 9 in the vehicle bumper 6 (front side of the vehicle). , In this case, on the vehicle rear side upper part of the bumper absorber 8 (see FIG. 5). Both ends of the detection tube member 2 are connected to one end of a connection tube 4 described later.

  The detection tube member 2 has a substantially square cross-sectional shape and is made of a synthetic rubber, for example, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM). The length and width of the detection tube member 2 (corresponding to the outer diameter in the case of a circular tube) is, for example, about 30 mm. In the present embodiment, the detection tube member 2 has a substantially square cross-sectional shape, thereby suppressing a decrease in collision detection accuracy due to a temperature change. That is, by making the cross-sectional shape of the detection tube member 2 substantially rectangular, for example, compared to the case where the detection tube member 2 having a circular cross-sectional shape is used, the collision portion of the detection tube member 2 (the bumper cover 7 during the collision) The portion other than the portion that is deformed along with the deformation is easily swelled by the pressure increase in the detection tube member 2. Since the expansion amount of the portion other than the collision portion in the detection tube member 2 increases at a high temperature and decreases at a low temperature, the detection tube member 2 has a low sensitivity at a high temperature with respect to the deformation amount of the same collision portion. High sensitivity at low temperatures. On the other hand, the deformation amount of the collision portion of the tube member for detection 2 is determined by the characteristics of the bumper absorber 8, and the deformation amount is large at high temperatures and small at low temperatures. Therefore, the deformation amount of the collision part that changes with temperature can be offset by the action of the parts other than the collision part swelling. Thereby, it is possible to suppress an increase in the output of the pressure sensor 3 as the temperature increases, and to suppress a decrease in collision detection accuracy accompanying a temperature change.

  The pressure sensor 3 is disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the front surface 9 a of the bumper reinforcement 9. Specifically, two pressure sensors 3 are installed on the rear surface 9b of the left and right ends of the bumper reinforcement 9, and are fixedly attached by fastening bolts (not shown). In this embodiment, redundancy and detection accuracy are ensured by installing two pressure sensors 3 in this way.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the pressure sensor 3 is connected to the other end of the connection tube 4 and is configured to detect the pressure in the detection tube member 2. Specifically, the pressure sensor 3 is a sensor device that detects a change in pressure of gas, and detects a change in pressure of air in the detection tube member 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure sensor 3 is electrically connected to a collision detection ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 5 via a transmission line, and outputs a signal proportional to the pressure to the collision detection ECU 5. The collision detection ECU 5 detects the collision of the object with the bumper 6 based on the pressure detection result by the pressure sensor 3. Further, the collision detection ECU 5 is electrically connected to the pedestrian protection device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pressure sensor 3 includes a main body portion 30, a sensor portion 31, a pressure introduction pipe 32, and a connector portion 33. The main body 30 is a box-shaped case for housing the sensor unit 31. The sensor unit 31 is made of a substrate provided with a sensor element for pressure detection. The pressure introducing tube 32 is a substantially cylindrical tube that introduces the pressure of the connecting tube 4 into the sensor unit 31, and is inserted into the connecting tube 4 from the main body unit 30. The sensor unit 31 detects a pressure change in the detection tube member 2 in which the connection tube 4 and the inside communicate with each other by detecting a pressure change in the connection tube 4 through the pressure introduction pipe 32. The sensor unit 31 is electrically connected to a connector 34 provided in the connector unit 33, and transmits a signal proportional to the pressure to the collision detection ECU 5 via the connector 34 and the signal line (see FIG. 1).

  The connecting tube 4 is a member that has a circular cross-sectional shape and has a hollow tube shape (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two connection tubes 4 are provided at both left and right ends in the vehicle width direction of the detection tube member 2, and are connected to the vehicle width direction ends of the detection tube member 2, respectively. Has been. One end of the connection tube 4 is connected to the detection tube member 2 so that the hollow portions communicate with each other, and the pressure sensor 3 is connected to the other end. The connecting tube 4 is disposed between the detecting tube member 2 and the pressure sensor 3 so as to be curved in a substantially U-shape outside the left and right sides of the bumper reinforcement 9 in the vehicle width direction. In addition, since the cross-sectional shape of the connecting tube 4 is circular, it is easy to bend.

  The connecting tube 4 is made of, for example, ethylene propylene rubber. Further, the connection tube 4 has an outer diameter smaller than that of the detection tube member 2. In this case, as described above, the outer diameter of the detection tube member 2 is about 30 mm, whereas the outer diameter of the connection tube 4 is 10 mm or less.

  The connection tube 4 is formed separately from the detection tube member 2 and is coupled to the detection tube member 2 via a hollow joint member 11. The detection tube member 2 and the connection tube 4 are fixed to the joint member 11 by being tightened by a clamp (not shown), for example.

  The collision detection ECU 5 is composed mainly of a CPU and controls the overall operation of the vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 and is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 3 and the pedestrian protection apparatus 10 (FIG. 1). reference). A pressure signal (pressure data) or the like from the pressure sensor 3 is input to the collision detection ECU 5. The collision detection ECU 5 executes a predetermined collision determination process based on the pressure detection result (input signal) from the pressure sensor 3 and detects a collision of an object such as a pedestrian against the bumper 6, the pedestrian protection device 10. Is activated.

  The bumper 6 is for reducing a shock at the time of a vehicle collision, and includes a bumper cover 7, a bumper absorber 8, a bumper reinforcement 9, and the like. The bumper cover 7 is provided so as to cover the components of the bumper 6 and is a resin member such as polypropylene. The bumper cover 7 constitutes the appearance of the bumper 6 and at the same time constitutes a part of the appearance of the entire vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bumper absorber 8 is provided on the front surface 9 a of the bumper reinforcement 9 and is disposed so as to surround the detection tube member 2. The bumper absorber 8 is a member responsible for shock absorption in the bumper 6 and is made of, for example, foamed polypropylene.

  The bumper reinforcement 9 is a structural member made of metal such as aluminum which is disposed in the bumper cover 7 and extends in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. A hollow member having a letter-shaped cross section. The bumper reinforcement 9 has a vehicle front side surface (front surface 9a) and a vehicle rear side surface (rear surface 9b). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bumper reinforcement 9 is attached to the front end of a side member 13 that is a pair of metal members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction.

  Usually, in a vehicle collision accident, there are many cases where the vehicle collides with a pedestrian or a vehicle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle (front of the vehicle). For this reason, in this embodiment, the pressure sensor 3 is disposed on the rear surface 9b of the bumper reinforcement 9, and an impact (external force) due to a collision with a pedestrian or vehicle in front of the vehicle is provided in front of the vehicle. Direct transmission from the bumper cover 7 or the like to the pressure sensor 3 is protected by the presence of the bumper reinforcement 9.

  For example, a pop-up hood is used as the pedestrian protection device 10. This pop-up hood raises the rear end of the engine hood instantly after detecting a vehicle collision, increases the clearance (clearance) between the pedestrian and hard parts such as the engine, and uses that space to make the pedestrian's head The impact energy on the pedestrian is absorbed and the impact on the pedestrian's head is reduced. Instead of the pop-up hood, a cowl airbag that cushions a pedestrian's impact by deploying an airbag from the engine hood outside the vehicle body to the lower part of the front window may be used.

  The joint member 11 is a hollow pipe joint made of, for example, a resin such as polypropylene and having an outer diameter at one end larger than an outer diameter at the other end. Specifically, the outer diameter on one end side (right side in FIG. 3) is smaller than the outer diameter on the other end side (left side in FIG. 3). That is, the tube diameter on the side connected to the connection tube 4 is smaller than the tube diameter on the side connected to the detection tube member 2. In addition, as the material of the joint member 11, other metals such as aluminum may be used, and the material and shape of the joint member 11 are appropriately changed according to the shapes of the detection tube member 2 and the connection tube 4. Suppose it is possible.

  And in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the protection member 12 for protecting the connection tube 4 is provided in the vehicle front side of the connection tube 4. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the protection member 12 is provided from the vehicle front side of the connection tube 4 to the vehicle end side (right end side in FIG. 3) along the outer shape of the connection tube 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the protection member 12 is disposed so as to face the entire vehicle front side of the connection tube 4 in a planar shape. That is, the length of the protective member 12 in the vertical direction is longer than the outer diameter of the connecting tube 4. In the present embodiment, the protection member 12 is disposed with a distance from the connection tube 4.

  The protection member 12 is made of, for example, a hard resin such as polypropylene, is formed by integral molding with the joint member 11, and one end is fixed to the joint member 11. Further, the protection member 12 has higher rigidity than the connection tube 4. In addition, as a material of the protection member 12, other metals such as aluminum may be used.

  Next, the operation | movement at the time of the collision of the collision detection apparatus 1 for vehicles in this embodiment is demonstrated. When an object such as a pedestrian collides with the front of the vehicle, the bumper cover 7 of the bumper 6 is deformed by an impact caused by the collision with the pedestrian. Subsequently, the bumper absorber 8 is deformed while absorbing the impact, and at the same time, the detection tube member 2 is also deformed. At this time, the pressure in the detection tube member 2 rises rapidly, and a pressure change is transmitted to the pressure sensor 3 through the connection tube 4.

  Here, in this embodiment, since the protection member 12 is disposed on the vehicle front side of the connection tube 4, for example, when an object such as a pedestrian collides with the left and right ends of the bumper 6. The bumper cover 7 deformed by applying an external force from the front of the vehicle can be received by the protection member 12. Thereby, the sharp part of the back surface of the bumper cover 7 is prevented from colliding with the connecting tube 4 and damaging the connecting tube 4. Further, since one end of the protection member 12 is fixed to the joint member 11, the external force from the bumper cover 7 is also transmitted to the joint member 11. At this time, the joint member 11 and the protection member 12 are integrally moved and deformed toward the vehicle rear side, so that the connection tube 4 can be effectively prevented from being crushed by an external force.

  The collision detection ECU 5 of the vehicle collision detection device 1 executes a predetermined collision determination process based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 3. In this collision determination process, for example, the effective mass of the collision object is calculated based on the detection results of the pressure sensor 3 and the vehicle speed sensor (not shown), and when this effective mass is larger than a predetermined threshold, the collision with the pedestrian is detected. It is determined that a collision has occurred with a pedestrian that requires the operation of the pedestrian protection device 10 when the vehicle speed is within a predetermined range. Here, the “effective mass” refers to a mass calculated using a relationship between momentum and impulse from a signal detected by the pressure sensor 3 at the time of collision. Specifically, the effective mass is calculated by dividing the interval integral value of the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 3 at a predetermined time by the vehicle speed. When the collision detection ECU 5 determines that a collision has occurred with a pedestrian that requires the operation of the pedestrian protection device 10, the collision detection ECU 5 outputs a control signal for operating the pedestrian protection device 10 to operate the pedestrian protection device 10. As described above, the impact on the pedestrian is reduced.

  As described above, the vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes the hollow detection tube member 2 disposed on the vehicle front side of the bumper reinforcement 9 in the bumper 6 of the vehicle, and the detection. And a pressure sensor 3 that detects the pressure in the tube member 2, and detects a collision of an object with the bumper 6 based on a pressure detection result by the pressure sensor 3. And it is a member having a hollow tube shape, one end is connected to the detection tube member 2 so that the hollow portion communicates with each other, and the other end is connected to the pressure tube 3; A hollow joint member 11 that is provided between the detection tube member 2 and the connection tube 4 and connects the two members, and one end of the connection member 4 is fixed to the joint member 11 and the entire front side of the connection tube 4 in the vehicle. And a protective member 12 disposed so as to face the surface.

  According to this configuration, since the protective member 12 having one end fixed to the joint member 11 and facing the entire surface of the connecting tube 4 in front of the vehicle is disposed, a collision occurs in the vicinity of the connecting tube 4. Even if it occurs, the bumper cover 7 deformed by receiving an external force from the front of the vehicle can be received by the protective member 12, and the connecting tube 4 is damaged by the sharply shaped portion of the back surface of the bumper cover 7 hitting it. It is possible to prevent the connecting tube 4 from colliding with and being damaged at the corner of the bumper reinforcement 9 end.

  In particular, since one end of the protection member 12 is fixed to the joint member 11, when the bumper cover 7 is deformed at the time of a collision, the joint member 11 and the protection member 12 are integrally moved and deformed to the vehicle rear side. It is possible to effectively prevent the connecting tube 4 from being crushed along with the deformation of the bumper cover 7. Thus, the tolerance with respect to the external force of the vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 can be improved.

  Further, since the connection tube 4 is connected to the detection tube member 2 via the joint member 11, the connection tube 4 can be formed separately from the detection tube member 2. For example, the detection tube member 2 and the connection tube 4 can be easily formed by separate members having different outer diameters and materials (rigidity). Thereby, space saving of the collision detection apparatus 1 for vehicles can be achieved by making the diameter of the tube 4 for a connection smaller than the tube member 2 for a detection.

  The protective member 12 is characterized by having higher rigidity than the connecting tube 4. According to this configuration, the protection member 12 is made to be higher in rigidity than the connection tube 4, so that the bumper cover 7 deformed by receiving an external force from the front of the vehicle at the time of a collision can be received more reliably. Can be reliably prevented from being damaged.

  Further, the protective member 12 is formed by integral molding with the joint member 11. According to this configuration, the number of components can be reduced by using the joint member 11 and the integrally formed protective member 12, and the protective member 12 can be disposed while simplifying the manufacturing process.

  The connection tube 4 has one end connected to the vehicle width direction end of the detection tube member 2 and is curvedly disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the bumper reinforcement 9, and the other end is a pressure sensor. 3 is connected, and the protective member 12 is disposed on the vehicle front side and the vehicle width direction outer side than the connection tube 4.

  According to this configuration, since the protective member 12 is disposed on the vehicle front side and the vehicle width direction outer side of the connection tube 4, when an object such as a pedestrian collides with the vicinity of the left and right ends of the bumper 6, The bumper cover 7 deformed by receiving external forces from both the front side and the vehicle width direction outer side can be reliably received by the protection member 12. Thereby, it can prevent more reliably that the tube 4 for connection is damaged with the deformation | transformation of the bumper cover 7. FIG.

  Further, since the detection tube member 2 and the pressure sensor 3 are connected via the connection tube 4 provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the bumper reinforcement 9, the pressure sensor 3 is appropriately connected. For example, the vehicle can be disposed on the vehicle rear side of the front surface 9a of the bumper reinforcement 9. At this time, since it is not necessary to shorten the length of the detection tube member 2 in the vehicle width direction, a detection range by the detection tube member 2 can be ensured.

  The protective member 12 is arranged along the outer shape of the connecting tube 4. According to this configuration, by arranging the protection member 12 along the outer shape of the connection tube 4, the protection member 12 can be appropriately disposed while saving the internal space at the end in the vehicle width direction of the bumper 6. The connecting tube 4 can be protected by being disposed at the position.

  The pressure sensor 3 is fixed to the rear surface 9b of the bumper reinforcement 9. According to this configuration, since the pressure sensor 3 is fixed to the rear surface 9b (vehicle rear side) of the bumper reinforcement 9, even if a pedestrian or the like (object) collides with the vicinity of the left and right ends of the bumper 6, The impact is reduced by the bumper reinforcement 9 and the impact from the bumper cover 7 is not directly transmitted to the pressure sensor 3. For this reason, it can prevent that external force is added to the pressure sensor 3 by deformation | transformation of the bumper cover 7, and the pressure sensor 3 will be damaged by external force. Thereby, while being able to improve the tolerance of the collision detection apparatus 1 for vehicles, the reliability of the collision detection by the collision detection apparatus 1 for vehicles can be improved.

  Further, since the pressure sensor 3 is fixed to the rear surface 9b of the bumper reinforcement 9 by fastening bolts, the pressure sensor 3 can be securely fixed to the bumper reinforcement 9 and the pressure sensor 3 is It can be prevented from coming off or being damaged by an external force.

  In the present embodiment, two pressure sensors 3 are disposed on the left and right end portions of the rear surface 9b of the bumper reinforcement 9, so that the pressure change in the detection tube member 2 can be detected with high accuracy and redundant. Can be secured. That is, by performing collision determination using the outputs of the two pressure sensors 3, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection and perform accurate collision detection.

  Next, second to fifth embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 14, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Only different parts will be described.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the protective member 12 has two locations on the vehicle front side with respect to the connection tube 4 and on the bumper reinforcement 9 side with respect to the connection tube 4. It is the composition arranged in.

  Specifically, the two protective members 12 extend along the outer shape of the connecting tube 4 from the connecting portion of the connecting tube 4 to the joint member 11 to the vehicle end side (right end side in FIG. 7). The connecting tube 4 is provided on the vehicle front side and the bumper reinforcement 9 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the two protective members 12 are arranged on the entire front side and the rear side of the connecting tube 4 so as to face each other with a space therebetween.

  The two protective members 12 are formed by integral molding with the joint member 11 as in the first embodiment, are made of a hard resin such as polypropylene, for example, and have higher rigidity than the tube member 2 for detection. It shall be.

According to the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the protective member 12 is provided between the connection tube 4 and the end of the bumper reinforcement 9. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the connecting tube 4 from being crushed between the bumper cover 7 and the bumper reinforcement 9 due to the deformation of the bumper cover 7 at the time of collision.
[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the protective member 121 has a cylindrical shape, and the connection tube 4 is disposed inside the cylindrical shape of the protective member 121. It has become.

  Specifically, the cylindrical protective member 121 extends from the connecting portion of the connecting tube 4 to the joint member 11 along the outer shape of the connecting tube 4 over the end in the vehicle width direction. Moreover, the protection member 121 is arrange | positioned so that the whole outer peripheral surface of the tube 4 for a connection may be covered, as shown in FIG.

  According to this configuration, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained, and the upper side and the lower side of the connecting tube 4 can be reliably protected by the cylindrical protection member 121. . That is, the bumper cover 7 is deformed at the time of a collision, and it is ensured that the connecting tube 4 is damaged by the sharp part of the back surface of the bumper cover 7 hitting the vehicle upper side and the vehicle lower side of the connection tube 4. Can be prevented.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the protective member 122 has a groove 122 a (corresponding to a fixing portion) for fixing the connecting tube 4 on the side facing the connecting tube 4. have. The connection tube 4 is fixed to the protection member 122 by fitting a portion of the connection tube 4 facing the protection member 122 into the groove 122 a of the protection member 122.

  Specifically, the protection member 122 has a semi-cylindrical cross section and is provided along the outer shape of the connecting tube 4. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the connecting tube 4 that is opposite to the protective member 122 is fitted so that the groove 122 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the protective member 122 abuts on the outer peripheral surface. Thereby, the connecting tube 4 is held by the protective member 122.

  According to this configuration, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the connection tube 4 is held (fixed) in the groove 122a of the protection member 122 fixed to the joint member 11. The connection tube 4 can be positioned. This prevents the connection tube 4 from moving to the bumper reinforcement 9 side and colliding with the corners of the bumper reinforcement 9 when the bumper cover 7 is deformed. it can.

  Instead of the semi-cylindrical protective member 122, a U-shaped protective member 122 having a groove 122a formed inside may be used. Moreover, the groove part 122a should just hold | maintain the tube 4 for connection, and the shape and magnitude | size of the groove part 122a can be changed suitably.

  Further, the fixing portion is not limited to the groove portion 122a, and may be a hook for locking, for example. In this case, the connecting tube 4 may be locked and fixed to the hook of the protective member 122. Further, the fixing portion may be a member different from the protection member 122, and for example, the connection tube 4 may be fixed to the protection member 122 by a tie wrap (binding band).

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the protective member 123 has a reinforcing portion 123 a for reinforcing a portion facing the connecting tube 4.

  Specifically, a plurality of, in this case, four reinforcing portions 123a (ribs) having a rectangular cross section are provided on the vehicle front side and the vehicle end side surfaces of the protective member 123. The reinforcing portion 123a is integrally formed with the protective member 123 and is made of a synthetic resin having high hardness such as polypropylene. The reinforcing portion 123 a is formed along the outer shape of the connecting tube 4. In addition, you may use metals, such as aluminum, as the reinforcement part 123a. In addition, it is assumed that the shape, the number, and the arrangement position of the reinforcing portions 123a can be changed as appropriate.

  According to the third embodiment, the strength of the protection member 123 can be improved by the reinforcing portion 123a provided in the protection member 123, and the protection member 123 can be prevented from being damaged at the time of a collision. Thereby, it can prevent more reliably that the tube 4 for a connection is damaged at the time of a collision, and can improve the tolerance with respect to the external force of the collision detection apparatus 1 for vehicles.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications or expansions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the protective member 12 is configured to face the entire vehicle front side of the connection tube 4 in a planar shape. The protection member 12 should just be arrange | positioned so that it may oppose surface shape.

  In addition, two pressure sensors 3 are disposed on the left and right ends of the rear surface 9b of the bumper reinforcement 9, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pressure sensor 3 can be disposed at an arbitrary position. For example, the pressure sensor 3 may be disposed at the center of the rear surface 9b of the bumper reinforcement 9. In this case, the detection tube member 2 and the connection tube 4 are connected to each other at the center in the vehicle width direction of the detection tube member 2 so as to face the front side of the connection tube 4 in a plane. The protective member 12 may be disposed on the surface. Furthermore, in order to improve the detection accuracy and redundancy of the vehicle collision detection device 1, three pressure sensors 3 may be provided.

  Further, the arrangement position of the detection tube member 2 may be changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the tube member for detection 2 may be arranged at the upper center of the bumper absorber 8 on the vehicle front side of the bumper reinforcement 9. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the detection tube member 2 may be disposed on the front upper portion of the bumper absorber 8 on the vehicle front side of the bumper reinforcement 9. Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the cross-sectional shape of the tube member 2 for a detection was made into substantially square, it is not restricted to this, You may use a cross-sectional shape with a round shape or a polygon.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle collision detection apparatus 2 Detection tube member 3 Pressure sensor 4 Connection tube 5 Collision detection ECU
6 Bumper 7 Bumper cover 8 Bumper absorber 9 Bumper reinforcement 9a Front 9b Rear 10 Pedestrian protection device 11 Joint member 12, 121, 122, 123 Protection member 122a Fixing part (groove part)
123a Reinforcement part 13 Side member

Claims (11)

A hollow detection tube member (2) disposed on the vehicle front side of a bumper reinforcement (9) in the vehicle bumper (6), and a pressure sensor (3) for detecting the pressure in the detection tube member In a vehicle collision detection device (1) for detecting a collision of an object with the bumper based on a pressure detection result by the pressure sensor,
A connection tube (4) having a hollow tube shape, one end of which is connected to the detection tube member so that the hollow portion communicates with each other and the other end of which is connected to the pressure sensor;
A hollow joint member (11) that is provided between the detection tube member and the connection tube and connects the two members;
One end is fixed to the joint member, and a protective member (12, 121, 122, 123) disposed so as to face the vehicle front side of the connecting tube in a planar shape;
A collision detection apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:   The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member has higher rigidity than the connection tube.   The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is formed by integral molding with the joint member. The connection tube has one end connected to the vehicle width direction end of the detection tube member and is curvedly disposed on the vehicle width direction outer side of the bumper reinforcement, and the other end has the pressure sensor. Connected,
4. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is disposed at least on the vehicle front side and the vehicle width direction outer side than the connection tube. 5.   5. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is disposed at least on the vehicle front side and the bumper reinforcement side with respect to the connection tube. 6. .   6. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is disposed along an outer shape of the connection tube. The protective member (121) has a cylindrical shape,
The vehicular collision detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connection tube is provided inside a cylindrical shape of the protection member. The protective member (122) has a fixing portion (122a) for fixing the connecting tube,
The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the connection tube is fixed to the protection member by the fixing portion. The fixing part is a groove part (122a) provided on the side of the protective member facing the connecting tube,
9. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the connection tube facing the protection member is fitted into the groove portion.   The said protection member (123) has the reinforcement part (123a) for reinforcing the part which is integrally molded by the said protection member, and opposes the said tube for connection in the said protection member. The vehicle collision detection device according to any one of 1 to 9.   11. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is fixed to a rear surface (9 b) of the bumper reinforcement.

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