JP2016097869A - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle occupant protection device which enables reduction of a lap belt load compared to a conventional vehicle occupant protection device.SOLUTION: In the vehicle occupant protection device, deformation of an energy absorption plate 30 is restricted by a lock mechanism during normal use. When a waist part of an occupant is moved a predetermined distance to the front side during a collision, the lock mechanism restricting the deformation is released to allow deformation of the energy absorption plate 30. Then, the energy absorption plate 30 is plastically deformed in conjunction with movement of the waist part of the occupant to absorb energy. As a result, the vehicle occupant protection device reduces a lap belt load compared to a conventional vehicle occupant protection device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraint device having a seat belt.

  Patent Document 1 is provided with front and rear members erected between the left and right side frames of the seat cushion, when the rear member is at a lower position and lower rigidity than the front member, and when the occupant waist moves forward and collides with the rear member, Disclosed is an occupant protection device for a vehicle, in which a rear member suppresses forward movement of the waist and further suppresses forward movement of the waist when the waist moves forward and collides with the front member. Yes.

However, the conventional apparatus has the following problems.
Although the upward movement of the occupant's waist during a frontal collision can be suppressed, the load input from the lap belt to the occupant's waist increases. Therefore, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of reducing the lap belt load.

  Note that the apparatus disclosed in the above publication is configured such that the force limiter starts to operate at the same time as or before the occupant's waist starts to collide with the front member. However, the force limiter is provided in a retractor that can wind up the seat belt, and the retractor is located at the position of the seat belt farthest from the lap belt. Therefore, even if the force limiter operates, it is difficult to instantaneously reduce the lap belt load.

JP 2011-152837 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an occupant protection device for a vehicle that can reduce a lap belt load as compared with the prior art.

The present invention for achieving the above object is as follows.
The vehicle occupant protection device (10) according to the first aspect of the present invention has one end fixed to the seat (60) or the floor (70) and the other end to the buckle (23) or the lap belt anchor (27). The deformation of the energy absorbing plate (30) to be connected and the deformation of the energy absorbing plate (30) at the normal time when no collision occurs are limited, and the energy absorbing plate (30) is deformed along with the forward movement of the occupant's waist during the collision. A locking mechanism (40) that allows
The lock mechanism (40) allows the energy absorbing plate (30) to be deformed by releasing the deformation restriction of the energy absorbing plate (30) in the latter half of the collision when the amount of forward movement of the occupant waist at the time of the collision becomes a predetermined amount. It is configured as follows.

In the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the lock mechanism (40) includes a lever-like member (42) that can swing around an axis (42c) in the seat width direction, and the lever-like member (42) swings with the forward movement of the occupant's waist, thereby releasing the deformation limitation of the energy absorbing plate (30).

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the lock mechanism (40) includes a sensor (44) provided on the seat cushion (62), and the front and rear positions of the occupant's waist are determined by the sensor (44). When it is detected that the predetermined position has been reached, the deformation limitation of the energy absorbing plate (30) is released.

According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the first aspect of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
During normal times when no collision occurs, deformation of the energy absorbing plate is limited by the lock mechanism. And if a passenger | crew's waist | hip | lumbar part moves ahead and becomes a predetermined movement amount at the time of a collision, the restriction | limiting by a lock mechanism will be cancelled | released and a deformation | transformation of an energy absorption plate will be accept | permitted. Here, the energy absorbing plate is fixed to the seat or the floor at one end, and is connected to a buckle or a lap belt anchor at the other end. Therefore, when the occupant waist moves forward and the lap belt load increases, the deformation restriction by the lock mechanism is released and the energy absorbing plate is plastically deformed. As a result, the lap belt load can be reduced by the deformation of the energy absorbing plate, so that the lap belt load can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.

According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the second aspect of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
Since the lever-shaped member swings with the forward movement of the occupant's waist, the deformation limitation of the energy absorption plate is released, so that the limitation and allowance of the deformation of the energy absorption plate by the lock mechanism can be mechanically switched.

According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the third aspect of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
When the sensor detects that the front / rear position of the occupant's waist has reached a predetermined position, the restriction and allowance of the deformation of the energy absorbing plate by the lock mechanism is electrically switched in order to release the deformation restriction of the energy absorbing plate. Can do.

It is a perspective view of a seatbelt in a crew member protection device for vehicles of Example 1 of the present invention. This figure is also applicable to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is the front view which omitted the locking mechanism in the present Example 1. This figure is also applicable to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled schematic perspective view in Example 1 of this invention. It is (a) top view and (b) side view of the energy absorption plate in Example 1 of this invention. It is (a) top view and (b) side view of a base member in Example 1 of the present invention. It is the (a) top view and (b) side view of a lever-shaped member in Example 1 of this invention. It is a typical operation | movement figure in this invention Example 1. FIG. (A) has shown the schematic side view which abbreviate | omitted the shoulder belt, the buckle, and the tongue plate, (b) has shown the top view of the energy absorption plate and its vicinity. It is an expansion schematic operation | movement figure of an energy absorption plate and a lock mechanism in this invention Example 1. FIG. (A) is the normal time when no collision occurs, (b) is when the deformation restriction is released by the lock mechanism, (c) is when the energy absorbing plate is deformed, and (d) is when the energy absorbing plate is further deformed. It is a graph of the lap belt load-time in this invention Example 1. FIG. This figure is also applicable to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a general | schematic disassembled perspective view in this invention Example 2. FIG. The energy absorption plate in Example 2 of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. The base member in this invention Example 2 is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. The actuator in Example 2 of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is a typical operation | movement figure in this invention Example 2. FIG. (A) has shown the model side view which abbreviate | omitted the shoulder belt, the buckle, and the tongue plate, (b) has shown the energy absorption plate and the model top view of the vicinity. It is an expansion model side view of an energy absorption plate and a lock mechanism in this invention Example 2. FIG.

  A vehicle occupant protection device (hereinafter also simply referred to as a device) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 show an apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIGS. 10 to 15 show an apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Portions common to all the embodiments of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the embodiments of the present invention. In the drawing, UP indicates the upper side, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, and OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction (the vehicle outer side).

[Example 1] (FIGS. 1 to 9)
The apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a three-point seat belt 20 as shown in FIG. The seat belt 20 is composed of a single webbing, and includes a shoulder belt 21 positioned in front of the chest of the occupant P when the belt is worn, and a lap belt 22 positioned in front of the waist of the occupant P when the belt is worn. The shoulder belt 21 extends from a tongue plate 24 connected to the buckle 23 to the shoulder belt anchor (belt guide) 25 in the vehicle width direction outer side (vehicle outer side) and upward. The upper end of the shoulder belt 21 is supported by a shoulder belt anchor 25. The seat belt 20 extends to the shoulder belt anchor 25, then changes the direction by the shoulder belt anchor 25, extends downward, and is connected to the retractor 26 at the lower end of the downward extending portion. The lap belt 22 extends outward from the tongue plate 24 in the vehicle width direction, and is fixed to the lap belt anchor 27 at the outer end in the vehicle width direction.

  The shoulder belt anchor 25 is disposed on the seat back 61 of the vehicle seat 60. However, the shoulder belt anchor 25 may be disposed on a vehicle pillar (not shown).

  The retractor 26 is provided with a pretensioner and a force limiter (not shown). When the collision is detected, the pretensioner operates and the seat belt 20 is taken up by the retractor 26, so that the start of restraint of the occupant P by the seat belt 20 can be accelerated. Further, since the force limiter is provided, the restraint of the seat belt 20 is loosened so that no more tension is generated in the seat belt 20 when the seat belt 20 is subjected to a tension higher than a predetermined tension due to a collision. Thus, the load applied to the occupant P from the seat belt 20 (shoulder belt 21) can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus 10 further includes an energy absorbing plate (hereinafter also simply referred to as “EA plate”) 30 and a lock mechanism 40.

  The EA plate 30 is made of metal and has a strip shape bent in a U shape as shown in FIG. The two extending portions 32 and 33 connected by the bending portion 31 of the EA plate 30 are substantially parallel to each other. The EA plate 30 is disposed such that the two extending portions 32 and 33 extend forward of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the EA plate 30 is fixed to the seat 60 or the floor (under the floor) 70, and the other end is connected to the buckle 23 or the lap belt anchor 27. In the embodiment of the present invention and the illustrated example, the case where one end of the EA plate 30 is fixed to the floor 70 and the other end is connected to the buckle 23 will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the EA plate 30 is fixed to the floor 70 using a fastening member 71 such as a bolt. The other end of the EA plate 30 is connected to the buckle 23 via an inner webbing 23 a that is a constituent member of the buckle 23. Therefore, when the lap belt load (the load applied to the occupant P from the lap belt 22) exceeds a specified value, that is, a load exceeding the specified value is input to the lap belt 22 by the occupant waist and is larger than the deformation load on the EA plate 30. When a load is applied, the EA plate 30 can be plastically deformed.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the EA plate 30 (one end thereof) is fixed to the floor 70 via the base member 50. The base member 50 is also a constituent member of the device 10. The EA plate 30 and the base member 50 are fixed to the floor 70 using a single fastening member 71. As shown in FIG. 7B, the base member 50 includes restriction portions 51 that are located on both sides of the EA plate 30 and restrict the deformation direction of the EA plate 30. The restriction portion 51 restricts the EA plate 30 from being deformed in the vehicle width direction.

  The deformation load of the EA plate 30 can be adjusted by providing a slit 34 in the EA plate 30 and changing the width of the slit 34. According to this adjustment method, since only the width of the slit 34 is changed, no new parts are required, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Further, by making the width of the slit 34 constant, the deformation load of the EA plate 30 can be made constant (including substantially constant) in the entire deformation area of the EA plate 30, and the width of the slit 34 is made different ( By making it non-constant), the deformation load of the EA plate 30 can be changed as the EA plate 30 is deformed.

  The locking mechanism 40 restricts (locks) deformation of the EA plate 30 during normal times when no collision (frontal collision) occurs, and allows deformation of the EA plate 30 with forward movement of the occupant's waist during the collision (deformation restriction). And unlock). As shown in FIG. 8, the lock mechanism 40 includes an engagement portion 41 that can be engaged with and disengaged from an engagement receiving portion 35 provided on the EA plate 30. The lock mechanism 40 restricts deformation of the EA plate 30 by engaging the engaging portion 41 with the engaging receiving portion 35 formed on the EA plate 30, and the engaging portion 41 is disengaged from the engaging receiving portion 35. The deformation of the EA plate 30 is allowed.

The lock mechanism 40 is configured to cancel the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 and allow the deformation of the EA plate 30 only in the latter half of the collision when the amount of forward movement of the occupant waist with respect to the vehicle at the time of the collision becomes a predetermined amount. Yes. Note that the second half of the collision is the second half of the period from the start of the collision to the end of the collision phenomenon. Further, when the amount of forward movement of the occupant's waist at the time of the collision becomes a predetermined amount, the occupant's waist is in a state where a load exceeding a specified value is input to the lap belt 22, and a load larger than the deformation load is applied to the EA plate 30. It is in a state where it is applied. Therefore, the EA plate 30 is plastically deformed only after the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 by the lock mechanism 40 is released in the second half of the collision.
The above configuration is applied not only to the first embodiment of the present invention but also to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The first embodiment of the present invention further has the following configuration.
The lock mechanism 40 includes a lever-like member 42 that can swing around a shaft 42 c in the width direction (vehicle width direction) of the seat 60, and a biasing member 43 that biases the lever-like member 42 in a direction to engage the EA plate 30. And comprising.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lever-like member 42 has a U-shape (U-shape) that opens toward the rear of the vehicle. The lever-like member 42 includes a pair of front and rear direction extending portions 42a and 42a and a left and right direction extending portion 42b that connects the front ends of the pair of front and rear direction extending portions 42a and 42a.

As shown in FIG. 8, the engaging part 41 to the EA plate 30 is provided in the front-rear direction extending part 42a. The longitudinally extending portion 42a is supported by the restricting portion 51 of the base member 50 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction about the shaft 42c. The longitudinally extending portion 42a is disposed on the upper side of the EA plate 30 and restricts the EA plate 30 from moving upward. At least a part of the laterally extending portion 42 b enters the seat cushion 62 of the vehicle seat 60.

The biasing member 43 is, for example, a compression coil spring. However, a torsion spring or the like may be used. When the urging member 43 is a compression coil spring, the urging member 43 is disposed between the lever-like member 42 and the base member 50. Further, in order to suppress the displacement of the biasing member 43, it is desirable that the spring pin 43 a is provided on each of the lever-like member 42 and the base member 50.

Here, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
At normal times when no collision occurs, the lever-like member 42 is pushed upward by the urging member 43 as shown in FIG. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8A, the engagement portion 41 of the lock mechanism 40 is engaged with the engagement receiving portion 35 of the EA plate 30. Therefore, the deformation of the EA plate 30 is restricted by the lock mechanism 40.

When a collision occurs, the occupant P tries to move forward in the first half of the collision, so the lap belt load gradually increases as shown in FIG. Then, in the latter half of the collision in which the position of the occupant's waist has moved a predetermined amount from the position in the normal sitting posture to the front of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 7 (ii), the lever-like member 42 (its laterally extending portion 42b) It is pushed down by the occupant's waist. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, the lever-like member 42 swings downward about the shaft 42c against the urging force of the urging member 43, and the engaging portion 41 is engaged with the engaging receiving portion 35. Deviate from. Therefore, the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 by the lock mechanism 40 is released. When the deformation restriction is released, the EA plate 30 is plastically deformed to move the buckle 23 forward of the vehicle while absorbing energy. Therefore, not only the load (energy) applied from the lap belt 22 to the occupant P can be reduced by using a part of the load applied from the lap belt 22 to the occupant P for plastic deformation of the EA plate 30, but also to the front of the buckle 23. The load (energy) applied from the lap belt 22 to the occupant P can also be reduced by the movement of. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the lap belt load can be reduced in the latter half of the collision.

Next, effects of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(A1) During normal times when no collision occurs, the deformation of the EA plate 30 is limited by the lock mechanism 40. When the occupant's waist is moved forward and reaches a predetermined amount of movement at the time of a collision, the restriction by the lock mechanism 40 is released and the deformation of the EA plate 30 is allowed. Here, the EA plate 30 is fixed to the seat 60 or the floor 70 at one end, and is connected to the buckle 23 or the lap belt anchor 27 at the other end. Therefore, when the occupant waist moves forward and the lap belt load increases, the deformation restriction by the lock mechanism 40 is released, and the EA plate 30 is plastically deformed. As a result, since the lap belt load can be reduced by the deformation of the EA plate 30, the lap belt load can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.

(A2) In the first half of the collision, since it is necessary to stop the forward movement of the occupant P, it is desirable to increase the seat belt load and increase the occupant protection force by the seat belt 20. On the other hand, in the second half of the collision when the occupant's waist has moved forward, the shoulder belt 21 is shortened by the length of the lap belt 22 due to the movement of the occupant's waist, so that the occupant's chest receives much of the load from the seat belt 20 to the occupant P. receive. Since the occupant chest has a lower human body resistance value than the occupant waist, it may be necessary to reduce the load input from the seat belt 20 to the occupant chest in the latter half of the collision. In the present invention, the lock mechanism 40 is configured to release the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 and allow the deformation of the EA plate 30 only in the latter half of the collision when the amount of forward movement of the occupant's waist at the time of the collision becomes a predetermined amount. Has been. For this reason, the lap belt load can be reduced by moving the buckle 23 forward of the vehicle while the EA plate 30 is plastically deformed only in the second half of the collision without reducing the occupant protection force by the seat belt 20 in the first half of the collision. Therefore, compared with the case where the buckle 23 does not move (conventional), the input load to the occupant chest can be reduced.

(A3) When protecting a seated occupant of a front seat provided with an unillustrated airbag for frontal collision, the airbag has already been inflated and deployed in the latter half of the collision, and not only the seat belt 20 but also the air The passenger can also be protected by the bag. For this reason, the lap belt load does not increase so much, and it is not necessary to reduce the lap belt load in the second half of the collision using the apparatus 10 of the present invention. On the other hand, when the seated occupant P of the rear seat not provided with the front collision airbag is protected, the lap belt load increases because the occupant P is protected only by the seat belt 20, and the above (A2) As described above, it is desired to reduce the input load to the chest of the occupant P in the second half of the collision. Therefore, the present invention is extremely effective in protecting the seated occupant P of the rear seat that is not provided with the front collision airbag. However, the device 10 may be used for protecting a seated occupant of the front seat.
The above effects are also applied to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the following specific effects can be further obtained.
When the lever-like member 42 swings with the forward movement of the occupant's waist, the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 is released. For this reason, it is possible to mechanically switch the limitation and allowance of deformation of the EA plate 30 by the lock mechanism 40. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of cost compared to the case of electrical switching.

The EA plate 30 is restricted from being deformed in the vehicle width direction by the restriction portion 51 of the base member 50. Further, the lever-like member 42 is also restricted from moving upward. Therefore, the EA plate 30 can move only in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the energy absorption efficiency by the EA plate 30 can be increased.

[Example 2] (FIGS. 10 to 15)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the lock mechanism 40 includes a sensor 44 provided on the seat cushion 62 and an actuator 45.

  The sensor 44 is disposed in the seat cushion 62 as shown in FIG. The sensor 44 is, for example, a pressure sensor. However, the sensor 44 is not limited to a pressure sensor, and may be a strain sensor or the like.

As shown in FIG. 13, the actuator 45 includes a main body 45a, a pin 45b movable with respect to the main body 45a, and a bracket 45c. As shown in FIG. 15, the engaging part 41 to the EA plate 30 is provided in the pin 45b. The actuator 45 is attached to the restricting portion 51 of the base member 50 with a bracket 45c. The actuator 45 is disposed on the upper side of the EA plate 30 and restricts the EA plate 30 from moving upward.

Here, the operation of the embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.
During normal times when no collision occurs, the front and rear positions of the occupant's hips do not reach a predetermined position and are located behind the sensor 44 as shown in FIGS. The actuator 45 is not operating, and the engaging portion 41 of the pin 45b is engaged with the engaging receiving portion 35 of the EA plate 30 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the deformation of the EA plate 30 is restricted by the lock mechanism 40.

When a collision occurs, the occupant P tries to move forward in the first half of the collision, so the lap belt load gradually increases as shown in FIG. Then, in the latter half of the collision when the amount of forward movement of the occupant's waist at the time of the collision is the predetermined amount, that is, when the front / rear position of the occupant's waist reaches the predetermined position, this is detected by the sensor 44 and the actuator 45 is activated. As a result, the pin 45 b moves upward, and the engaging portion 41 is disengaged from the engaging receiving portion 35. Therefore, the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 by the lock mechanism 40 is released. When the deformation restriction is released, as shown in FIG. 14 (iii), the EA plate 30 is plastically deformed to move the buckle 23 forward of the vehicle while absorbing energy. Therefore, not only the load (energy) applied from the lap belt 22 to the occupant P can be reduced by using a part of the load applied from the lap belt 22 to the occupant P for plastic deformation of the EA plate 30, but also to the front of the buckle 23. The load (energy) applied from the lap belt 22 to the occupant P can also be reduced by the movement of. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the lap belt load can be reduced in the latter half of the collision.

Next, effects unique to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
When the sensor 44 detects that the front / rear position of the occupant waist has reached a predetermined position, the deformation restriction of the EA plate 30 is released. For this reason, it is possible to electrically switch between restriction and allowance of deformation of the EA plate 30 by the lock mechanism 40. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of the arrangement position and the arrangement space of the lock mechanism 40 (especially the sensor 44) as compared with the case of mechanical switching.

The EA plate 30 is restricted from being deformed in the vehicle width direction by the restriction portion 51 of the base member 50. Further, the actuator 45 is also restricted from moving upward. Therefore, the EA plate 30 can move only in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the energy absorption efficiency by the EA plate 30 can be increased.

In the embodiments of the present invention (Examples 1 and 2), the case where the EA plate 30 is disposed only between the (C1) sheet 60 or the floor 70 and the buckle 23 has been described. However, the EA plate 30 may be disposed only between the (C2) sheet 60 or the floor 70 and the lap belt anchor 27. Moreover, (C3) It may be arrange | positioned both between the sheet | seat 60 or the floor 70, and the buckle 23, and between the sheet | seat 60 or the floor 70, and the lap belt anchor 27. In the case of (C1) or (C2), the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case of (C3), which is advantageous in terms of cost. In the case of (C1), the shoulder belt load can be effectively reduced as compared with the case of (C2), which is advantageous in terms of protecting the occupant's chest. In the case of (C3), the lap belt 22 can be translated in front of the vehicle, and the occupant P can be prevented from tilting in the vehicle width direction by the lap belt 22, so in the case of (C1) or (C2) This is advantageous in terms of passenger protection performance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle occupant protection device 20 Three-point seat belt 21 Shoulder belt 22 Wrap belt 23 Buckle 23a Inner webbing 24 Tang plate 25 Shoulder belt anchor 26 Retractor 27 Wrap belt anchor 30 Energy absorption plate (EA plate)
34 Slit 35 Engagement receiving part 40 Locking mechanism 41 Engaging part 42 Lever-like member 42a Front and rear direction extending part 42b Left and right direction extending part 42c Shaft 43 Biasing member 44 Sensor 45 Actuator 45a Body 45b Pin 45c Bracket 50 Base member 51 Restriction part 60 Seat 61 Seat back 62 Seat cushion 70 Floor 71 Fastening member P Crew

Claims (3)

An energy absorbing plate having one end fixed to the seat or floor and the other end connected to a buckle or lap belt anchor;
A lock mechanism that restricts deformation of the energy absorbing plate at a normal time when no collision occurs, and allows deformation of the energy absorbing plate with forward movement of the occupant's waist during the collision;
Have
The lock mechanism is configured to release deformation restriction of the energy absorbing plate and allow deformation of the energy absorbing plate in the latter half of the collision when the forward movement amount of the occupant's waist at the time of the collision becomes a predetermined amount. Vehicle occupant protection device.   The lock mechanism includes a lever-like member that can swing around an axis in the seat width direction, and the lever-like member swings as the occupant's waist moves forward, thereby restricting deformation of the energy absorbing plate. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, which is released.   The lock mechanism includes a sensor provided in a seat cushion, and when the sensor detects that the front / rear position of the occupant waist has reached a predetermined position, the deformation restriction of the energy absorbing plate is released. Item 1. A vehicle occupant protection device according to Item 1.

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