JP2016179770A - Collision determination device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collision determination device that can determine collision mode accurately when a vehicle lateral collision occurs.SOLUTION: The collision determination device includes: a pressure sensor 4 disposed in a vehicle door space 15 formed of an inner panel 12 and an outer panel 11 to detect inner pressure of the space 15; an acceleration sensor 5 disposed rearward or forward of a vehicle 1 relative to the space 15 to detect acceleration in a width direction of the vehicle 1; and a collision determination part 6 for determining collision mode based on respective output values of the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a collision determination device that determines a collision mode when a side collision (side collision) of a vehicle occurs.

  Conventionally, some vehicles are equipped with an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant at the time of a collision, for example, an airbag device. There are air bag devices that deal with various collisions. For example, when a vehicle has a side collision, the airbag is deployed and inflated between an occupant and a side body member (for example, a side door) and seated on a seat. There is something that protects the side of the passenger. Further, when a collision occurs, it is determined whether or not a collision that requires the airbag apparatus to be activated has occurred, and the airbag apparatus is activated based on the determination result. Specifically, there is one that determines whether or not a collision has occurred based on the pressure in the door at the time of a side collision, acceleration applied to the vehicle body, etc., and deploys an airbag when it is determined that it has occurred (for example, patents) Reference 1).

  Thus, by determining whether or not a collision has occurred based on the pressure in the door at the time of a side collision, acceleration applied to the vehicle body, or the like, the airbag device can be activated in an appropriate situation.

JP 2014-46862 A

  When it is determined that a side collision has occurred as described above, the safety of the occupant is enhanced by activating the occupant protection device such as the airbag device, but the occupant protection device is activated according to the collision mode. It is considered that the safety of passengers can be further improved. For example, it is considered that the safety of the occupant can be further improved by changing the activation method of the occupant protection device depending on whether the collision mode is a so-called pole collision or a barrier collision even in the same side collision.

  However, the present situation is that it is not possible to accurately determine the collision mode in the side collision, and establishment of a collision mode determination technique is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a collision determination device that can accurately determine a collision mode when a side collision of a vehicle occurs.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problems, a pressure sensor that is disposed in a vehicle door space formed by an inner panel and an outer panel and detects a pressure in the space; A partition wall that is divided into a plurality of space parts in the direction, an acceleration sensor that is arranged on the rear side or the front side of the vehicle with respect to the space and detects acceleration in the width direction of the vehicle, and outputs of the pressure sensor and the acceleration sensor And a collision determination unit that determines a collision mode based on the magnitude of the value.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the collision determination apparatus according to the first aspect, the partition wall is provided continuously in the vertical direction of the space.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the collision determination device according to the first or second aspect, the collision determination unit determines whether or not each of output values of the pressure sensor and the acceleration sensor exceeds a preset threshold value. According to the present invention, there is provided a collision determination device that determines the collision mode.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the collision determination device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the space is positioned behind the first space portion positioned forward in the vehicle front-rear direction by the partition wall. The pressure sensor is provided in the first space, and the acceleration sensor is provided in a center pillar. .

  According to the collision determination device of the present invention, it is possible to accurately determine the collision type of the side collision. Therefore, the safety of the occupant can be improved by activating an occupant protection device such as an airbag device in accordance with the determination result.

It is a figure showing an example of vehicles provided with a collision judging device concerning the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the collision determination apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining each collision form. It is a graph which shows the fluctuation | variation of the output value of a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor in each collision form. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the collision determination control which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 1 includes a collision determination device 2 that determines a collision mode at the time of a side collision (side collision), and an airbag device 3 as an occupant protection device. Since the airbag apparatus 3 is an existing structure, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The collision determination device 2 includes a pressure sensor 4 and an acceleration sensor 5 and an ECU (electronic control unit) 7 having a collision determination unit 6. The pressure sensor 4 is disposed in a space formed by the exterior member and the interior member of the vehicle, and detects the pressure in the space. In the present embodiment, the pressure sensor 4 is provided in a door 10 (front door 10a) for getting on and off the vehicle.

  The vehicle entrance / exit door 10 includes an outer panel 11 that is an exterior member that forms an outer plate of the vehicle 1, and a door panel 13 that includes an inner panel 12 that is an interior member disposed on the passenger compartment side of the outer panel 11, And a door trim 14 made of a resin material and disposed on the vehicle interior side of the inner panel 12. In the space 15 in the door panel 13, although not shown, a door window glass, a door lock system, and the like are accommodated.

  In addition, the door panel 13 is provided with a partition wall 16 that divides the space 15 into a first space portion 15 a positioned forward and a second space portion 15 b positioned rearward in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. The partition wall 16 is provided on the surface of the inner panel 12 on the outer panel 11 side (outside in the vehicle width direction), and is substantially orthogonal to the inner panel 12 at the center of the inner panel 12 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. It extends over the direction and is provided continuously. And the pressure sensor 4 is arrange | positioned in the one space part 15a which is the space of the vehicle front side. Moreover, in this embodiment, the pressure sensor 4 is not arrange | positioned in the 2nd space part 15b. As described above, the pressure sensor 4 may not be disposed in the space portion closest to the member where the later-described acceleration sensor 5 is disposed among the plurality of space portions divided by the partition wall 16.

  As described above, the door window glass or the like is arranged in the space 15, and the partition wall 16 is provided so as not to interfere with the door window glass or the like that moves up and down. For this reason, the first space portion 15a and the second space portion 15b communicate with each other in a normal state (a state in which no collision occurs) and are partitioned by the partition wall 16 but are completely blocked. Absent. However, since the partition wall 16 is provided, when a pressure fluctuation occurs in one of the first space portion 15a or the second space portion 15b, the influence of the pressure on the other space is suppressed as much as possible. Yes.

  The acceleration sensor 5 is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle 1 relative to the space 15 in which the pressure sensor 4 is provided (in this embodiment, the first space portion 15a), and detects the acceleration in the width direction of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes a center pillar 17 extending in the vertical direction between the front door 10 a and the rear door 10 b, and the acceleration sensor 5 is provided on the center pillar 17. The center pillar 17 is a skeleton member having a closed cross-sectional shape by a center pillar outer 17a and a center pillar inner 17b, a roof side rail (not shown) disposed on the upper portion of the door 10, and a lower portion of the door 10. And a side sill (not shown) disposed in The acceleration sensor 5 is provided in the center pillar inner 17b in the center pillar 17 in this embodiment.

  A pair of the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 is provided on each of the left and right side portions of the vehicle 1. Further, for example, in this embodiment, the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 are different from each other that constitute the vehicle body, as the pressure sensor 4 is provided in the door 10 and the pressure sensor 4 is provided in the center pillar 17 that is a vehicle constituent member. Each member is provided. That is, neither the pressure sensor 4 nor the acceleration sensor 5 is provided on the door 10. The arrangement of the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and one may be provided on the door 10 and the other provided on a member constituting the vehicle other than the door 10. For example, when the center pillar 17 includes a center pillar reinforcement (not shown) as a reinforcing member in addition to the center pillar outer 17a and the center pillar inner 17b, the acceleration sensor 5 is provided in the center pillar reinforcement or the like. Also good.

  When a side collision occurs in the vehicle 1 and the outer panel 11 of the front door 10a is deformed to the indoor side due to a collision load, the volume of the first space portion 15a is reduced accordingly, and the pressure in the first space portion 15a is reduced. Rises temporarily from normal atmospheric pressure. That is, the output value of the pressure sensor 4 temporarily increases. Further, when a side collision occurs in the vehicle 1, the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 temporarily increases accordingly. The degree of increase in the output values of the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 varies depending on the collision type of the side collision.

  The collision determination unit 6 determines the collision mode based on output values from the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 when a side collision of the vehicle 1 occurs. In the present embodiment, when the side collision of the vehicle 1 occurs, the collision determination unit 6 has any collision mode of “door front pole collision”, “door rear pole collision”, or “barrier collision”. Determine whether. The “door front pole collision” is a collision mode in which the columnar collision object 100 collides with the front of the door 10 of the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. The “door rear pole collision” is a collision mode in which the columnar collision object 100 collides with the rear of the door 10 of the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. The “barrier collision” is a collision mode in which the wall-shaped collision object 101 collides with a relatively wide range of the door 10 of the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the output values of the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5 change in each collision mode. When the collision mode is “door front pole collision”, as shown in FIG. 4A, the output value from the pressure sensor 4 (solid line in the figure) rises greatly, but the increase in the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 is small. . When the collision mode is “door rear pole collision”, as shown in FIG. 4B, the increase in the output value by the pressure sensor 4 is small, but the output value by the acceleration sensor 5 is greatly increased. When the collision mode is “barrier collision”, as shown in FIG. 4C, the output value from the pressure sensor 4 greatly increases and the output value from the acceleration sensor 5 also greatly increases.

  Therefore, when the side collision occurs in the vicinity of the front door 10a, the collision determination unit 6 determines that the side collision is “door front pole collision” or “door rear pole collision” based on the output values of the pressure sensor 4 and the acceleration sensor 5. "Or" barrier collision "can be determined.

  Specifically, when a collision occurs in the vicinity of the front door 10a, the collision determination unit 6 exceeds the threshold value P1 set in advance by the pressure sensor 4, but the output value from the acceleration sensor 5 sets the threshold value a1. When it does not exceed (see FIG. 4A), it is determined that the collision mode is “door front pole collision”. Further, the collision determination unit 6 determines that the output value of the pressure sensor 4 does not exceed the threshold value P1, but if the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 exceeds the threshold value a1 (see FIG. 4B), the collision mode is “door It is determined that it is a “rear pole collision”. Further, when the output value of the pressure sensor 4 exceeds the threshold value P1 and the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 also exceeds the threshold value a1 (see FIG. 4C), the collision determination unit 6 determines that the collision mode is “barrier collision. Is determined.

  For example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, when the collision determination unit 6 detects a side collision of the vehicle 1 in step S <b> 1, the collision determination unit 6 determines the collision mode after step S <b> 2.

  In step S2, it is determined whether or not the condition that the output value of the pressure sensor 4 is greater than the threshold value P1 and the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 is equal to or less than the threshold value a1 is satisfied. If the condition is satisfied (step S2: Yes), it is determined that the collision mode is “door front pole collision” (step S3). On the other hand, when the condition is not satisfied (step S2: No), the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, it is determined whether or not the condition that the output value of the pressure sensor 4 is equal to or less than the threshold value P1 and the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 is greater than the threshold value a1 is satisfied. When this condition is satisfied (step S4: Yes), it is determined that the collision mode is “door rear pole collision” (step S5). On the other hand, when the condition is not satisfied (step S4: No), since the output value of the pressure sensor 4 exceeds the threshold value P1 and the output value of the acceleration sensor 5 also exceeds the threshold value a1, the collision mode is It determines with it being a "barrier collision" (step S6).

  When the collision mode is determined in this way, appropriate activation of the airbag device 3 is executed according to the determination result. That is, the activation conditions of the airbag device 3, for example, the timing at which the airbag is deployed, the speed at which the airbag is deployed, etc. are preset according to each collision mode, and when the collision mode is determined as described above, The airbag device 3 is activated under a predetermined activation condition corresponding to the determination result.

  Thereby, the airbag apparatus 3 can be started on the starting conditions suitable for each collision form. For example, if it is a “door rear pole collision” as in this embodiment, the deformation location of the door 10 varies depending on each collision mode, such as the amount of deformation in the vicinity of the occupant increases, but by appropriately determining the collision mode, In view of the danger to the passenger, the airbag device 3 corresponding to each collision mode (deformation mode) can be activated. Accordingly, the safety of the passenger can be improved regardless of the collision mode. In addition, the starting conditions of the airbag apparatus 3 in each collision form are not specifically limited, What is necessary is just to set suitably in consideration of the structure of a vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the partition wall 16 is provided continuously at an intermediate portion of the inner panel 12 in the vehicle front-rear direction perpendicular to the inner panel 12 and in the vertical direction of the space 15 to form the first space portion 15a. Has been. That is, the volume of the first space 15a in which the pressure sensor 4 is provided is suppressed to be relatively small. For this reason, when the volume of the first space portion 15a decreases due to a side collision, the output value of the pressure sensor 4 tends to change. In particular, when the end of the partition wall 16 comes into contact with the outer panel 11 at the time of a collision, a difference in detection value is more likely to appear. Therefore, the rise of the pressure fluctuation waveform can be accelerated, and the pressure fluctuation gradient becomes steep, so that it is possible to detect a collision at an early stage. On the other hand, when only the volume of the second space portion 15b is greatly reduced, the change in the output value of the pressure sensor 4 can be suppressed small by providing the partition wall 16. Therefore, the collision mode can be more accurately determined based on the output value of the pressure sensor 4.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the partition wall 16 is provided in the center of the front door in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the first space portion 15a and the second space portion 15b are formed. There is no particular limitation on the position where the is provided. Further, the partition wall 16 is not limited to one, and a plurality of partition walls 16 may be provided in the space 15. In the case where a plurality of partition walls 16 are provided, it is desirable to provide them at equal intervals and in parallel with the front-rear direction of the inner panel 12. Further, when the space 15 is divided by a plurality of partition walls 16, it is preferable to arrange the pressure sensor 4 in each space portion. However, the pressure sensor 4 is disposed in the space portion nearest to the member where the acceleration sensor 5 is disposed. It may not be arranged.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration is illustrated in which the pressure sensor is provided in the front door of the vehicle and the collision mode is determined based on the front door. However, for example, the pressure sensor is provided in the rear door and is more than the rear door. You may make it provide an acceleration sensor in the center pillar of the front side. In this case, when a side collision occurs in the vicinity of the rear door, the side collision is either “door front pole collision”, “door rear pole collision”, or “barrier collision” based on the output values of the pressure sensor and acceleration sensor. It is possible to determine whether or not the collision mode is. That is, the collision mode based on the rear door can be determined.

  In the above-described embodiment, the collision determination device including the pressure sensor provided on the door on the side surface of the vehicle and the acceleration sensor in the center pillar is illustrated. However, the arrangement of the pressure sensor and the acceleration sensor is not limited to this. Absent.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Collision determination apparatus 3 Airbag apparatus 4 Pressure sensor 5 Acceleration sensor 6 Collision determination part 7 ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Door 11 Outer panel 12 Inner panel 13 Door panel 14 Door trim 15 Space 15a 1st space part 15b 2nd space part 16 Partition wall 17 Center pillar 100,101 Colliding object

Claims (4)

A pressure sensor arranged in the space of the door of the vehicle formed by the inner panel and the outer panel and detecting the pressure in the space;
A partition wall that divides the space into a plurality of spaces in the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
An acceleration sensor that is arranged on the rear side or the front side of the vehicle from the space and detects acceleration in the width direction of the vehicle;
A collision determination unit comprising: a collision determination unit that determines a collision mode based on the output values of the pressure sensor and the acceleration sensor. The collision determination device according to claim 1,
The collision determination device, wherein the partition wall is provided continuously in the vertical direction of the space. In the collision determination device according to claim 1 or 2,
The collision determination device, wherein the collision determination unit determines the collision mode based on whether or not each of output values of the pressure sensor and the acceleration sensor exceeds a preset threshold value. In the collision determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The space is partitioned by the partition wall into a first space portion located in front of the vehicle in the front-rear direction and a second space portion located behind.
The pressure sensor is provided in the first space;
The collision determination device according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor is provided in a center pillar.

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