JP2017100643A - Vehicular pedestrian collision detection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress an erroneous determination by improving the accuracy of detecting the collision of a pedestrian.SOLUTION: In the case of a pedestrian colliding a front part of a vehicle, impact force F1 is applied to an upper portion of a cushion member 20 diagonally downward, and rearward of the vehicle. By the impact force F1, an upper wall portion 2010 is elastically deformed inward of a housing space S while a part of a front wall 2006 is pressed downward, causing a pressure tube 22 to be compressed between the upper wall portion 2010 and a bottom wall 2004 so that a pressure change in the pressure tube 22 is detected by a pressure detector. In a case where an on-road structural object M collides with a front part of the vehicle, impact force F2 is applied to the cushion member 20 diagonally upward, and rearward of the vehicle. The impact force F2 is mainly applied to a lower side of the cushion member 20, and therefore an influence to the upper wall portion 2010 is small, thus suppressing an elastic deformation. A deformation of the housing space S is limited relatively to the impact force F2, thus suppressing compression of the pressure tube 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a vehicle pedestrian collision detection device.

There has been provided a vehicle including a pedestrian protection device that protects a pedestrian by lifting a hood or deploying an airbag on the hood when a pedestrian collides with the front of the vehicle.
Such a vehicle is provided with a pedestrian collision detection device that detects that a pedestrian has collided with the front of the vehicle.
As a pedestrian collision detection device, a shock absorber disposed between the bumper beam and the bumper cover, a pressure tube disposed between the bumper beam and the bumper cover via the shock absorber, and extending in the vehicle width direction, A device including a pressure detector that outputs a signal corresponding to a pressure change of a pressure tube is known.

Special table 2014-505629 gazette Japanese Patent No. 5104715

However, in the above-described prior art, even when a road surface structure such as a curb or a car stop collides with the front part of the vehicle, the collision may be detected and the hood may be lifted or the airbag may be deployed. is there. That is, it may be erroneously determined that the pedestrian protection device has collided with the pedestrian even in a situation where the pedestrian protection device is not required to operate, and the pedestrian protection device may be activated.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle pedestrian collision detection device that is advantageous in improving detection accuracy of a pedestrian collision and suppressing erroneous determination.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is arranged between the bumper beam and the bumper cover via the cushioning material, and the cushioning material disposed between the bumper beam and the bumper cover. A vehicle pedestrian collision detection device comprising: a pressure tube extending in a vehicle width direction; and a pressure detector that outputs a signal corresponding to a pressure change of the pressure tube, wherein the upper end of the buffer member A storage space that extends in the vehicle width direction and accommodates the pressure tube is provided in the vicinity, and a vehicle that is located above the storage space of the buffer member and serves as an upper wall from above the buffer member An upper wall portion that is elastically deformed and compresses the pressure tube when an impact force acts obliquely downward and rearward is formed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the buffer member is joined to the first buffer member supported by the bumper beam and the front of the first buffer member, and has a lower hardness than the first buffer member. And a second buffer member to be set, wherein the first buffer member is positioned below and behind the storage space and forms a bottom wall and a rear wall of the storage space. The second buffer member is located in front of and above the accommodation space, and constitutes a portion constituting the front wall of the accommodation space and an upper wall portion constituting the upper wall.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the upper wall portion extends from the upper end of the front wall of the housing space toward the rear of the vehicle, and the rear end of the upper wall portion is located with respect to the rear wall of the housing space. It is located in the vicinity of the rear wall in a separated state.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the rear wall of the housing space is provided with a displacement restricting portion that is located above the rear end of the upper wall portion and restricts the upward displacement of the upper wall portion. It is characterized by that.
The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the bottom wall of the accommodation space is formed as an inclined surface that gradually displaces downward from the rear to the front of the vehicle.
The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that a portion that forms the front wall of the buffer member is provided with a deformation inducing portion that induces elastic deformation of the upper wall portion toward the inside of the accommodating space. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the pedestrian collides with the front portion of the vehicle, the impact force applied to the bumper cover acts on the upper portion of the buffer member obliquely downward and rearward of the vehicle. The pressure tube is compressed by being elastically deformed inward, and a pressure change is detected by the pressure detector.
On the other hand, when the road structure collides with the front part of the vehicle, the buffer member is compressed in the front-rear direction by the impact force applied to the bumper cover, but elastic deformation of the upper wall part into the accommodation space is suppressed. The compression of the pressure tube is suppressed, and the pressure change by the pressure detector is not detected.
That is, when the pedestrian collides with the front part of the vehicle, the pressure tube is surely compressed and the pressure change is detected by the pressure detector, so that the detection accuracy of the pedestrian collision can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to suppress erroneous determination and reduce unnecessary operations of the pedestrian protection device.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bottom wall and the rear wall of the housing space are configured by the first buffer member, and the front wall and the upper wall of the housing space are harder than the first buffer member. Since the second buffer member is set to be low, the front wall and the upper wall of the housing space are relatively easily deformed, and the bottom wall and the rear wall of the housing space, that is, the lower and rear sides of the housing space are relatively deformed. It becomes difficult to do. Therefore, when the pedestrian collides with the front portion of the vehicle, the upper wall portion is reliably elastically deformed, so that the pressure tube can be reliably compressed between the upper wall portion and the bottom wall. On the other hand, when a road structure or the like collides with the front part of the vehicle, even if the second buffer member is compressed and deformed, the first buffer member constituting the bottom wall and the rear wall of the storage space deforms the storage space. Therefore, compression of the pressure tube is suppressed. Therefore, the detection accuracy of pedestrian collision can be further improved.
According to invention of Claim 3, since the rear end of the upper wall part is cut | disconnected with respect to the rear wall of accommodation space, when a pedestrian collides with a vehicle front part, an upper wall part is in accommodation space. It becomes easier to elastically deform. On the other hand, when a road structure or the like collides with the front portion of the vehicle, the upper wall portion abuts against the rear wall, and deformation of the upper wall portion into the accommodation space can be suppressed. Therefore, the detection accuracy of a pedestrian collision can be further improved.
According to the invention described in claim 4, since the displacement restricting portion is provided, the upper wall portion is prevented from being deformed upward by restricting the rear end of the upper wall portion from being displaced upward by the displacement restricting portion. Since it can suppress, when a road structure collides with the vehicle front part, it can prevent that accommodation space is greatly deform | transformed and volume is reduced.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the pedestrian collides with the front portion of the vehicle, the pressure tube pressed by the elastic deformation of the upper wall portion can be reliably received by the bottom wall. The detection accuracy of the pedestrian collision can be further improved.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the pedestrian collides with the front part of the vehicle, the impact force causes the front wall part to be elastically deformed so as to be folded backward by the deformation inducing part. Inward elastic deformation is induced and promoted, and the pressure tube can be more reliably compressed.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the arrangement structure of the pedestrian collision detection apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, (A) shows a state where there is no collision with the front part of the vehicle, (B) shows a state where a pedestrian collides with the front part of the vehicle, and (C) shows the front of the vehicle It is a figure which shows the state which the road structure collided with the part. (A) is explanatory drawing when a pedestrian collides with the vehicle front part, (B) is explanatory drawing when a road structure collides with the vehicle front part. It is sectional drawing of the arrangement structure of the pedestrian collision detection apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and respond | corresponds to FIG. 2 (A).

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, symbol FR indicates the front of the vehicle, symbol RR indicates the rear of the vehicle, symbol UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and symbol DOWN indicates the vehicle lower side.
As shown in FIG. 1, a bumper cover 12 extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed at the front end of the vehicle 10, and a bumper beam 14 extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed behind the bumper cover 12. These are supported by a pair of left and right side frames 16.
The vehicle 10 includes a pedestrian collision detection device 18, and the pedestrian collision detection device 18 detects a pedestrian collision with the front portion of the vehicle and functions a pedestrian protection device 26 described later.

The pedestrian collision detection device 18 includes a buffer member 20, a pressure tube 22, and a pressure detector 24.
As will be described later, the pressure tube 22 is disposed between the bumper cover 12 and the bumper beam 14 via a buffer member 20, the inside of the pressure tube 22 is filled with gas, and the pressure tube 22 extends in the vehicle width direction. Exist.
The pressure detector 24 is provided at an end portion of the pressure tube 22 that protrudes from both ends of the buffer member 20 in the vehicle width direction.
The pressure detector 24 detects a change in the pressure (internal pressure) of the pressure tube 22.

A pedestrian protection device 26 is connected to the pressure detector 24.
The pedestrian protection device 26 includes an ECU 28, an actuator 30, and a hood 32 or an airbag.
That is, the ECU 28 determines whether or not the pedestrian has collided with the front portion of the vehicle based on the detection result of the pressure detector 24, and when it is determined that the pedestrian has collided, the ECU 30 operates the actuator 30 in FIG. As shown in A), the rear portion of the hood 32 is lifted to protect the pedestrian H.
Alternatively, the pedestrian protection device 26 may protect the pedestrian H by deploying an airbag instead of lifting the hood 32.
Note that the pedestrian protection device 26 that lifts the hood 32 or deploys the air bag is operated by gas generated by a gas generator (inflator) (not shown). There is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the buffer member 20 is disposed between the bumper beam 14 and the bumper cover 12 and extends in the vehicle width direction along the bumper beam 14. The buffer member 20 is formed so that the thickness T in the vehicle front-rear direction is uniform over the vehicle width direction. The back surface of the buffer member 20 is fixed to the front surface of the bumper beam by various methods such as adhesion.
The buffer member 20 is formed of, for example, a foamed synthetic resin material that exhibits an impact absorbing function that protects the pedestrian H when it collides with the pedestrian H, and is conventionally known as such a foamed synthetic resin material. Various elastic materials can be used.

An accommodation space S that extends in the vehicle width direction and accommodates the pressure tube 22 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the buffer member 20.
The buffer member portion constituting the upper wall 2002 located above the accommodation space S of the buffer member 20 is formed with a thin upper wall portion 2010 compared to the other portions of the buffer member 20.
As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the upper wall portion 2010 is elastically deformed to the inside of the accommodation space S when an impact force of a predetermined level or more acts on the upper portion of the buffer member 20 from obliquely downward to the rear of the vehicle. Thus, the pressure tube 22 is configured to be compressed between the bottom wall 2004 positioned below the accommodation space S.
The upper wall portion 2010 extends rearward with an inclination that is displaced upward from the upper end of the front wall 2006 positioned in front of the accommodation space S of the buffer member 20 toward the rear of the vehicle.
Further, the rear end 2012 of the upper wall portion 2010 is formed so as to be separated from the rear wall 2008 positioned behind the accommodation space S of the buffer member 20 and is positioned in the vicinity of the rear wall 2008.
A displacement restricting portion 34 for restricting the upward displacement of the rear end 2012 of the upper wall portion 2002 is provided on the upper portion of the rear wall 2008 of the accommodation space S.
In the present embodiment, the deformation restricting portion 34 is configured to protrude from the rear wall 2008 to the front of the vehicle at a position above the rear end 2012 of the upper wall portion 2010 and be locked to the upper wall portion 2010 from above. Yes.
In addition, the displacement control part 34 is arbitrary, such as comprised by the recessed part in which the rear end 2012 of the upper wall part 2010 is inserted, and conventionally well-known various structures are employable.
The bottom wall 2004 of the housing space S is an inclined surface that gradually displaces downward as the wall surface extends from the rear to the front of the vehicle 10.
A portion constituting the front wall 2006 of the accommodation space S of the buffer member 20 is formed thicker than the upper wall portion 2010.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the buffer member 20 is joined to the first buffer member 20A, which is positioned in front of the first buffer member 20A fixed to the bumper beam 14 and the first buffer member 20A. And the second buffer member 20B.
The accommodation space S is formed between the first buffer member 20A and the second buffer member.
The first buffer member 20A is positioned below and behind the storage space S and constitutes a portion forming the bottom wall 2004 and a portion forming the rear wall 2008 of the storage space S, and the second buffer member 20B is stored in the storage space S. The part which comprises the front wall 2006 of the accommodation space S and the part (upper wall part 2010) which comprises the upper wall 2002 is located in the front and upper direction of the space S.
In addition, the second buffer member 20B is formed of a material having a lower hardness than the first buffer member 20A.
That is, by setting the hardness of the second buffer member 20B low, the second buffer member 20B on the vehicle front side is more easily deformed than the first buffer member 20A.
In the accommodation space S, the front and upper side portions forming the upper wall 2010 (upper wall 2002) and the front wall 2006 are easily deformed, and the lower and rear side portions forming the bottom wall 2004 and the rear wall 2008 are deformed. It is difficult to configure.
The remaining portions of the second buffer member 20B excluding the front wall 2006 and the upper wall portion 2010 located in front of the accommodation space S are joined to the front surface of the first buffer member 20A with an adhesive or the like. ing.

Next, the effect of the pedestrian collision detection apparatus 18 in this Embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 3 (A), when the pedestrian H collides with the front of the vehicle, the upper body of the pedestrian H falls backward as shown in FIG. 2 (B). The impact force F1 is input from the side to the vehicle rear obliquely lower side.
For this reason, the impact force F1 acts on the upper part of the buffer member 20 (first buffer member 20A) through the bumper cover 12 obliquely downward in the rear of the vehicle.
Due to the impact force F1, the upper wall 2010 is elastically deformed downward, that is, inside the accommodation space S, while the front wall 2006 is compressed downward.
The pressure tube 22 is compressed between the upper wall portion 2010 and the bottom wall 2004 by the upper wall portion 2010 entering the housing space S by elastic deformation, and the pressure of the pressure tube 22 is reduced by the pressure detector 24. A change is detected.
Based on the detection result, the ECU 28 lifts the hood 32 by the actuator 30 or deploys the airbag on the hood 32 to protect the pedestrian H.
In the present embodiment, by separating the rear end 2012 of the upper wall portion 2010 from the rear wall 2008 of the accommodation space S, the elastic deformation of the upper wall portion 2010 is easier than when the rear end 2012 is connected. The amount of entry into the accommodation space S is increased.
Furthermore, the bottom wall 2004 is an inclined surface that gradually displaces downward from the rear to the front of the vehicle. By directing the wall surface of the bottom wall 2004 in the input direction of the impact force F1, the bottom wall 2004 further increases the impact force F1. It is designed to be easy to receive. In other words, the pressure tube 22 is more reliably compressed by the structure of the upper wall portion 2010 and the bottom wall 2004.
Moreover, since the upper wall part 2010 is comprised with the 2nd buffer member 20B and the 2nd buffer member 20B is formed with the material whose hardness is lower than the 1st buffer member 20A, the pedestrian H is in front of the vehicle. So that the upper wall portion 2010 and the upper wall portion 2010 located on the upper end and the front side of the buffer member 20 are easily deformed by the impact force F1, and the pressure tube 22 can be compressed with good reactivity. It is illustrated.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the road structure M collides with the front of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. The impact force F2 acting on the side is input.
For this reason, the impact force F2 acts on the shock absorbing member 20 (second shock absorbing member 20B) via the bumper cover 12 obliquely upward in the rear of the vehicle.
Due to the impact force F2, the lower side of the second cushioning member 20B located in front of the accommodation space S of the cushioning member 20 is greatly deformed in the front-rear direction, but the impact force F2 is mainly below the cushioning member 20. Therefore, elastic deformation is suppressed with little influence on the upper wall portion 2010.
Further, the lower side and the rear side of the accommodation space S are configured by the first buffer member 20A, and the accommodation space S is structured so that the bottom wall 2004 and the rear wall 2008 are not easily deformed. The deformation of the space S is suppressed, and the compression of the pressure tube 22 is suppressed.
Therefore, the pressure change of the pressure tube 22 is not detected by the pressure detector 24, and the lifting of the hood 32 and the deployment of the airbag are prohibited.
In the present embodiment, the upper wall portion 2010 is restricted from being displaced upward by the displacement restricting portion 34, so that the rear end 2012 of the upper wall portion 2010 is disengaged upward from the rear wall 2008 so that the accommodation space S becomes free. It is greatly deformed and the volume is suppressed from being reduced.
Therefore, according to the pedestrian collision detection device 18 of the present embodiment, when the pedestrian H collides with the front part of the vehicle, the pressure tube 22 is easily compressed, and the road structure M or the like collides with the front part of the vehicle. In this case, since the pressure tube 22 is difficult to be compressed, the collision determination with the pedestrian can be performed more accurately, and the detection accuracy of the pedestrian collision can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to suppress erroneous determination and reduce unnecessary operation of the pedestrian protection device 26.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In the following embodiments, the same portions and members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof is omitted, and different portions are mainly described.
In the second embodiment, the front wall 2006 is provided with a deformation inducing portion 36 that induces elastic deformation to the inside of the accommodation space S of the upper wall portion 2010.
In the second embodiment, concave grooves 2020 extending in the vehicle width direction are provided in the vicinity of the lower portion of the portion constituting the front wall 2006, that is, the front and rear surfaces of the portion in the vicinity of the portion intersecting the bottom wall 2004, respectively. The deformation inducing part 36 is formed by a thin part located between the concave grooves 2020.
When the pedestrian H collides with the front part of the vehicle, the front wall 2006 is elastically deformed toward the accommodation space S by the impact force, that is, the front wall 2006 is easily tilted toward the rear side of the vehicle. Yes. This induces and accelerates elastic deformation of the upper wall portion 2010 to the inside of the accommodation space S so that the pressure tube 22 is more reliably compressed.
The deformation inducing portion 36 is optional, for example, formed by forming a lower portion of the front wall 2006 with a material softer than the second buffer member 20B, and various conventionally known structures can be employed. .
Although the pedestrian collision detection device of the present invention has been described above, each configuration in the above-described embodiment and combinations thereof are examples, and it is needless to say that changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Nor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 12 Bumper cover 14 Bumper beam 18 Pedestrian collision detection apparatus 20 Buffer member 2002 Upper wall 2004 Bottom wall 2006 Front wall 2008 Rear wall 2010 Upper wall part 2012 Rear end 22 Pressure tube 24 Pressure detector 34 Displacement regulation part 36 Deformation induction Part S accommodation space

Claims (6)

Cushioning material disposed between the bumper beam and the bumper cover;
A pressure tube that extends between the bumper beam and the bumper cover and extends in the vehicle width direction via the cushioning material;
A pressure detector that outputs a signal corresponding to a pressure change in the pressure tube;
A vehicle pedestrian collision detection device comprising:
An accommodating space that extends in the vehicle width direction and accommodates the pressure tube is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the buffer member,
When an impact force acts on the portion of the cushioning member located above the accommodation space and serving as the upper wall from the upper side of the cushioning member toward the obliquely lower rear of the vehicle, it is elastically deformed in the accommodation space. An upper wall for compressing the pressure tube is formed;
A pedestrian collision detection apparatus for vehicles. The buffer member is a first buffer member supported by the bumper beam and a second buffer member joined to the front of the first buffer member and having a lower hardness than the first buffer member. And comprising
The first buffer member is positioned below and behind the housing space to form a bottom wall portion and a rear wall portion, and the second buffer member is located in front of the housing space and A portion that forms a front wall of the housing space and an upper wall portion that forms the upper wall are located above,
The vehicle pedestrian collision detection apparatus according to claim 1. The upper wall portion extends from the upper end of the front wall of the housing space to the rear of the vehicle,
The rear end of the upper wall portion is positioned in the vicinity of the rear wall in a state of being separated from the rear wall of the accommodation space.
The pedestrian collision detection device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2. The rear wall of the accommodating space is provided with a displacement restricting portion that is located above the rear end of the upper wall portion and restricts the upward displacement of the upper wall portion.
The pedestrian collision detection device for a vehicle according to claim 3. The bottom wall of the housing space is an inclined surface that gradually displaces downward from the rear to the front of the vehicle.
The pedestrian collision detection device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pedestrian collision detection device is a vehicle. A portion that forms the front wall of the buffer member is provided with a deformation inducing portion that induces elastic deformation of the upper wall portion toward the inside of the accommodating space.
The pedestrian collision detection device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein

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