JP2017121829A - Alarm structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alarm structure for vehicle allowing a user to recognize possible occurrence of abnormality in an object detection device even in the case of minor collision.SOLUTION: An alarm structure 100 for vehicle comprises a millimeter wave radar 102 as an object detection device for detecting an object outside the vehicle by radiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave while the vehicle travels. The alarm structure for vehicle further comprises a shielding member 116, which includes a material shielding the electromagnetic wave radiated by the object detection device, and which is arranged outside an irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave, and at least a part of which may enter the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave to shield the electromagnetic wave, as it is plastically deformed; an abnormality detection part 148 for outputting a predetermined detection signal when the electromagnetic wave is shielded by the shielding member; and a notification part 150 for performing a predetermined notification on the basis of the detection signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm structure for a vehicle including an object detection device that detects an object outside the vehicle by irradiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave when the vehicle travels.

  In recent years, vehicles such as automobiles are equipped with object detection devices such as millimeter wave radars and in-vehicle cameras. For example, the object detection device radiates a predetermined electromagnetic wave radially when the vehicle travels, and detects an object within the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave.

  Such an object detection device can detect the presence or absence of an object in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the relative distance between vehicles, and so on, and can detect collisions with obstacles while driving. It is used in AEBS (Automatic Emergency Braking System) that automatically activates the brake when predicted.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with an automatic emergency braking system that recognizes an obstacle with a vehicle-mounted camera having sensitivity in the infrared region and forcibly decelerates when the distance from the obstacle becomes a predetermined value or less. Have been described.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-118581

  In a vehicle equipped with an automatic emergency brake system, if an abnormality occurs in the object detection device, an emergency brake that is not intended by the user when the vehicle is running may be activated, which may impair safety. For this reason, the object detection device is preferably inspected after a collision in order to ensure safety.

  However, the object detection device is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle such as a front bumper and cannot be visually recognized from the outside of the vehicle. For this reason, even if an abnormality has occurred in the object detection device due to a collision, the user may neglect to inspect the object detection device if the appearance of the vehicle has not changed such as a minor collision. obtain. Also, even if there is no actual abnormality in the object detection device, the fact that the user recognizes that there is a possibility of abnormality in the object detection device and prompts the inspection of the object detection device itself, Contributes to improving safety.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle warning structure that allows a user to recognize that a possibility of abnormality has occurred in an object detection device even in a slight collision. .

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a vehicle alarm structure according to the present invention is a vehicle alarm structure including an object detection device that detects an object outside the vehicle by irradiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave when the vehicle travels. The vehicle alarm structure is further a shielding member that has a material that shields electromagnetic waves emitted from the object detection device and is disposed outside the electromagnetic wave irradiation range, and at least a part of the electromagnetic wave irradiation range is obtained by plastic deformation. A shielding member that enters the inside and shields the electromagnetic wave, an abnormality detection unit that outputs a predetermined detection signal when the electromagnetic wave is shielded by the shielding member, and a notification unit that performs predetermined notification based on the detection signal It is characterized by.

  According to the above configuration, since the shielding member is located outside the electromagnetic wave irradiation range and does not shield the electromagnetic wave during normal times such as when the vehicle is running, the function of the object detection device (for example, a millimeter wave radar or an in-vehicle camera) can be achieved. There is no loss. On the other hand, since the shielding member is plastically deformed so as to shield the electromagnetic wave at the time of collision, a trace of the collision can be left. When the shielding member shields the electromagnetic wave, the notification unit notifies the detection signal from the abnormality detection unit. By this notification, the user can recognize that a possibility of abnormality has occurred in the object detection device due to the collision. Therefore, according to the above configuration, even if the collision is slight, it is possible to prompt the user to inspect and repair the object detection device, to improve safety and to avoid an accident. In the above configuration, even if the object detection apparatus is not actually abnormal, the notification itself prompts the user to inspect the object detection apparatus, and can contribute to improving safety.

  The shielding member is a first extending portion that extends from a diagonally lower side on the object detection device side toward a predetermined vehicle panel that forms an outer shape of the vehicle and receives irradiation of electromagnetic waves, A first extending portion having a lower end fixed to the vehicle body, and a second extending portion extending from the upper end of the first extending portion toward the object detection device from an obliquely lower side on the vehicle panel side, the second extending portion The upper end of the part may have a second extending part that reaches the surface of the object detection device on the vehicle panel side. Thus, in the shielding member, the lower end of the first extending portion is fixed to the vehicle body, the upper end of the second extending portion reaches the vehicle panel side surface of the object detection device, and further, the first extending portion and the second extending portion. The extending portion forms a convex shape with respect to the vehicle panel. The second extending portion extends from the upper end of the first extending toward the object detection device. That is, the upper end of the first extending portion of the shielding member is closest to the vehicle panel and forms a convex top. For this reason, when the vehicle panel receives an impact toward the inside of the vehicle at the time of a collision, first, the upper end of the first extending portion of the shielding member, that is, the convex top is pushed from the vehicle panel to the inside of the vehicle. Next, the shielding member is plastically deformed when the convex top portion is pushed toward the inside of the vehicle, and the upper end of the second extending portion slides on the object detection device above the vehicle to enter the electromagnetic wave irradiation range. Can shield electromagnetic waves.

  The vehicle alarm structure may further include a guide member that is provided on the vehicle panel side of the object detection device and guides the upper end of the second extending portion of the shielding member from below to above in the event of a collision. As a result, when the convex top portion of the shielding member is pushed and plastically deformed inside the vehicle, the upper end of the second extending portion is guided by the guide member so as to slide on the object detection device above the vehicle. Electromagnetic waves from the detection device can be reliably shielded.

  The vehicle panel may be a front bumper. Thus, when the front bumper receives an impact from the front of the vehicle at the time of the collision, the convex top of the shielding member is pushed to the rear of the vehicle, and the upper end of the second extending portion slides upward of the vehicle to shield the electromagnetic wave. Therefore, according to the said structure, it can be made to recognize with respect to the user that possibility of abnormality had arisen in the object detection apparatus with the collision of the vehicle front.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a slight collision, the alarm structure for vehicles which can make a user recognize that the possibility of abnormality occurred in the object detection apparatus can be provided.

It is an enlarged view of the front of the vehicle to which the alarm structure for vehicles in this embodiment is applied. It is a figure which shows the state which removed the front bumper from the vehicle of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the AA cross section of the alarm structure for vehicles of FIG. 1 and FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the functional block diagram and operation | movement of the alarm structure for vehicles in this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the front surface of a vehicle to which the vehicle alarm structure in the present embodiment is applied.
The vehicle warning structure 100 includes a millimeter wave radar 102 indicated by a dotted line in the figure. The millimeter wave radar 102 is disposed behind the vehicle at the center of the front bumper 104 in the vehicle width direction. For example, the millimeter wave radar 102 radiates predetermined electromagnetic waves (here, millimeter wave band radio waves) radially when the vehicle travels, and falls within the electromagnetic wave irradiation range. Detect an object. In the present embodiment, the millimeter wave radar 102 is exemplified as the object detection device, but the present invention may be applied to an in-vehicle camera that irradiates electromagnetic waves other than millimeter waves.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a state where the front bumper 104 is removed from the vehicle of FIG. As shown in the figure, the millimeter wave radar 102 is located at the front of the vehicle body. The vehicle body skeleton at the front of the vehicle body is formed by joining the bumper member 106, the hood lock member 108, and the radar bracket 110. However, the vehicle body skeleton at the front of the vehicle body is merely an example for facilitating understanding, and is not limited thereto.

  The bumper member 106 extends in the vehicle width direction on the rear side of the front bumper 104 and supports the front bumper 104. The hood lock member 108 extends in the vehicle width direction above and behind the bumper member 106, and the hood 112 (see FIG. 3) is installed via a hood lock (not shown) installed at the center in the vehicle width direction. Secure to the car body.

  The radar bracket 110 is a plate member made of metal or resin spanned between the bumper member 106 and the hood lock member 108, and fixes the millimeter wave radar 102 directly or indirectly via a pedestal 114. The pedestal 114 is a plate member made of metal or resin, and is fixed to the radar bracket 110 directly or indirectly by a bolt or the like on the rear side of the vehicle, and fixes the millimeter wave radar 102 on the front side of the vehicle. The radar bracket 110 may adopt an appropriate shape as long as the millimeter wave radar 102 can be fixed to the vehicle body, or directly or indirectly to other vehicle body structural members forming the vehicle body skeleton at the front of the vehicle body. May be joined together.

  The vehicle alarm structure 100 further includes a shielding member 116 and a guide member 118. The shielding member 116 is a plate-like member as shown in the figure, and has a material that shields the electromagnetic wave irradiated from the millimeter wave radar 102 and plastically deforms. The shielding member 116 has a first extending portion 120 and a second extending portion 122, and the first extending portion 120 and the second extending portion 122 form a convex shape with respect to the front bumper 104.

  A convex top portion 124 of the shielding member 116 is a portion of the shielding member 116 that is closest to the front bumper 104, and is formed by the upper end 126 of the first extending portion 120 and the lower end 128 of the second extending portion 122. . A lower end 130 of the first extending portion 120 is fixed to the bumper member 106. The upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 reaches the front bumper 104 side surface of the millimeter wave radar 102, that is, the electromagnetic wave irradiation surface, and the electromagnetic wave irradiation range B (see FIG. 3A). It is located directly below.

  The guide member 118 is a plate-like member as shown in the figure, and its lower end 134 is fixed to the bumper member 106. The upper end 136 of the guide member 118 reaches the surface of the millimeter wave radar 102 on the front bumper 104 side, and is in contact with the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 of the shielding member 116 on the millimeter wave radar 102 side.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an AA cross section of the vehicle alarm structure 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show the cross-sectional shapes at the normal time and the collision time, respectively, when the vehicle is traveling. In the drawing, a hood 112 positioned above the front bumper 104 is additionally shown, and the pedestal 114 is not shown.

  In the normal state shown in FIG. 3A, the first extending portion 120 of the shielding member 116 approaches the front bumper 104 that forms the outer shape of the vehicle and receives the electromagnetic wave from an obliquely lower side on the millimeter wave radar 102 side. It extends to. The second extending portion 122 extends from the upper end 126 of the first extending portion 120 forming the convex top portion 124 toward the millimeter wave radar 102 from an obliquely lower side on the front bumper 104 side. The upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 reaches just below the electromagnetic wave irradiation range B of the millimeter wave radar 102.

  That is, the shielding member 116 is disposed outside the irradiation range B of the electromagnetic wave irradiated from the millimeter wave radar 102. Therefore, during normal times such as when the vehicle is traveling, the shielding member 116 does not shield the electromagnetic wave, so that the function of the millimeter wave radar 102 is not impaired. The electromagnetic wave irradiation range B is an area partitioned by chain lines 140 and 142 in the figure.

  Here, the behavior of the shielding member 116 at the time of collision will be described. When the front bumper 104 receives an impact from the front of the vehicle at the time of a collision, the front bumper 104 moves to the rear side of the vehicle as indicated by an arrow C in FIG. Then, the front bumper 104 collides with the convex top portion 124 of the shielding member 116, for example, at a position indicated by a chain line 143, and presses the top portion 124 against the vehicle rear side.

  In the shielding member 116, the lower end 130 of the first extending portion 120 is fixed to the bumper member 106, and the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 is not fixed to any part of the shielding member 116, immediately below the electromagnetic wave irradiation range B of the millimeter wave radar 102. Has reached. Therefore, at the time of the collision shown in FIG. 3B, the shielding member 116 is plastically deformed by the convex top portion 124 being pushed toward the rear of the vehicle as indicated by the arrow D. Further, as indicated by an arrow E, the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 enters the electromagnetic wave irradiation range B by sliding on the millimeter wave radar 102 above the vehicle and shields the electromagnetic wave. At this time, the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 is guided from below to above by the guide member 118 so as to slide on the millimeter wave radar 102 above the vehicle while contacting the upper end 136 of the guide member 118. .

  Therefore, the shielding member 116 can reliably shield the electromagnetic wave from the millimeter wave radar 102 by the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 by the convex top portion 124 being pushed to the rear side of the vehicle and plastically deformed. Thereby, the normal irradiation range B of the electromagnetic wave becomes an irradiation range F that is lost by the amount shielded by the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 122 of the shielding member 116, as shown in FIG. The electromagnetic wave irradiation range F is an area partitioned by chain lines 140 and 144 in the figure.

  Thus, the shielding member 116 receives impact from the front bumper 104 at the time of collision, and plastically deforms so as to shield the electromagnetic wave, thereby changing the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave and leaving a trace of the collision. Further, the shape and material of the shielding member 116 are appropriately set so as to leave a trace of a collision even in a minor collision that does not cause a change in the appearance of the vehicle. As an example, the shorter the distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the convex top portion 124 of the shielding member 116 shown in FIG. Can leave. This distance is set to be larger than the bending margin of the front bumper 104 that is generated by wind pressure during traveling.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram and a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle alarm structure 100 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4A, the vehicle warning structure 100 includes a memory 146, an abnormality detection unit 148, and a notification unit 150 in addition to the millimeter wave radar 102, and these are controlled by the control unit 152. The memory 146 stores data indicating the normal irradiation range B of the electromagnetic wave of the millimeter wave radar 102, for example. Although not shown in the drawings other than FIG. 4A, the memory 146, the abnormality detection unit 148, the notification unit 150, and the control unit 152 are appropriately provided around the millimeter wave radar 102 or in any place in the vehicle. Good.

  The abnormality detection unit 148 monitors the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave from the millimeter wave radar 102, for example, and compares the data indicating the normal irradiation range B of the electromagnetic wave read from the memory 146 with the current irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave. If the current irradiation range is abnormal, a predetermined detection signal is output. That is, the abnormality detection unit 148 receives the impact from the front bumper 104, and the shielding member 116 is plastically deformed, and the upper end 132 of the second extending unit 122 shields the electromagnetic wave, so that the normal irradiation range B is abnormally irradiated. When the range is F (see FIG. 3B), a detection signal is output to the notification unit 150.

  The notification unit 150 receives the detection signal and notifies the user by a display using a predetermined display unit arranged on an instrument panel or the like, sound from a speaker, or the like.

  That is, in the vehicle alarm structure 100, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the electromagnetic wave (millimeter wave) is irradiated from the millimeter wave radar 102 when the vehicle travels (step S100), whether or not the electromagnetic wave irradiation range is normal. Is determined (step S102). Next, in the vehicle warning structure 100, if the electromagnetic wave irradiation range is abnormal in Step S102 (No), a notification is given (Step S104), and if normal (Yes), the process returns to Step S102 again to Monitor the irradiation range.

  As described above, according to the vehicle warning structure 100, when the shielding member 116 shields the electromagnetic wave, the notification unit 150 notifies the fact by receiving the detection signal from the abnormality detection unit 148. Therefore, the user can recognize that a possibility of abnormality has occurred in the millimeter wave radar 102 due to the collision. Therefore, according to the vehicle alarm structure 100, even if the collision is slight, it is possible to prompt the user to inspect and repair the millimeter wave radar 102 and to improve safety.

  As an example, when the millimeter wave radar 102 is applied to an automatic emergency braking system, if the millimeter wave radar 102 is used while an abnormality has occurred, an emergency brake unintended by the user may be activated when the vehicle travels. However, according to the present embodiment, such an accident can be avoided by encouraging the inspection and repair of the millimeter wave radar 102.

  Even if the millimeter wave radar 102 does not actually have any abnormality, the notification itself triggers the user to inspect the millimeter wave radar 102 and contributes to improving safety. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the millimeter wave radar 102 is disposed in the front part of the vehicle, and the object in front of the vehicle is detected by setting the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave to the front side of the vehicle, but this is not limitative. As an example, the millimeter wave radar 102 may be disposed on the vehicle side portion or the vehicle rear portion, and the object on the vehicle side or the vehicle rear may be detected by setting the irradiation direction of the electromagnetic wave to the vehicle side or the vehicle rear. .

  In such a case, the shielding member 116 is mounted on the vehicle body so that the first extending portion 120 and the second extending portion 122 form a convex shape with respect to a predetermined vehicle panel that constitutes the outer shape of the vehicle body and is irradiated with electromagnetic waves. What is necessary is just to fix to. In this way, the vehicle panel presses the convex top portion 124 of the shielding member 116 toward the vehicle interior at the time of the collision, so that the shielding member 116 is plastically deformed and the electromagnetic waves can be shielded by the upper end 132 of the second extending portion 112. Therefore, it is possible to allow the user to recognize that there is a possibility of abnormality in the millimeter wave radar 102 not only in the front collision of the present embodiment but also in the side collision and the rear collision.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an alarm structure for a vehicle including an object detection device that detects an object outside the vehicle by irradiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave when the vehicle is traveling.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Alarm structure for vehicles, 102 ... Millimeter wave radar, 104 ... Front bumper, 106 ... Bumper member, 108 ... Hood lock member, 110 ... Radar bracket, 112 ... Hood, 114 ... Base, 116 ... Shield member, 118 ... Guide member , 120 ... 1st extension part, 122 ... 2nd extension part, 124 ... convex top, 126 ... upper end of the 1st extension part, 128 ... lower end of the 2nd extension part, 130 ... lower end of the 1st extension part, 132 ... upper end of second extending part, 134 ... lower end of guide member, 136 ... upper end of guide member, 146 ... memory, 148 ... abnormality detecting part, 150 ... notifying part, 152 ... control part

Claims (4)

In the vehicle alarm structure including an object detection device that detects an object outside the vehicle by irradiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave when the vehicle travels, the vehicle alarm structure further includes:
A shielding member having a material that shields the electromagnetic wave emitted from the object detection device and disposed outside the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave, and at least a part of the shielding member is within the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave by plastic deformation. A shielding member for shielding the electromagnetic wave;
An abnormality detection unit that outputs a predetermined detection signal when the electromagnetic wave is shielded by the shielding member;
An alarm structure for a vehicle, comprising: a notification unit that performs predetermined notification based on the detection signal. The shielding member is
A first extending portion that forms an outer shape of the vehicle and extends from a diagonally lower side on the object detection device side toward a predetermined vehicle panel that receives irradiation of the electromagnetic wave, and a lower end of the first extending portion is disposed on the vehicle body A first extending portion that is fixed;
A second extending portion extending from an upper end of the first extending portion toward the object detection device from an obliquely lower side on the vehicle panel side, wherein the upper end of the second extending portion is the vehicle panel of the object detection device The vehicular alarm structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second extending portion that reaches the upper surface. The vehicle warning structure further includes
3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a guide member that is provided on the vehicle panel side of the object detection device and guides the upper end of the second extending portion of the shielding member from below to above in the event of a collision. Alarm structure.   The vehicle warning structure according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle panel is a front bumper.

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