JP2017122597A - Alarm structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alarm structure for a vehicle that enables a user to recognize, for even a slight collision, that an abnormality may have possibly occurred in an object detection device.SOLUTION: Provided is an alarm structure 100 for a vehicle equipped with a milliwave radar 102 as an object detection device for irradiating a prescribed electromagnetic wave while a vehicle is running and detecting an object outside the vehicle, the alarm structure for a vehicle comprising: a shield member 116 having material quality to shield an electromagnetic wave irradiated from the object detection device and arranged outside an electromagnetic wave irradiation range, the shield member being elastically deformed to enter at least partly within an electromagnetic wave irradiation range C and shielding the electromagnetic wave; a propagation mechanism 118, fixed to the vehicle body, for propagating a mechanical shock at collision time to the shield member; an abnormality detection unit 148 for outputting a prescribed detection signal when the shield member is elastically deformed to shield the electromagnetic wave upon receiving the mechanical shock propagated from the propagation mechanism; and a notification unit 150 for giving a prescribed notification on the basis of the detection signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

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 shields electromagnetic waves by entering inside, a transmission mechanism that is fixed to the vehicle body and transmits an impact at the time of collision to the shielding member, and the shielding member plastically deforms and shields the electromagnetic waves by receiving the impact transmitted from the transmission mechanism An abnormality detection unit that outputs a predetermined detection signal and a notification unit that performs predetermined notification based on the detection signal are provided.

  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, the shielding member receives an impact through the transmission mechanism at the time of collision, and plastically deforms so as to shield the electromagnetic wave, so that 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 transmission mechanism is a substantially rigid projecting member that forms an outer shape of the vehicle body and protrudes from the back surface of a predetermined vehicle panel that receives the irradiation of electromagnetic waves to the inside of the vehicle and is positioned above the object detection device. A projecting member having an upper surface that is inclined so as to be lowered, and a position regulating member having an immovable linear contact portion in contact with the upper surface of the projecting member, and the shielding member is in contact with the lower surface of the projecting member and It is good to have reached just above the irradiation range. Thus, when the vehicle panel receives an impact toward the vehicle inner side at the time of the collision, the protruding member moves to the vehicle inner side. Since the upper surface of the projecting member is inclined so as to descend toward the vehicle inner side, the position in the vehicle vertical direction is higher toward the vehicle outer side. However, the position in the up-down direction of the vehicle is fixed at the contact point between the upper surface of the protruding member and the position regulating member. For this reason, when the projecting member moves to the vehicle inner side, the upper surface is pressed downward by the position restricting member, and the position of the lower surface also moves downward. Since the shielding member is in contact with the lower surface of the projecting member and reaches just above the electromagnetic wave irradiation range, the shielding member is pressed downward by the lower surface of the projecting member moving downward, and plastically deforms below the vehicle, and the electromagnetic wave irradiation range. Can enter and shield electromagnetic waves.

  The vehicle panel may be a front bumper, the projecting member may project rearward from the rear surface of the front bumper, and the contact portion of the position regulating member may be in contact with the upper surface of the projecting member over the vehicle width direction. Thus, when the front bumper receives an impact from the front of the vehicle at the time of a collision, the protruding member is pressed downward by the position restricting member while moving to the rear side of the vehicle. The shielding member is plastically deformed downward by the projecting member to shield the electromagnetic wave. Therefore, according to the said structure, it can be made to recognize with respect to the user that possibility that abnormality had arisen in the object detection apparatus with the collision of the vehicle front surface.

  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 arrow directional view of the alarm structure for vehicles of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the BB 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 on the rear side of the bumper member 106, and the hood 112 (see FIG. 4) is inserted through 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 transmission mechanism 118. The shielding member 116 is a plate-like member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and has a material that shields electromagnetic waves emitted from the millimeter wave radar 102 and plastically deforms. The shielding member 116 has a rear end 122 fixed to the radar bracket 110 via a pedestal 114, and a front end 124 is located on the vehicle front side of the millimeter wave radar 102.

  The transmission mechanism 118 is a mechanism that transmits the impact received by the front bumper 104 at the time of collision to the shielding member 116, and includes a protruding member 126 and a position regulating member 128. A protruding member 126 indicated by a chain line in the drawing is fixed to the front bumper 104 (see FIG. 3), and is a substantially rigid body located above the millimeter wave radar 102. The position restricting member 128 is a substantially rigid plate-like member extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the rear end 130 is fixed to the radar bracket 110 via a pedestal 114 (see FIG. 4).

  FIG. 3 is a view of the vehicle warning structure 100 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a BB cross section of the vehicle alarm structure 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show the cross-sectional shapes at the normal time and the collision time, respectively, when the vehicle is running. In the drawing, a hood 112 positioned above the front bumper 104 is additionally shown, and the pedestal 114 is not shown.

  The protruding member 126 has a wedge shape that protrudes rearward from the rear surface 132 of the front bumper 104 that receives the electromagnetic wave irradiation from the millimeter wave radar 102. The protruding member 126 has an upper surface 134 that is inclined so as to descend toward the rear of the vehicle, and a lower surface 136 that contacts the shielding member 116. The position restricting member 128 has a linear contact portion 138 that is in contact with the upper surface 134 of the protruding member 126 over the vehicle width direction. Since the position restricting member 128 is a rigid body, the position of the contact portion 138 in the vertical direction of the vehicle is restricted and does not move.

  In the normal state shown in FIG. 4A, the shielding member 116 is in contact with the lower surface 136 of the protruding member 126, and the front end 124 reaches just above the irradiation range C of the electromagnetic wave. That is, the shielding member 116 is disposed outside the irradiation range C 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 C is a region partitioned by chain lines 140 and 142 in the figure.

  Here, the behavior of the shielding member 116 at the time of the collision shown in FIG. When the front bumper 104 receives an impact from the front of the vehicle at the time of a collision, first, the protruding member 126 moves to the rear side of the vehicle as indicated by an arrow D.

  Since the upper surface 134 of the protruding member 126 is inclined so as to descend toward the vehicle inner side, the position in the vehicle vertical direction is higher toward the vehicle front side. However, the position of the contact point 138 between the upper surface 134 of the projecting member 126 and the position regulating member 128 is fixed in the vehicle vertical direction. Therefore, as the protruding member 126 moves to the rear side of the vehicle, the upper surface 134 is pressed downward by the position regulating member 128, and the position of the lower surface 136 also moves downward accordingly.

  The shielding member 116 is in contact with the lower surface 136 of the projecting member 126, and the front end 124 reaches just above the electromagnetic wave irradiation range C. For this reason, the shielding member 116 is pressed downward by the lower surface 136 of the projecting member 126 that moves downward, and plastically deforms downward as shown by the arrow E, and the front end 124 enters the electromagnetic wave irradiation range C and becomes electromagnetic wave. Shield. As a result, the normal irradiation range C of the electromagnetic wave becomes an irradiation range F that is lost by the amount shielded by the front end 124 of the shielding member 116, as shown in FIG. 4B. The electromagnetic wave irradiation range F is an area partitioned by chain lines 142 and 144 in the figure.

  In this way, the shielding member 116 receives impact through the transmission mechanism 118 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.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram and a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle alarm structure 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5A, the vehicle alarm 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 C of the electromagnetic wave of the millimeter wave radar 102, for example. The memory 146, the abnormality detection unit 148, the notification unit 150, and the control unit 152 are omitted in the drawings other than FIG. 5A, but are appropriately provided around the millimeter wave radar 102 or in any place in the vehicle. Good.

  For example, the abnormality detection unit 148 monitors the irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave from the millimeter wave radar 102 and compares the data indicating the normal irradiation range C 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 transmitted from the transmission mechanism 118, and the shielding member 116 is plastically deformed, and the front end 124 of the shielding member 116 shields the electromagnetic wave, so that the normal irradiation range C is abnormally irradiated. When the range is F (see FIG. 4B), 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 warning structure 100, as shown in FIG. 5B, when electromagnetic waves (millimeter waves) are emitted from the millimeter wave radar 102 during vehicle travel (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, a protruding member 126 is provided that protrudes from the back surface of a predetermined vehicle panel that forms the outer shape of the vehicle body and receives electromagnetic waves, and is moved by the position restricting member 128 when the protruding member 126 moves to the vehicle inner side. What is necessary is just to set so that it may be pressed down and the shielding member 116 may plastically deform below a vehicle by the protrusion member 126, and may shield electromagnetic waves. In this way, 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 ... Transmission mechanism , 122 ... rear end of the shielding member, 124 ... front end of the shielding member, 126 ... projecting member, 128 ... position regulating member, 130 ... rear end of the position regulating member, 132 ... rear surface of the front bumper, 134 ... upper surface of the projecting member, 136: Lower surface of the protruding member, 138: Contact location, 146 ... Memory, 148 ... Abnormality detection unit, 150 ... Notification unit, 152 ... Control unit

Claims (3)

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;
A transmission mechanism that is fixed to the vehicle body and transmits an impact at the time of collision to the shielding member;
An abnormality detection unit that outputs a predetermined detection signal when the shielding member plastically deforms and shields the electromagnetic wave in response to an impact transmitted from the transmission mechanism;
An alarm structure for a vehicle, comprising: a notification unit that performs predetermined notification based on the detection signal. The transmission mechanism is
A substantially rigid projecting member that forms the outer shape of the vehicle body and protrudes from the back surface of a predetermined vehicle panel that receives irradiation of the electromagnetic wave to the inside of the vehicle and is positioned above the object detection device, and descends toward the inside of the vehicle. A projecting member having a top surface inclined in such a manner,
A position regulating member having an immovable linear contact portion in contact with the upper surface of the protruding member;
The vehicle warning structure according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member is in contact with a lower surface of the projecting member and reaches directly above an irradiation range of the electromagnetic wave. The vehicle panel is a front bumper;
The projecting member projects rearward from the rear surface of the front bumper,
The vehicle warning structure according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion of the position regulating member is in contact with the upper surface of the protruding member over the vehicle width direction.

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