JP2018149987A - Occupant protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the optimization of occupant protection performance.SOLUTION: An occupant protection system 12 comprises a parameter acquisition section 242, an actuation condition adjustment section 245, and a control section 246. The parameter acquisition section 242 acquires, via an on-vehicle communication network 19, at least one of a plurality of control parameters including position and speed of the own vehicle relative to an object. On the basis of at least one of the plurality of control parameters, acquired by the parameter acquisition section 242, the actuation condition adjustment section 245 adjusts an actuation condition for each of a plurality of occupant protection parts 20 including a plurality of occupant air-bags 21. On the basis of output from a collision detection section 23 and the actuation conditions adjusted by the actuation condition adjustment section 245, the control section 246 actuates at least one of the plurality of occupant protection parts 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection system.

  The configuration described in Patent Document 1 detects longitudinal deceleration and lateral deceleration, determines a collision form based on the detected longitudinal deceleration and lateral deceleration, and operates occupant protection means according to the determined collision form To do.

JP 2003-327073 A

  In this type of configuration, further optimization of occupant protection performance is required. The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances exemplified above.

The invention described in claim 1
An occupant protection system (12) connected to the in-vehicle communication network (19) of the host vehicle (V1),
The occupant protection system
A collision detector (23) for outputting an electrical signal corresponding to a physical quantity acting on the host vehicle due to a collision between an object (B, V2) existing outside the host vehicle and the host vehicle;
A parameter acquisition unit (242) for acquiring at least one of a plurality of control parameters including a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the object via the in-vehicle communication network;
A plurality of occupant protection portions (20) including a plurality of occupant airbags (21) provided to act upon the collision to protect the occupants of the host vehicle;
An operating condition adjusting unit (245) for adjusting an operating condition in each of the plurality of occupant protection units based on at least the one of the plurality of control parameters acquired by the parameter acquiring unit;
A control unit (246) provided to operate at least one of the plurality of occupant protection units based on the output of the collision detection unit and the operation condition adjusted by the operation condition adjustment unit. )When,
Is provided.

  In such a configuration, the operating condition adjusting unit adjusts operating conditions in each of the plurality of occupant protection units based on at least the one of the plurality of control parameters acquired by the parameter acquiring unit. . Thereby, before the output of the said collision detection part generate | occur | produces, the operating condition in each of the said several passenger protection part is set. Thereafter, the control unit operates at least one of the plurality of occupant protection units based on the output of the collision detection unit and the operation conditions adjusted by the operation condition adjustment unit. Therefore, according to such a configuration, it is possible to operate an appropriate one of the plurality of occupant protection units at a more appropriate timing.

  Reference numerals in parentheses attached to each means in the above and claims column indicate an example of a correspondence relationship between the means and specific means described in the embodiments described later.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle control system including an occupant protection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the passenger | crew protection system shown by FIG. It is the schematic for demonstrating the operation example of the passenger | crew protection system shown by FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation example of the passenger | crew protection system shown by FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that various modifications applicable to the embodiment will be described collectively as a modified example after the description of the series of embodiments.

(Constitution)
Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle control system 10 includes a collision mitigation system 11, an occupant protection system 12, an engine ECU 13, a brake ECU 14, and an in-vehicle communication network 19. ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with the vehicle control system 10 is referred to as “own vehicle”.

  The collision mitigation system 11 is a subsystem that constitutes a part of an advanced driving support system (that is, ADAS) including an inter-vehicle distance control system, and detects that the own vehicle may collide with an object outside the own vehicle. Thus, a predetermined collision mitigation operation is executed before the collision occurs. ADAS is an abbreviation for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. That is, the collision mitigation system 11 is configured to perform a collision avoidance operation or the like based on inputs from various sensors such as a camera, a radar sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a wheel speed sensor.

  The control parameter in the advanced driving support system acquired by input from various sensors is hereinafter referred to as “ADAS information”. The ADAS information includes, for example, a yaw rate, a relative position between the host vehicle and the target object, a relative speed between the host vehicle and the target object, and a collision allowance time (that is, TTC) between the host vehicle and the target object. TTC is an abbreviation for Time To Collision. The relative position between the host vehicle and the object of interest is hereinafter simply referred to as “relative position”. Similarly, the relative speed between the host vehicle and the object of interest is hereinafter simply referred to as “relative speed”. In addition, the collision margin time between the host vehicle and the object of interest is hereinafter simply referred to as “TTC”.

  The occupant protection system 12 is a so-called airbag system, and is configured to detect the occurrence of a collision and protect the occupant of the host vehicle. Details of the configuration of the occupant protection system 12 will be described later. The engine ECU 13 is provided so as to control the output of an engine (not shown) mounted on the host vehicle. The brake ECU 14 is provided so as to control the operation of a brake system (not shown) mounted on the host vehicle.

  The collision mitigation system 11, the occupant protection system 12, the engine ECU 13, and the brake ECU 14 are connected to each other via an in-vehicle communication network 19 so that signals can be exchanged. That is, the engine ECU 13 and the brake ECU 14 control the operation of the engine and the brake system based on the control signal received from the advanced driving support system via the in-vehicle communication network 19.

  The in-vehicle communication network 19 is configured to correspond to a communication protocol in an in-vehicle LAN standard such as CAN (International Registered Trademark), FlexRay (International Registered Trademark). That is, the in-vehicle communication network 19 is provided so that various data signals including ADAS information and control signals for operation of the engine ECU 13 and the like can be transmitted and received within the vehicle control system 10. CAN (International Registered Trademark) is an abbreviation for Controller Area Network. LAN is an abbreviation for Local Area Network.

  As described above, the occupant protection system 12 is connected to the in-vehicle communication network 19. Referring to FIG. 2, the occupant protection system 12 includes a plurality of occupant protection units 20, that is, a plurality of occupant airbags 21 and a seat belt tensioner 22. The occupant airbag 21 and the seat belt tensioner 22 are provided so as to operate in the event of a collision and protect the occupant of the host vehicle. Hereinafter, each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 may be abbreviated as “actuating device” or simply “device”.

  The plurality of passenger airbags 21 include a driver's seat airbag AF1, a passenger seat airbag AF2, a right side airbag AS1, a left side airbag AS2, a right curtain airbag AC1, and a left curtain airbag AC2. The seat belt tensioner 22 in the occupant protection system 12 has an irreversible (ie, squib) configuration, unlike the reversible (ie, motor) seat belt pretensioner provided in the collision mitigation system 11.

  The occupant protection system 12 includes a plurality of collision detection units 23 and an airbag ECU 24. The collision detection unit 23 is a so-called acceleration sensor, and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to a physical quantity (that is, acceleration) acting on the host vehicle due to a collision between an object existing outside the host vehicle and the host vehicle. It is configured. The plurality of collision detection units 23 include a right first sensor unit SR1, a right second sensor unit SR2, a right third sensor unit SR3, a left first sensor unit SL1, a left second sensor unit SL2, and so-called satellite sensors. The left third sensor part SL3 is included. The plurality of collision detection units 23 include an internal sensor 241 described later provided in the airbag ECU 24.

  The right first sensor unit SR1 is disposed at the right end of the front surface of the host vehicle. The right second sensor portion SR2 is a right side surface of the host vehicle, and is disposed at an intermediate portion (for example, in the vicinity of the B pillar) in the vehicle full length direction. The right third sensor unit SR3 is the right side surface of the host vehicle, and is disposed on the rear side (for example, in the vicinity of the C pillar) in the vehicle full length direction.

  The left first sensor portion SL1 is disposed at the left end of the front surface of the host vehicle. The second left sensor portion SL2 is the left side surface of the host vehicle, and is disposed at an intermediate portion (for example, in the vicinity of the B pillar) in the vehicle overall length direction. The left third sensor portion SL3 is disposed on the left side surface of the host vehicle and on the rear side (for example, in the vicinity of the C pillar) in the vehicle full length direction.

  The airbag ECU 24 includes an internal sensor 241. The internal sensor 241 is configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to a physical quantity (that is, acceleration) acting on the host vehicle due to a collision between an object existing outside the host vehicle and the host vehicle. The airbag ECU 24 controls the operation of each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on the outputs of the plurality of collision detection units 23 including the internal sensor 241 and ADAS information acquired via the in-vehicle communication network 19. It is configured.

  A portion other than the internal sensor 241 in the airbag ECU 24 is a so-called microcomputer, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile RAM (for example, a flash ROM), an input / output interface, and the like (not shown). That is, the airbag ECU 24 is configured such that various control operations can be realized by the CPU reading and executing a program from the ROM or the nonvolatile RAM. Various data (initial values, look-up tables, maps, etc.) used when executing the program are stored in advance in the ROM or nonvolatile RAM. The RAM temporarily stores data such as calculation results when the CPU executes a program.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag ECU 24 includes a parameter acquisition unit 242, a main processing unit 243, and a driver circuit 244 as functional configurations. Similarly, the main processing unit 243 includes an operating condition adjustment unit 245 and a control unit 246 as functional configurations.

  The parameter acquisition unit 242 is an interface unit for exchanging signals with the in-vehicle communication network 19, and is connected to the in-vehicle communication network 19. That is, the parameter acquisition unit 242 is provided so as to acquire at least one of the plurality of ADAS information via the in-vehicle communication network 19. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the parameter acquisition unit 242 acquires the yaw rate, relative position, relative speed, TTC, and the like from the collision mitigation system 11 and the like via the in-vehicle communication network 19. Yes.

  The main processing unit 243 detects a collision between the host vehicle and the object based on the outputs of the plurality of collision detection units 23 including the internal sensor 241 and the ADAS information acquired by the parameter acquisition unit 242. . The main processing unit 243 transmits a control signal for operating each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 to the driver circuit 244 when a collision between the host vehicle and an object is detected. That is, each of the plurality of passenger protection units 20 is connected to the driver circuit 244.

  The operation condition adjustment unit 245 sets or adjusts the operation condition in each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on at least one of the plurality of ADAS information acquired by the parameter acquisition unit 242. . The control unit 246 operates at least one of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on the outputs of the plurality of collision detection units 23 and the operation conditions set or adjusted by the operation condition adjustment unit 245. It has become.

(Overview of operation)
Hereinafter, the outline of the operation of the occupant protection system 12 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an obstacle B (including another vehicle V <b> 2) may approach from the front side while the host vehicle V <b> 1 equipped with the vehicle control system 10 is traveling. This is hereinafter referred to as “Case C1”. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the other vehicle V2 can collide with the side surface of the host vehicle V1 perpendicularly to the traveling direction of the host vehicle V1. This is hereinafter referred to as “Case C2”.

  Further, the other vehicle V2 may collide with the host vehicle V1 from various directions. That is, for example, the other vehicle V2 can collide obliquely with respect to the right front corner or the left front corner of the host vehicle V1. A case where the vehicle collides at a relatively shallow angle (for example, about 30 to 45 degrees) with respect to the right front corner is hereinafter referred to as “case C3”, and a case where the vehicle collides with a deep angle (for example, about 60 to 75 degrees) with respect to the left front corner. Hereinafter, it is referred to as “Case C4”.

  The conventional airbag system detects a physical quantity acting on the host vehicle V1 at the time of a collision between the host vehicle V1 and an obstacle B (including another vehicle V2), and sets the occupant protection unit 20 according to the detection state of the physical quantity. It was operating. As the physical quantity, for example, acceleration can be used. Alternatively, as the physical quantity, for example, a pressure detected by a pressure sensor arranged in the bumper can be used.

  By the way, in the advanced driving support system included in the vehicle control system 10, a plurality of ADAS information is acquired (that is, detected or calculated) based on inputs from various sensors such as a camera, a radar sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a wheel speed sensor. ) The plurality of ADAS information includes yaw rate, relative position, relative speed, TTC, and the like.

  The inventor of the present invention uses the ADAS information before the collision, unlike the conventional airbag system based only on the collision detection information, so that the plurality of occupant protection units 20 can be provided without providing additional sensors. We have found that it is possible to operate the appropriate one at a more appropriate timing. That is, the occupant protection system 12 of the present embodiment estimates the collision mode of the obstacle B against the host vehicle V1 based on the ADAS information before the collision, and in each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on the estimated collision mode. Set or adjust operating conditions. The collision mode to be estimated includes, for example, a collision position, a collision direction, a relative speed, and the like.

  Specifically, the operating condition adjustment unit 245 estimates a collision position with an object in the host vehicle based on at least one of the plurality of ADAS information. Further, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets whether to permit or not operate each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on the estimated collision position. That is, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets the operating device based on the estimated collision position.

  That is, for example, in the case C1, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets the driver's seat airbag AF1 and the seat belt tensioner 22 as operating devices. When the passenger is present in the passenger seat, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 also includes the passenger seat airbag AF2 in the operating device. In the case C2, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets the left side airbag AS2, the left curtain airbag AC2, and the seat belt tensioner 22 as operating devices.

  In the case C3, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets the driver's seat airbag AF1, the right curtain airbag AC1, and the seat belt tensioner 22 as operating devices. When the passenger is present in the passenger seat, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 also includes the passenger seat airbag AF2 in the operating device. In the case C4, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets the left side airbag AS2, the left curtain airbag AC2, and the seat belt tensioner 22 as operating devices. When the passenger is present in the passenger seat, the passenger seat airbag AF2 is also included in the operating device.

  Further, the operating condition adjusting unit 245 sets a determination criterion (that is, a threshold value) to be compared with an output from the collision detection unit 23 as an operating condition based on at least one of the plurality of ADAS information. Setting or adjustment is performed corresponding to each of the units 20. Specifically, the operation condition adjustment unit 245 adjusts the operation threshold for the collision detection unit 23 corresponding to each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on the estimated collision position. The control unit 246 operates the occupant protection unit 20 in which the output of the corresponding collision detection unit 23 exceeds the operation threshold among the plurality of occupant protection units 20.

(Operation example)
Hereinafter, a specific operation example according to the configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the drawings and the following description in the specification, “step” is simply abbreviated as “S”. In the following description of the flowchart, the CPU, ROM, RAM, and nonvolatile RAM of the airbag ECU 24 are simply referred to as “CPU”, “ROM”, “RAM”, and “nonvolatile RAM”.

  The CPU activates the collision detection routine shown in FIG. 4 when an occupant is detected in the host vehicle V1. When this routine is started, first, in S41, the CPU acquires ADAS information via the in-vehicle communication network 19 and stores it in the RAM.

  Next, in S <b> 42, the CPU estimates the collision mode with the target obstacle B in the host vehicle V <b> 1 based on the ADAS information acquired in S <b> 41. The estimated collision mode includes a collision position, a collision direction, and a relative speed. Thereby, for example, it is estimated that the collision mode with the obstacle B of interest is the case C3. Further, the CPU stores the collision type and TTC in the RAM in association with the target obstacle B. In addition, when there are a plurality of obstacles B to be noted, for each of the plurality of obstacles B, a pair of a corresponding collision form and TTC is stored in the RAM.

  In subsequent S43, the CPU determines whether or not TTC has become 0 or less. In addition, when there are a plurality of obstacles B to be noticed, it is determined whether or not there are those having a corresponding TTC of 0 or less among the plurality of obstacles B.

  When there is no obstacle B whose corresponding TTC is 0 or less (ie, S43 = NO), the CPU returns the process to S41. Thereby, acquisition of ADAS information and estimation of a collision form are repeated until the obstacle B in which the corresponding TTC is 0 or less occurs.

  When there is an obstacle B whose corresponding TTC is 0 or less (that is, S43 = NO), the CPU proceeds with the process after S44 and executes the occupant protection operation. That is, the CPU first performs threshold value adjustment corresponding to the collision mode in S44.

  Specifically, for example, in case C3, the operating threshold value of the right first sensor SR1 is changed to a value lower than normal. The amount of change can be acquired, for example, by a function or a map having variables such as the collision direction and relative velocity. Further, as corresponding operation devices, the driver's seat airbag AF1, the right curtain airbag AC1, and the seat belt tensioner 22 are selected. That is, the operation permission / denial in a plurality of devices is substantially set by the process of S44.

  Thereafter, when a collision actually occurs, the output corresponding to the detected acceleration exceeds the operation threshold value in at least one of the plurality of satellite sensors together with the internal sensor 241. Thereby, the actual collision position is acquired (S45), the device that actually operates is determined (S46), and the device is actually operated at a predetermined timing (S47).

(effect)
As described above, in the present embodiment, the operating condition adjustment unit 245 is configured to operate the operating condition in each of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on at least one of the plurality of ADAS information acquired by the parameter acquisition unit 242. Adjust. Thereby, before the output of the collision detection part 23 generate | occur | produces, the operating condition in each of the some passenger | crew protection part 20 is set. Thereafter, the control unit 246 operates at least one of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 based on the output of the collision detection unit 23 and the operation conditions adjusted by the operation condition adjustment unit 245.

  Thus, in addition to the output of the collision detection unit 23, the occupant protection system 12 of the present embodiment also uses ADAS information before a collision acquired from another subsystem via the in-vehicle communication network 19, Set the working device and judge the collision. Therefore, according to such a configuration, it is possible to operate an appropriate one of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 at a more appropriate timing without providing additional sensors.

  In addition, according to the conventional airbag system, the case C1 and case C2 have relatively good device operation responsiveness, while the case C3 and case C4 have room for improvement in terms of operation responsiveness. It was. On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, not only the case C1 and the case C2, but also the case C3 and the case C4, the operation response of the device is extremely good. That is, according to the present embodiment, good device operation timing can be realized regardless of the collision mode.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Therefore, it can change suitably with respect to the said embodiment. Hereinafter, typical modifications will be described. In the following description of the modified example, only the parts different from the above embodiment will be described. Moreover, in the said embodiment and modification, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is mutually the same or equivalent. Therefore, in the following description of the modified example, regarding the components having the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment, the description in the above embodiment can be appropriately incorporated unless there is a technical contradiction or special additional explanation.

  The present invention is not limited to the specific apparatus configuration shown in the above embodiment. For example, the number and location of installation of the occupant airbag 21 are not limited to the above specific example. The seat belt tensioner 22 in the occupant protection system 12 may be the same as the reversible (ie, motor type) seat belt pretensioner provided in the collision mitigation system 11.

  The number and location of the collision detectors 23 are not limited to the above specific example. In addition, the acceleration sensor can be rephrased as a deceleration sensor.

  There is no particular limitation on the structure and function of the satellite sensor. That is, for example, each satellite sensor may be configured to be able to detect both acceleration along the vehicle full length direction and acceleration along the vehicle width direction. Alternatively, for example, each satellite sensor may be configured to be able to detect only one of acceleration along the vehicle total length direction and acceleration along the vehicle width direction. In this case, the right first sensor unit SR1 and the left first sensor unit SL1 may be provided so as to detect acceleration along the entire vehicle length direction. The right second sensor unit SR2, the right third sensor unit SR3, the left second sensor unit SL2, and the left third sensor unit SL3 may be provided to detect acceleration along the vehicle width direction.

  All or some of the plurality of collision detection units 23 may be sensors other than the acceleration sensor (for example, a pressure sensor, a strain sensor, etc.).

  The airbag ECU 24 may be configured as an ASIC such as a gate array. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit.

  The present invention is not limited to the specific operation mode and processing mode shown in the above embodiment. Specifically, for example, the threshold adjustment in S44 may be performed before the process in S43. That is, the CPU may temporarily set the operation device based on the collision mode estimated in S42, and may change the operation threshold value in the collision detection unit 23 corresponding to the temporarily set operation device. Thereby, the estimation of the collision mode, the temporary setting of the operating device and the threshold value change associated therewith are repeatedly performed according to the situation outside the host vehicle V1, which changes momentarily before the actual collision. Therefore, an appropriate one of the plurality of occupant protection units 20 can be operated at a more appropriate timing.

  The modification is not limited to the above example. A plurality of modifications may be combined with each other. Furthermore, all or a part of the above-described embodiment and all or a part of the modified examples can be combined with each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle control system 11 Collision mitigation system 12 Passenger protection system 19 In-vehicle communication network 20 Passenger protection part 21 Passenger airbag 22 Seat belt tensioner 23 Collision detection part 24 Airbag ECU 241 Internal sensor 242 Parameter acquisition part 243 Main processing part 244 Driver Circuit 245 Operating condition adjustment unit 246 Control unit V1 Own vehicle B Obstacle V2 Other vehicle

Claims (7)

An occupant protection system (12) connected to the in-vehicle communication network (19) of the host vehicle (V1),
A collision detector (23) for outputting an electrical signal corresponding to a physical quantity acting on the host vehicle due to a collision between an object (B, V2) existing outside the host vehicle and the host vehicle;
A parameter acquisition unit (242) for acquiring at least one of a plurality of control parameters including a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the object via the in-vehicle communication network;
A plurality of occupant protection portions (20) including a plurality of occupant airbags (21) provided to act upon the collision to protect the occupants of the host vehicle;
An operating condition adjusting unit (245) for adjusting an operating condition in each of the plurality of occupant protection units based on at least the one of the plurality of control parameters acquired by the parameter acquiring unit;
A control unit (246) provided to operate at least one of the plurality of occupant protection units based on the output of the collision detection unit and the operation condition adjusted by the operation condition adjustment unit. )When,
An occupant protection system. The operating condition adjusting unit is configured to determine, based on at least the one of the plurality of control parameters, a determination criterion to be compared with the output from the collision detection unit as the operating condition. Adjust for each of the
The occupant protection system according to claim 1. A plurality of the collision detection units are provided,
The operating condition adjustment unit corresponds to at least one of the plurality of occupant protection units, and determines the determination criterion in at least one of the plurality of collision detection units, among the plurality of control parameters. Adjusting based on at least one of the above,
The occupant protection system according to claim 2. The operating condition adjusting unit is
Based on at least one of the plurality of control parameters, estimating a collision position with the object in the host vehicle,
Adjusting the criterion based on the estimated collision position;
The occupant protection system according to claim 2 or 3. The operating condition adjusting unit is
Based on at least one of the plurality of control parameters, estimating a collision position with the object in the host vehicle,
Based on the estimated collision position, in each of the plurality of occupant protection units, to set the operation permission / inhibition as the operation condition,
The occupant protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The parameter acquisition unit obtains the relative position, the relative speed, and the collision margin time between the host vehicle and the object from the collision mitigation system (11) connected to the in-vehicle communication network via the in-vehicle communication network. To get
The occupant protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The plurality of occupant protection portions include a seat belt tensioner (22).
The occupant protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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