JP2019073144A - Occupant protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve occupant protection performance during a side collision of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device includes: two seats 2L, 2R arranged adjacent and parallel to each other in a vehicle width direction; a control device which switches the empty seat 2L from a normal state in which the seat 2L faces to the front side to a protection state in which a back surface 22b of a seat back 22 faces the one seat 2R when an occupant 1 is seated on the one seat 2R and the other seat 2L is empty; and a switch mechanism which is provided at the empty seat 2L and configured so as to switch the seat 2L between the normal state and the protection state and is controlled by the control device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant at the time of a side collision (hereinafter referred to as a side collision) of a vehicle in which a plurality of seats are arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction.

Heretofore, as one of methods for enhancing the protection of the occupant at the time of a side collision of a vehicle, there is known a method for inflating an air bag between two sheets aligned in the vehicle width direction. According to this method, by inflating the air bag between the seats at the time of a side collision, the contact between the occupants sitting on the seats can be suppressed. However, when the occupant is seated on only one of the two sheets aligned in the vehicle width direction, the movement of the airbag pushed by the occupant is not restricted even if the airbag is inflated between the seats, There is a possibility that the movement of the occupant can not be suppressed.
Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a structure in which the movement of the air bag is suppressed by the friction with the ceiling by applying the air bag to the ceiling of the cabin.

Patent No. 5382584 gazette

  However, in the structure as described in Patent Document 1, the movement of the air bag is not restricted unless the air bag inflates until it hits the ceiling. For this reason, there is a possibility that the movement of the occupant can not be restricted at a stage during the expansion of the airbag, and there is room for improvement in the improvement of the occupant protection at the side collision.

  The occupant protection device of the present invention is devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to improve occupant protection at the time of a side collision. The present invention is not limited to this object, and it is an operation and effect derived from each configuration shown in the embodiments for carrying out the invention described later, and it is another object of the present invention to exert an operation and effect that can not be obtained by the prior art. is there.

  (1) The occupant protection device disclosed herein includes two seats juxtaposed adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction, and when the occupant is seated on one of the seats and the other is vacant. A control device for switching the seat of the vacant seat from a normal state facing forward to a protected state for turning the back of the seatback to the one seat, and a seat provided for the vacant seat, the seat of the vacant seat being the normal state and the protection And a switching mechanism configured to be switchable to the state and controlled by the control device.

(2) It is preferable that the control device controls the switching mechanism so that the vacant seat is in the protected state at the start of traveling of the vehicle.
(3) It is preferable that the said seat back is formed so that the both ends of the left-right direction can be bent toward a center part. The left and right direction is the left and right direction based on the occupant seated on the seat. That is, the left-right direction coincides with the vehicle width direction of the vehicle when the seat is in the normal state, and coincides with the front-rear direction of the vehicle when the seat is in the protected state.

(4) The seat back has a bending mechanism that bends the both end portions toward the central portion, and the control device is configured to control the seat back of the seat when the vacant seat is in the protected state. It is preferable to control the bending mechanism so that the both end portions of the rear cover bend in the back surface side.
(5) When the seat in the vacant seat is in the protected state, the control device places the headrest of the seat in the same position in the front-rear direction as the head of the occupant who is sitting on the front and rear of the headrest It is preferred to control the position of the direction.
(6) Preferably, the seat back is supported by the seat cushion, and the switching mechanism has an actuator for rotating the seat cushion around an axis extending in the vertical direction.

(7) The seat has a tilting mechanism capable of switching between the upright state in which the headrest is erected and the leaning state in which the headrest is tilted toward the seat cushion, and the controller switches the seat in the vacant seat to the protected state. Preferably, the tilting mechanism is controlled such that the headrest of the seat is in the tilting state.
(8) In this case, the vehicle includes information acquisition means for detecting a collision to the side of the vehicle from the outside or acquiring information for predicting the collision, and the control device is configured to use the seat of the vacant seat The headrest is switched to the standing state when the collision is detected or when the collision is predicted based on the information when the headrest of the seat is in the inclining state in the protection state. It is preferable to control the tilting mechanism.

(9) The vehicle includes a backbone extending in the front-rear direction at a central portion in the vehicle width direction, and the seat of the vacant seat is disposed across the backbone between the seat in the normal state and the seat. Preferably, it is linked to the backbone.
(10) The occupant protection system includes an expandable air bag between the two sheets, and the vacant seat has the back side of the seat back and the normal state when the protection state is established. Preferably, the air bag is disposed with a deployment margin between the air bag and the seat.

  According to the disclosed occupant protection device, when the occupant is seated on one seat and the other seat is vacant, the vacant seat is switched to a protection state in which the back of the seat back is directed to the one seat. At the time of a side collision of the vehicle, an occupant can be received by the seat back of the seat of the vacant seat. As a result, the movement of the occupant from one seat to the seat side of the vacant seat is suppressed, and the occupant protection at the time of a side collision can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the schematic diagram which looked at the vehicle interior of the vehicle by which the passenger protection device which concerns on one Embodiment was applied from the front. (A) is a front view of the seat mounted in the vehicle of FIG. 1, (B) is the top view. It is a top view of two sheets mounted in the vehicle of FIG. 1, (A) shows the case where two sheets are in a normal state, (B) shows the case where the sheet on the left side is in a protected state. ing. It is a block block diagram of the vehicle of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an effect | action of a passenger | crew protection device, (A) shows the state by which the sheet | seat on the left was switched to the protection state, (B) shows the time of impact being input into the left side of a vehicle. ing. It is the flowchart which illustrated the control contents executed with the control device of the occupant protection device. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure and effect | action of the passenger protection device which concerns on a modification, (A), (B) respond | corresponds to FIG. 5 (A), (B), respectively.

  An occupant protection device as an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely illustrative, and there is no intention to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques that are not specified in the following embodiments.

  In the present embodiment, the side toward the center of the vehicle to which the occupant protection device is applied is referred to as the inside, and the opposite side is referred to as the outside. Further, the traveling direction of the vehicle is referred to as the front, and the opposite direction is referred to as the rear. Furthermore, the direction of gravity is downward, and the opposite direction is upward.

[1. Device configuration]
(vehicle)
The occupant protection device according to the present embodiment is applied to a vehicle 10 shown in FIG. In a compartment 20 of the vehicle 10, two seats 2 are juxtaposed adjacently in the vehicle width direction. Each seat 2 is fixed to the floor pan 12 via cross members 11 extended in the vehicle width direction on the left and right of the backbone 13 respectively. The inner end of each cross member 11 is coupled to a backbone 13 extending in the front-rear direction (vehicle length direction) at the center of the vehicle 10 in the vehicle width direction. The backbone 13 is, for example, a tunnel-like structure obtained by bending the floor pan 12 and is located between the two sheets 2. In other words, the two sheets 2 are disposed with the backbone 13 interposed therebetween. The space below the backbone 13 can be used as an arrangement space for an exhaust system, a power transmission system, and the like.

  A side panel 3 forming a side surface of the vehicle 10 and a pillar 4 supporting the side panel 3 are disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of each seat 2. Each of the side panel 3 and the pillar 4 of the present embodiment is curved in such a manner that the upper side thereof is inward of the lower side. The side panel 3 is, for example, an outer panel of a side door of the vehicle 10, and is erected along the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. The pillar 4 is extended in the vertical direction, and the upper end portion thereof is coupled to the roof side rail 14, and the lower end portion is coupled to the side sill 15.

  Each of the seat 2, the side panel 3 and the pillar 4 is disposed on the left and right of the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, the seat 2, the side panel 3 and the pillars 4 which are disposed on the left side of the vehicle 10 are also referred to as a left seat 2L, a left side panel 3L and a left pillar 4L, and those disposed on the right side of the vehicle 10 Also referred to as right sheet 2R, right side panel 3R, and right pillar 4R. The left sheet 2L and the right sheet 2R of the present embodiment are symmetrical to each other. Further, the left side panel 3L and the right side panel 3R are symmetrical with each other, and the left pillar 4L and the right pillar 4R are symmetrical with each other.

  The left seat 2L is disposed adjacent to each of the left side panel 3L and the left pillar 4L, and wraps with each of the left side panel 3L and the left pillar 4L in a left side view of the vehicle 10. The right seat 2R is disposed adjacent to each of the right side panel 3R and the right pillar 4R, and wraps with each of the right side panel 3R and the right pillar 4R in a right side view of the vehicle 10.

(Sheet)
As described above, since the left sheet 2L and the right sheet 2R are symmetrical with respect to each other, the description will be given focusing on the left sheet 2L here, and the description of the right sheet 2R will be omitted. Further, in the following description regarding the seat 2, the left and right direction is determined based on the occupant seated on the seat 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the left seat 2L serves as a seat cushion 21 that functions as a seat for the occupant to sit on, and a backrest that supports the back of the occupant seated on the seat cushion 21. It has a functional seat back 22 and a headrest 23 for supporting the head of the occupant. The seat back 22 of the present embodiment is supported by the seat cushion 21. Further, the seat cushion 21, the seat back 22 and the headrest 23 are formed of a material having an appropriate cushioning property.

  The left seat 2 </ b> L includes a seat cushion frame 24 provided inside or below the seat cushion 21 and a seat back frame (frame) 25 provided inside the seat back 22. The seat cushion frame 24 supports the seat cushion 21 and is connected to the backbone 13 via a switching mechanism 5 described later. The seat cushion frame 24 may be configured to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction by a known slide mechanism.

  The seat back frame 25 is formed in a frame shape, for example, by a round pipe. The seat back frame 25 is attached to the seat cushion frame 24 in a tiltable manner, and the tilt angle thereof can be changed and locked by a reclining mechanism (not shown). Here, the seat back frame 25 and the seat back 22 will be described as being in an upright position along the vertical direction.

  The seatback frame 25 has side portions 25a incorporated in both end portions 22d in the left-right direction of the seatback 22, and an upper portion 25b and a lower portion 25c incorporated in the center portion 22a in the left-right direction of the seatback 22. The side portion 25 a is a U-shaped portion opened inward in the left-right direction of the seat back 22. The upper portion 25b is a portion connecting upper end portions of the left and right side portions 25a, and the lower portion 25c is a portion connecting lower end portions of the left and right side portions 25a.

  The seat back 22 according to the present embodiment includes a bending mechanism 22C that bends the left and right end portions 22d toward the central portion 22a. That is, as shown by a thick arrow in FIG. 2B, in the seat back 22 of the present embodiment, both end portions 22d in the left-right direction are formed so as to be bendable toward the central portion 22a. The seat back 22 is reduced in lateral dimension by bending the left and right end portions 22 d toward the central portion 22 a.

  More specifically, the bending mechanism 22C rotatably supports the left and right side portions 25a of the seatback frame 25 with respect to the upper portion 25b and the lower portion 25c, and the rotating shafts 22E. It comprises the motor 22F to rotate. Hereinafter, the motor 22F of the bending mechanism 22C is also referred to as a bending motor 22F. The bending mechanism 22C can bend the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 toward the central portion 22a by the operation of the bending motor 22F.

The left pivot shaft 22E extends vertically at the boundary between the left end 22d of the seatback 22 and the central portion 22a, and connects the upper portion 25b and the lower portion 25c of the seatback frame 25. The right pivot shaft 22E extends vertically at the boundary between the right end 22d of the seatback 22 and the central portion 22a, and connects the upper 25b and the lower 25c of the seatback frame 25.
The bending motor 22F is capable of normal rotation and reverse rotation, and is fixed in the seat back 22. The bending motor 22F rotates the side portion 25a of the seatback frame 25 with respect to the upper portion 25b and the lower portion 25c by rotating the rotation shaft 22E. Thus, the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 are bent with respect to the central portion 22a.

  In addition, the bending motor 22F bends the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 in any of the front 22g side and the back 22b side by switching the rotation direction between forward rotation and reverse rotation. It is possible to Here, the front face 22g referred to here is a face in contact with the back of the occupant seated on the seat cushion 21, and the back face 22b is a face opposite to the front face 22g. When the bending motor 22F is not in operation, the rotation of the pivot shaft 22E is locked, and the bending angles of the left and right end portions 22d with respect to the central portion 22a of the seatback 22 are fixed.

  The headrest 23 is attached to the upper end of the seatback 22. The headrest 23 of the present embodiment is provided to be tiltable with respect to the seat back 22 by the tilting mechanism 26. The tilting mechanism 26 has a rotating shaft 26A extended in the left-right direction between the headrest 23 and the seat back 22, and a motor 26B for rotating the headrest 23 around the rotating shaft 26A. Hereinafter, the motor 26B of the tilting mechanism 26 is also referred to as a tilting motor 26B.

  The tilting mechanism 26 can be switched between an upright state in which the headrest 23 is upright and a tilted state in which the headrest 23 falls toward the seat cushion 21 by the operation of the tilting motor 26B. The dimension of the left seat 2L in the vertical direction is reduced by switching the headrest 23 from the upright state to the inclined state. When the tilting motor 26B is not in operation, the position of the headrest 23 is fixed, and the headrest 23 is held in the upright state or the tilted state.

(Occupant protection device)
The occupant protection device includes a switching mechanism 5 capable of switching the above-described seat 2 between the normal state facing the front of the vehicle 10 and the protection state directing the back surface 22b of the seatback 22 to the other seat 2; The control device 6 is provided to switch the vacant seat 2 to a normal state and a protected state by the control.

  Here, that the seat 2 faces "the front of the vehicle 10" means that the front surface 22g of the seat back 22 of the seat 2 faces the front of the vehicle 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the seat 2 is in a posture in which the back surface 22b of the seatback 22 is directed to the rear of the vehicle 10 in the normal state. Further, the fact that the seat 2 "turns the back surface 22b of the seat back 22 toward the other seat 2" means that the seat 2 faces in the vehicle width direction so as to face the adjacent seat 2.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the left seat 2L which is a vacant seat is in a protected state, the left seat (seat of a vacant seat) 2L faces the left side (outside in the vehicle width direction) of the vehicle 10; The back 22b of the seat back 22 is directed to the right seat 2R. On the other hand, when the right seat 2R is vacant and protected, the right seat (vacant seat) 2R faces the right side (outside in the vehicle width direction) of the vehicle 10 and the back 22b of the seatback 22 It becomes a posture towards the left seat 2L. In addition, the case where the seat back 22 of the left seat 2L in a protection state is slightly inclined to the back surface 22b side by the reclining mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 3 (B).

  When one of the two seats 2 is in the protected state, the occupant in the other seat 2 at the time of a side collision of the vehicle 10 is protected even if the occupant moves toward the protected seat 2. The movement of the seat 2 can be suppressed by the seat back 22 of the seat 2, and the protection of the occupant is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the switching mechanism 5 of the present embodiment has a rotation shaft 5A connected to the seat cushion frame 24 and a motor (actuator) 5B for rotating the rotation shaft 5A. Hereinafter, the motor 5B of the switching mechanism 5 is also referred to as a switching motor 5B. The switching mechanism 5 can switch the seat 2 between the normal state and the protection state by the operation of the switching motor 5B.

  The rotating shaft 5A extends in the vertical direction, and its upper end is integrally fixed to the seat cushion frame 24. Further, the switching motor 5B is attached to the outer surface of the backbone 13 in the vehicle width direction, and rotates the rotation shaft 5A through a gear (not shown). That is, the switching motor 5B rotates the cushion frame 24 and the seat cushion 21 around an axis (the rotation axis 5A in the present embodiment) along the vertical direction at the time of operation. When the seat 2 can be moved in the front-rear direction by the slide mechanism, the switching motor 5B can be moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the backbone 13 so that the switching mechanism 5 can also move in the front-rear direction integrally with the seat 2. It is slidably connected to the Further, when the switching motor 5B is not in operation, the rotation of the rotation shaft 5A is locked, and the seat 2 is held in the normal state or the protection state.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, in the present embodiment, when one of the two seats 2 is in the protected state, the headrest 23 of the protected seat 2 is seated on the seat 2 in the normal state. The position in the front-rear direction is controlled so as to be disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction as the head of the occupant 1. For example, when the left seat (vacant seat) 2L is in the protected state and the right seat 2R is in the normal state, the headrest 23 of the left seat 2L is on the left side of the head of the occupant 1 seated in the right seat 2R ( The headrest 23 of the left seat 2L is adjusted in the front-rear direction so as to be arranged in line with the head of the occupant 1 in the vehicle width direction).

  Such positioning of the headrest 23 in the front-rear direction can be realized, for example, by moving the seat 2 in the front-rear direction by controlling the slide mechanism described above by the control device 6. In addition, when the seat 2 has a mechanism that enables the headrest 23 to slide in the lateral direction with respect to the seatback 22, the controller 6 may control the mechanism so that the front and back of the headrest 23 as described above Directional positioning is feasible.

  The control device 6 is an electronic control device mounted on the vehicle 10, and is configured as an LSI device or a built-in electronic device in which a known microprocessor, ROM, RAM and the like are integrated, and is connected to a communication line of the in-vehicle network. As shown in FIG. 4, sensors 16 to 19 mounted on the vehicle 10 are connected to the input side of the control device 6 of the present embodiment. Moreover, each of motor 5B, 22F, 26B mentioned above is connected to the output side of the control apparatus 6 of this embodiment.

(Sensors)
The vehicle 10 is provided with a side collision sensor (information acquisition means) 16 for detecting the presence or absence of a side collision of the vehicle 10 and a seating sensor 17 for detecting the presence or absence of the seating of the occupant on the seat 2. As the side collision sensor 16, an impact sensor that detects an impact input to the side panel 3 or the pillar 4, an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 10, or the like can be applied. In addition, as the seating sensor 17, for example, a pressure sensor that detects a pressure acting on the seat cushion frame 24 of the seat 2 can be applied.

  In the present embodiment, the side collision sensor 16 detects the presence or absence of a collision with the left side panel 3L or the left pillar 4L and the presence or absence of a collision with the right side panel 3R or the right pillar R, respectively. Similarly, the seating sensor 17 detects the presence or absence of seating on the left seat 2L and the presence or absence of seating on the right seat 2L. In addition, a well-known method can be employ | adopted as a specific judgment method of the presence or absence of side collision, and the presence or absence of seating.

In addition, the vehicle 10 is provided with a shift position sensor 18 that detects the shift position of the shift lever or the selector. The shift position detected by the shift position sensor 18 includes a parking (P) position, a traveling (D) position, and the like.
Furthermore, the vehicle 10 is provided with an operation switch (button) 19 which can be turned on and off by an occupant. The operation switch 19 is an operation means for the occupant to select whether to perform protection control described later or not, and is installed, for example, in the vicinity of the driver's seat.

[2. Control configuration]
The control device 6 of the present embodiment implements protection control for controlling the motors 5B, 22F, 26B based on the information transmitted from the sensors 16-19. In the protection control, when the occupant is not seated on any one of the two seats 2, the occupant 2 at the time of a side collision of the vehicle 10 can use the seat 2 of the vacant seat where the occupant is not seated. It is control for suppressing movement.

  The protection control of the present embodiment includes three controls of start control, side collision control and end control. Start control is performed at the start of protection control, and end control is performed at the end of protection control. Further, the side collision control is performed when a side collision is detected during protection control (after start control and before end control). In addition, if a side collision is not detected during the protection control, the protection control ends without performing the side collision control.

  The start control is control for switching the seat 2 which is an empty seat to the protection state, bending the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 toward the back surface 22b, and switching the headrest 23 to the tilting state. In the start control of this embodiment, in order to make the distance between the seatback 22 of the protected seat 2 and the occupant of the adjacent seat 2 equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the reclining mechanism of the seat 2 switched to the protected state is controlled. The case where the seat back 22 is tilted to the back surface 22b side at a predetermined angle is illustrated. For example, when the occupant is seated on the right seat 2R and the left seat 2L is vacant, the execution condition of the start control is satisfied, and the left seat 2L is in the state shown in FIG. 5A by the start control.

  The side collision control is control for returning the headrest 23 of the seat 2 switched to the protection state by the start control to the standing state. For example, when the implementation condition of the side collision control is satisfied in the protection state shown in FIG. 5A, the left seat 2L is in the state as shown in FIG. 5B by the side collision control.

  The end control is control for returning the sheet 2 in the protected state shown in FIG. 5A to the state before the start control. That is, when the execution condition of the termination control is satisfied when the seat 2 is in the protection state, the termination control switches the seat 2 to the normal state and bends the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 toward the front surface 22g. , Is a control to switch the headrest 23 to the standing state. When the seat back 22 of the seat 2 is turned down in the start control, the reclining mechanism of the seat 2 returned to the normal state is controlled again in the end control, and the seat back 22 is raised to the original angle or a certain angle. You may do so.

The start control of this embodiment is implemented when the following implementation conditions are satisfied. In addition, since the implementation conditions of start control correspond to the conditions which start protection control, it is also called start conditions hereafter.
== Execution condition of start control (start condition) ==
The following conditions 1 to 3 hold: Condition 1: The operation switch 19 is on Condition 2: The occupant is seated on the left seat 2L or the right seat 2R Condition 3: Just before the vehicle 10 starts traveling Is

  The success or failure of the condition 1 is determined based on the information transmitted from the operation switch 19. Further, whether the condition 2 is satisfied or not can be determined based on the information transmitted from the seating sensor 17. Further, it is determined that the condition 3 is satisfied, for example, when the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 18 is switched from P to D.

  When the start condition is satisfied, the control device 6 controls the switching motor 5B so as to switch one of the sheets 2 on which the occupant is not seated from the normal state to the protection state. In the present embodiment, since the condition 3 is included in the start condition, the control device 6 controls the switching motor 5B so that the seat 2 is switched to the protection state at the time when the vehicle 10 starts traveling. That is, before the vehicle 10 starts traveling or while the vehicle 10 travels, the control device 6 according to the present embodiment does not switch the seat 2 to the protection state even if the above conditions 1 and 2 are satisfied. . As described above, by keeping the seat 2 in the normal state until the vehicle 10 starts traveling, the occupant can always sit on the seat 2 and the seat 2 is not switched to the protection state while the vehicle 10 is traveling. There is no problem in driving.

  Further, in the start control, the control device 6 controls the bending motor 22F so as to bend the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 toward the back surface 22b when the seat 2 is in the protection state. In other words, the control device 6 controls the bending motor 22F so that the back surface 22b of the seat back 22 of the seat 2 switched to the protection state has a concave shape facing the occupant of the next sheet 2. The left and right end portions 22 d of 22 are bent.

Furthermore, when switching the seat 2 to the protection state in the start control, the control device 6 of the present embodiment controls the tilting motor 26B such that the headrest 23 is in the tilting state. Thereby, when the sheet 2 is in the protected state, the dimension in the vertical direction of the sheet 2 is reduced, and the upper view is secured.
Further, the control device 6 of this embodiment controls the reclining mechanism of the seat 2 to be switched to the protection state in the start control to tilt the seat back 22 toward the back surface 22 b at a predetermined angle.

Side collision control is performed when the following execution conditions are satisfied.
== Implementation condition of side collision control ==
Detection of a side collision of the vehicle 10

  The success or failure of the side collision control execution condition can be determined based on the information transmitted from the side collision sensor 16. The control device 6 controls the tilting motor 26B to switch the headrest 23 of the seat 2 in the protection state to the upright state when the implementation condition of the side collision control is satisfied.

Further, the termination control of the present embodiment is carried out when the following implementation conditions are satisfied during protection control. In addition, since the implementation condition of termination control is equivalent to the condition which terminates protection control, it is also called termination condition hereafter.
== Execution condition of end control (end condition) ==
At least one of the following conditions 4 and 5 is satisfied: Condition 4: The operation switch 19 is off Condition 5: The vehicle 10 is parked

The success or failure of the condition 4 is determined based on the information transmitted from the operation switch 19. Further, it is determined that the condition 5 is satisfied, for example, when the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 18 is switched to P.
The control device 6 controls the motors 5B, 22F, and 26B so that the seat 2 returns to the state before the start control when the end condition is satisfied. Specifically, the control device 6 controls the switching motor 5B to switch the sheet 2 in the protected state to the normal state, and controls the bending motor 22F to eliminate the bending of the seat back 22 of the sheet 2, thereby the tilting motor The headrest 23 of the seat 2 is switched to the upright state by controlling the seat 26B.

[3. flowchart]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the control contents implemented by the control device 6. This flowchart is repeatedly implemented at a predetermined calculation cycle when the power of the vehicle 10 is turned on. The flag F used in the flow is a variable indicating whether or not protection control is being performed, and is 1 when the protection control is being performed, and 0 otherwise. The initial value of the flag F (at power on) is zero.

  First, information is acquired from the sensors 16 to 19 (step S1), and it is determined whether the flag F is 0 (step S2). If the protection control is not performed, the flag F is 0, so the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether the start condition is successful or not based on the information acquired in step S1. If the start condition is not satisfied here, this flow is returned. On the other hand, when the start condition is satisfied, the start control is performed (step S4), the flag F is set to 1 (step S5), and this flow is returned.

  If the start control is performed in step S4, the flag F is 1 in the next operation cycle, and the process proceeds from step S2 to step S6, and the execution condition of side collision control is successful or not based on the information acquired in step S1. Is determined. That is, in step S6, the presence or absence of a side collision on the side surface (the side panel 3 or the pillar 4) of the vehicle 10 is determined. Here, when it is determined that there is a side collision, side collision control is performed (step S7), and this flow is returned.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no side collision, the process proceeds to step S8, and it is determined whether the end condition is satisfied or not based on the information acquired in step S1. If the end condition is not satisfied here, this flow is returned. In this case, the protection state is maintained until a side collision is detected or an end condition is satisfied. If the termination condition is satisfied in step S8, termination control is performed (step S9), and after the flag F is set to 0 (step S10), this flow is returned.

[4. Action, effect]
(1) According to the occupant protection device described above, when the occupant is seated on one of the two seats 2 juxtaposed adjacently in the vehicle width direction, the other seat 2 is vacant. Sheet 2 is switched to the protection state. As shown in FIG. 5A, for example, when the left seat 2L is vacant, the left seat 2L is switched to the protection state, and the back 22b of the seatback 22 is directed to the right seat 2R. .

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, when a collision load (impact) F is input to the left side panel 3L and the left pillar 4L from the outside of the vehicle 10, the occupant 1 seated on the right seat 2R Even if it moves toward the left seat 2L by inertia, the occupant 1 can be received by the seat back 22 of the left seat 2L. Also, when a collision load is input from the outside of the vehicle 10 to the right side panel 3R or the right pillar 4R, similarly, even if the occupant 1 seated on the right seat 2R moves toward the left seat 2L, the left The occupant 1 can be received by the seat back 22 of the seat 2L. Since the movement of the occupant 1 can be suppressed by receiving the occupant 1 by the seat back 22 in this manner, the occupant protection at the time of a side collision can be enhanced.

  When the occupant is sitting only on the left seat 2L, the occupant sitting on the left seat 2L can be received by the seat back 22 of the right seat 2R by switching the right seat 2R of the vacant seat to the protected state. Therefore, as in the case where the left seat 2L is switched to the protection state, the movement of the occupant can be suppressed, and the occupant protection at the time of a side collision can be enhanced. Thus, according to the occupant protection device described above, the seat 2 at the vacant seat can be utilized for occupant protection at the time of a side collision. In addition, at the time of a side collision, the passenger can rest by using the seat back 22 of the protected seat 2 as a support.

  (2) The above-described start condition includes that "the vehicle 10 is about to start traveling" (condition 3). Usually, it is determined at the start of traveling of the vehicle 10 whether the occupant is seated on the seat 2 and does not change during traveling. Therefore, convenience can be enhanced by automatically switching the seat 2 of the vacant seat to the protected state at the start of traveling of the vehicle 10. Also, by keeping the seat 2 in the normal state until the vehicle 10 starts traveling, the occupant can always sit on the seat 2 and does not switch the seat 2 to the protection state while the vehicle 10 is traveling This can prevent problems in driving.

  (3) Since the left and right end portions 22d of the seat back 22 of the seat 2 described above are formed to be bendable toward the central portion 22a, bending the left and right end portions 22d toward the central portion 22a enables The dimension of the seat back 22 in the left-right direction can be reduced. Therefore, the sheet 2 can be easily switched to the normal state and the protection state even in a narrow space.

  (4) When the sheet 2 is in the protection state, the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 are bent toward the back surface 22b by the bending mechanism 22C. As shown in FIG. 3B, for example, when the left seat 2L of the vacant seat is switched to the protection state, the left and right end portions 22d of the seatback 22 are bent toward the back surface 22b, whereby the back surface 22b of the left seat 2L is Has a concave shape. Thereby, the movement of the occupant 1 in the front-rear direction can be suppressed by the left and right end portions 22 d of the seat back 22. Therefore, passenger protection at the time of a side collision can be further improved.

  (5) When the seat 2 described above is in the protection state, the headrest 23 is disposed at the same position as the head of the occupant sitting on the adjacent seat 2 in the front-rear direction. It can be made easy to support at 23. Thus, the movement of the head of the occupant can be easily suppressed at the time of a side collision, whereby the occupant protection can be further enhanced. In addition to the side collision, the occupant can easily use the headrest 23 of the protected seat 2 as a head support.

  (6) In the switching mechanism 5 described above, the switching motor 5A for rotating the seat cushion 21 supporting the seat back 22 around the axis along the vertical direction is provided. Therefore, the seat cushion 21 is rotated by the switching motor 5A. The seat 2 can be switched between the normal state and the protected state only. In addition, with the mechanism that rotates the seat cushion 21 as described above, the existing seat can be switched to the protection state, so the occupant protection device can be easily applied to the existing seat, which contributes to cost reduction. be able to.

  (7) When the vacant seat 2 is switched to the protection state, the headrest 23 is switched to the inclined state, so that the vertical dimension of the seat 2 to be protected can be reduced. Thereby, the upper view can be secured.

  (8) Further, when the seat 2 of the vacant seat is in the protected state as described above and the headrest 23 is in the inclined state, the headrest 23 is switched to the upright state when the side collision of the vehicle 10 is detected. . As shown in FIG. 5B, for example, when the left seat 2L is in the protected state and the headrest 23 is in the inclined state, the side surface of the vehicle 10 from the outside [left side in the example shown in FIG. 5B] When a collision to the vehicle is detected, the headrest 23 of the left seat 2L is switched to the upright state. Therefore, when the occupant 1 sitting on the right seat 2R moves toward the left seat 2L, the head of the occupant 1 can be easily received by the head rest 23 of the left seat 2L. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the movement of the head of the occupant 1 sitting in the right seat 2R to the left at the time of a side collision, and to further improve the occupant protection.

  Even when the right seat 2R is in the protected state, the headrest 23 is switched to the upright state when a collision against the side surface of the vehicle is detected, whereby the head of the occupant seated in the left seat 2L is selected. It can be easily received by the headrest 23 of the right seat 2R. Therefore, the movement of the head of the occupant sitting in the left seat 2L to the right can be further suppressed, and the occupant protection can be further enhanced.

  (9) Since the seat 2 is connected to the backbone 13, the seat 13 can receive the seat 2 by the backbone 13 when the seat 2 is pushed inward (toward the compartment 20) at the time of a side collision. That is, the backbone 13 can function as a stopper of the seat 2 at the side collision. Therefore, the movement of the protected seat 2 inward in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed, and the occupant protection can be further enhanced.

[5. Modified example]
Regardless of the embodiment described above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The configurations of the present embodiment can be selected as needed, or may be combined as appropriate.

  As shown to FIG. 7 (A) and (B), a passenger | crew protection apparatus may be equipped with the air bag 7 which can be expand | deployed between the sheets 2 mentioned above. The air bag 7 is a center air bag which is housed, for example, in a folded state in the seat back 22 of each sheet 2 and is inflated between two sheets 2 by gas generated from an inflator (not shown) when the vehicle 10 collides. . Note that the storage position of the airbag 7 is not limited to the inside of the seat back 22, and may be, for example, a center console (not shown) provided between the seats 2 or a ceiling of the passenger compartment 20.

  When such an air bag 7 is provided, the sheet 2 in a protected state opens an expansion margin (a space in which the air bag 7 can be expanded) between the back surface 22 b of the seat back 22 and the adjacent sheet 2. Will be placed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the left seat 2L of a vacant seat is in a protected state, the left seat 2L is a seatback of the right seat 2R between the back surface 22b of the seatback 22 and the right seat 2R. It arrange | positions so that the deployment allowance of the airbag 7 expand | deployed from 22 may be ensured. Such arrangement of the left seat 2L can be performed, for example, by controlling the reclining mechanism described above by the control device 6 to adjust the tilt angle of the seat back 22 or adjusting the position of the pivot shaft 5A with respect to the seat 2 It is feasible.

  When a collision of the vehicle 10 is detected when one of the two seats 2 is in a protected state, the airbag 7 housed in the seat back 22 of the seat 2 in the normal state is placed between the seats 2 It is deployed, inflated at the deployment margin described above, and abuts on the back surface 22 b of the seatback 22 of the protected seat 2. As shown in FIG. 7 (B), when the right seat 2R is in the normal state and the left seat 2L is in the protection state, the airbag 7 deployed between the seatback 22 of the right seat 2R and the seat 2 is It abuts on the back surface 22b of the seat back 22 of the left seat 2L.

  Therefore, even if the occupant 1 seated on the right seat 2R moves toward the left seat 2L, the inflated airbag 7 can receive the occupant 1 softly. Further, since the airbag 7 is supported from the left by the seat back 22 of the left seat 2L, it is possible to secure a reaction force acting on the occupant 1 from the airbag 7. Therefore, the occupant 1 who has moved to the left can be received by the seat back 22 of the left seat 2L and the airbag 7, and the movement of the occupant 1 to the left can be more appropriately suppressed.

  As described above, when the occupant protection device includes the airbag 7 as described above, the expansion margin of the airbag 7 is secured between the seatback 22 of the protected seat 2 and the adjacent seat 2, Deployment of the airbag 7 can be facilitated. Further, by supporting the air bag 7 with the seatback 22 of the protected sheet 2, the position of the air bag 7 can be stabilized, and the effect of the air bag 7 can be enhanced. Therefore, passenger protection can be further enhanced.

  The occupant protection system is also applicable to a vehicle in which three or more seats are juxtaposed in the vehicle width direction. In the case of applying the present occupant protection device to such a vehicle, as in the above-described embodiment, by switching a vacant seat out of two adjacent seats to a protected state, the passenger seat is seated on the other seat. The movement of the occupant can be suppressed. For this reason, the passenger protection at the time of a side collision can be enhanced.

  Further, the switching mechanism 5, the bending mechanism 22C, and the tilting mechanism 26 described above may be provided on only one of the two adjacent sheets. For example, in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat of the vehicle, it is rare for the occupant to be seated only in the passenger's seat, so the switching mechanism 5, the bending mechanism 22C and the tilting mechanism 26 are provided only in the passenger's seat to protect the driver. You may make it sex. That is, the switching mechanism 5, the bending mechanism 22C, and the tilting mechanism 26 described above may be provided at least on a vacant seat which is switched to the protection state by the control device 6 out of two adjacent sheets.

Moreover, each structure of the switching mechanism 5 mentioned above, 22 C of bending mechanisms, and the tilting mechanism 26 is an example. Furthermore, the bending mechanism 22C and the tilting mechanism 26 and the respective controls on these may be omitted.
Further, the seat back 22 of the seat 2 is configured to be movable with respect to the seat cushion 21, and when the seat 2 is switched to the normal state and the protection state, only the seat back 22 is moved without moving the seat cushion 21. You may do so. Further, when switching the seat 2 between the normal state and the protected state, if the seat back 22 is tilted toward the seat cushion 21 by controlling the reclining mechanism by the control device 6, then the seat 2 can be normally used even in a narrower space. It is easy to switch between the state and the protection state. In the case where the seat 2 is in a protected state, the back surface 22b of the seatback 22 and the back surface of the headrest 23 can both serve as a surface for receiving an occupant.

  Moreover, the start condition and end condition of protection control mentioned above are an example. For example, the start condition may include a state in which the vehicle 10 can travel (engine ON state, READY ON state) instead of the above-described Condition 3. Similarly, the termination condition may include, in place of the above-mentioned condition 5, that the vehicle 10 can not travel (the engine OFF state, the READY OFF state). The success or failure of condition 2 described above is based on information transmitted from a seat belt sensor that detects the presence or absence of the seat belt provided on each seat 2 instead of (or in addition to) the seating sensor 17 described above. It may be judged.

  The implementation condition of the side collision control described above is also an example. The side collision control may be implemented with a predicted collision to the side of the vehicle 10 instead of (or in addition to) the above-described implementation conditions. In this case, the vehicle 10 may be equipped with, for example, a camera or a radar (information acquisition means) that acquires information for predicting a side collision with the side panel 3 or the pillar 4. Then, when the control device 6 predicts a collision against the side surface of the vehicle 10 based on this information, the tilt mechanism 26 may be controlled so that the headrest 23 of the protected seat 2 is switched to the upright state.

1 crew 2 seat 2 L left seat (seat of vacant seat)
2R right seat (vacant seat)
3 Side panel (side)
5 Switching mechanism 5B Switching motor (actuator)
6 Control device 7 Air bag 10 Vehicle 13 Backbone 16 Side collision sensor (information acquisition means)
21 seat cushion 22 seat back 22a center part 22b in the left and right direction rear face 22C bending mechanism 22d left and right both ends 23 headrest 26 tilting mechanism

Claims (10)

Two seats juxtaposed adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction,
When the occupant is seated on one of the sheets and the other of the sheets is vacant, the control for switching the seat of the vacant seat from the normal state facing forward to the protected state in which the back of the seatback is directed to the one seat A device,
An occupant provided with a seat of the vacant seat, configured to be able to switch the seat of the vacant seat to the normal state and the protected state, and controlled by the control device; Protection device. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the switching mechanism such that the seat of the vacant seat is in the protection state at the start of traveling of the vehicle. The occupant protection system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seat back is formed to be bendable toward the central portion at both end portions in the left-right direction. The seat back has a bending mechanism for bending the both ends toward the central portion,
The control device controls the bending mechanism such that the both ends of the seat back of the sheet are bent toward the back side when the vacant seat is in the protected state. An occupant protection device according to Item 3. The control device is configured to position the headrest in the front-rear direction so that the headrest of the seat is disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction as the head of the occupant sitting when the seat in the vacant seat is in the protected state. The occupant protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The seat back is supported by a seat cushion,
The occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the switching mechanism has an actuator for rotating the seat cushion around an axis extending in the vertical direction. The seat has a tilting mechanism that can be switched between an upright state in which the headrest is upright and a tilted state in which the headrest is tilted toward the seat cushion.
The said control apparatus controls the said tilting mechanism so that the said headrest of the said sheet | seat may be in the said tilting state, when switching the sheet | seat of the vacant seat to the said protection state. An occupant protection device according to any one of the preceding claims. The vehicle includes an information acquisition unit that detects a collision with the side of the vehicle from the outside or acquires information for predicting the collision.
When the seat of the vacant seat is in the protected state and the headrest of the seat is in the inclined state, the control device may detect the collision when the collision is detected or when the collision is predicted based on the information. The occupant protection system according to claim 7, wherein the tilting mechanism is controlled such that the headrest is switched to the upright state. The vehicle includes a backbone extending in the longitudinal direction at a central portion in the vehicle width direction,
The sheet | seat of the said vacant seat is arrange | positioned on both sides of the said backbone with the said sheet | seat of the said normal state, It is connected with the said backbone, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Passenger protection device. A deployable airbag is provided between the two seats,
The seat of the vacant seat is characterized in that, when in the protected state, the airbag has a deployment margin between the rear surface of the seat back and the seat in the normal state. The passenger protection device according to any one of Items 1 to 9.

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