JP2021178554A - Vehicular occupant protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To obtain a vehicular occupant protection device which can retrain an occupant on a vehicle seat regardless of positioning of the vehicle seat during a front collision of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicular occupant protection device 10 includes: a seat back 24 in which first slide rails 16 are formed on both side surfaces; a seat cushion 22 in which second slide rails 18 which are continuous with the first slide rails 16 are formed on both side surfaces; a frame 30 which is disposed at an upper part of the seat back 24 and configured to move along the first slide rails 16 and the second slide rails 18 to a front end part of the seat cushion 22 when a frontal collision of a vehicle is predicated; and an elastic cloth 46 in which one end part is fixed to the upper part of the seat back 24 and the other end part is fixed to the frame 30 and which is configured to cover from a head to shin parts of an occupant P seated on the seat cushion 22 in conjunction with movement of the frame 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device.

Passenger seat occupant protection devices for vehicles in which a passenger airbag is stored in the upper part of an instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as "instrument panel") and a knee airbag is stored in the lower rear part of the instrument panel have been conventionally known. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this passenger seat occupant protection device, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the passenger airbag expands and expands upward and rearward from the upper surface of the instrument panel, and the upper body of the occupant receives reaction force from the front windshield glass and instrument panel. On the other hand, the knee airbag expands from the rear surface of the instrument panel to the rear side and restrains the lower body of the occupant while receiving the reaction force from the instrument panel.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-22416

By the way, in an autonomous vehicle, since the occupant is released from the driving operation, the seat cushion is slid to the rear side to separate the vehicle seat from the steering wheel, and the seat back is greatly tilted backward (hereinafter referred to as "reclining"). It is also assumed that the vehicle is driven in the seat position (referred to as "attitude").

However, in the seat position of this reclining posture, when the vehicle collides in front, the initial distance (initial gap) between the occupant and the airbag and seat belt (shoulder portion) increases in the airbag and seat belt, so that driving is performed. Compared to the seat position in the posture (standard seat position), the occupant restraint force is reduced.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle occupant protection device capable of restraining an occupant on a vehicle seat in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle without depending on the positioning of the vehicle seat.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1 according to the present invention includes a seat back having first slide rails formed on both side surfaces and the first slide rails on both side surfaces. The seat cushion on which a continuous second slide rail is formed and the seat cushion are arranged on the upper part of the seat back, and when the vehicle is predicted to collide in front, the first slide rail and the second slide rail are said to be along the same. A frame configured to be movable to the front end of the seat cushion, one end is fixed to the upper part of the seat back, and the other end is fixed to the frame. It is equipped with an elastic cloth configured to cover the seated occupant from the head to the shin.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is predicted to collide in front, the frame arranged on the upper part of the seat back extends along the first slide rail and the second slide rail to the front end portion of the seat cushion. Moving. At this time, since the other end of the elastic cloth whose one end is fixed to the upper part of the seat back is fixed to the frame, the other end of the elastic cloth is moved from the occupant's head as the frame moves. Move to the shin. As a result, the occupant's head to the shin are covered with the elastic cloth, and the occupant is restrained by the seat back and the seat cushion. That is, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the occupant is restrained by the vehicle seat regardless of the positioning of the vehicle seat.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the event of a frontal collision of a vehicle, the occupant can be restrained by the vehicle seat regardless of the positioning of the vehicle seat.

It is a perspective view which shows after deployment of the occupant protection device for a vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the seat back and the seat cushion which constitute the occupant protection device for a vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. (A) It is a side view which shows the connection part (virtual circle part of FIG. 2) of a 1st slide rail and a 2nd slide rail when the seat back takes a driving posture in an enlarged manner. (B) It is a side view which shows the connection part (virtual circle part of FIG. 2) of a 1st slide rail and a 2nd slide rail when a seat back takes a reclining posture in an enlarged manner. It is a front view which shows the frame which constitutes the occupant protection device for a vehicle which concerns on this embodiment when a seat back takes a reclining posture. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the frame which constitutes the occupant protection device for a vehicle which concerns on this embodiment, and the restraint net. (A) It is a side view which shows the state of the frame before the collision prediction of the vehicle occupant protection device which concerns on this embodiment in a partial cross section. (B) It is a side view which shows the state of the frame after the collision prediction of the vehicle occupant protection device which concerns on this embodiment in a partial cross section. (A)-(C) It is explanatory drawing which shows the deployment process of the occupant protection device for a vehicle which concerns on this Embodiment when it predicts that a vehicle collides in front. It is a side view which shows the deployed state of the occupant protection device for a vehicle which concerns on this Embodiment after predicting a frontal collision of a vehicle. It is a side view which shows the mode that the occupant is restrained by the vehicle seat by the vehicle occupant protection device which concerns on this embodiment when a vehicle collides from the front.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow UP appropriately shown in each figure is the upward direction of the vehicle seat, the arrow FR is the front direction of the vehicle seat, and the arrow RH is the right direction of the vehicle seat. Therefore, in the following description, when the directions of up / down, front / rear, and left / right are described without special mention, it means the top / bottom of the vehicle seat, the front / rear of the vehicle seat, and the left / right of the vehicle seat.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided on the vehicle seat 20 provided in the vehicle 12 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The vehicle seat 20 has a seat cushion 22 that supports the legs and buttocks of the seated occupant P, and a seat back 24 that supports the back of the seated occupant P. A pair of left and right seat cushion frames (not shown) are embedded in the seat cushion 22, and a pair of left and right seat back frames 26 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) are embedded in the seat back 24. The vehicle 12 also includes an autonomous driving vehicle.

The vehicle seat 20 is configured such that the seat cushion 22 is slidable in the front-rear direction so as to be able to approach and separate from the steering wheel 13 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The seat back 24 is configured to be tiltable backward so that it can take a reclining posture.

Further, on both lower side portions of the seat back 24, side view substantially triangular projecting portions 28 projecting toward the front side of the seat at a predetermined height are formed, and the seated occupant P is formed in the left-right direction of the lumbar region. The movement of the is regulated by the protrusion 28. That is, the vehicle seat 20 is a so-called shell type seat.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 (only the left side surface is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 but the right side surface is also the same), both side surfaces of the seat back 24 (outer surface of the seat back frame 26). Is provided with a first slide rail 16 along the longitudinal direction of the seat back 24 in a side view. A second slide rail 18 along the longitudinal direction of the seat cushion 22 is provided on both side surfaces (outer surface of the seat cushion frame) of the seat cushion 22 so as to be continuous with the first slide rail 16. ing.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 are each formed in a substantially "C" cross section. That is, opening grooves 16A and 18A along the longitudinal direction are formed on the outer sides of the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 in the seat width direction, respectively. Then, the frame 30 can move from the upper part of the seat back 24 to the front end portion of the seat cushion 22 (the front end portion of the second slide rail 18) along the opening grooves 16A and 18A.

It should be noted that the boundary portion between the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 is such that the opening groove 16A and the opening groove 18A are continuous even if the backward tilt angle of the seat back 24 with respect to the seat cushion 22 changes. The hinge portion 17 is configured to be coaxial with the rotation fulcrum of the seat back 24 with respect to the seat cushion 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

The frame 30 is arranged above the seat back 24 in normal times (when the control unit 14 described later does not predict a collision with the vehicle 12), and is formed in a substantially inverted “U” shape when viewed from the front. There is. More specifically, the frame 30 has a cylindrical main body portion 32 extending in the seat width direction, and a cylindrical and substantially “L” -shaped side portion 36 when viewed from the front. Consists of ,. The inner diameter of the main body 32 and the outer diameter of the side 36 are substantially the same. A frame 30 having a "U" shape is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an energy absorbing member (hereinafter referred to as “EA material”) 34 has substantially the same length as the main body 32 on approximately half (approximately half circumference) of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 32. It is provided in. The EA material 34 is made of an elastic body such as urethane foam to have a predetermined thickness, and is attached to approximately half of the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 32 with an adhesive or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the ring member 38 is fitted and fixed at a predetermined position on the one end portion 36A side of the side portion 36, respectively. Even if the main body portion 32 moves in the left-right direction relative to the side portion 36 by the ring member 38 (even if the side portion 36 moves in the left-right direction relative to the main body portion 32), the ring member 38 thereof. Movement is now restricted. That is, the ring member 38 is a retaining member for preventing the main body portion 32 from falling off from the side portion 36.

Further, on the inner surface of the other end portion 36B of the side portion 36, a fitting portion 40 slidably fitted to the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 is provided. The fitting portion 40 is formed in a substantially “T” shape in front view that protrudes inward in the seat width direction. That is, the fitting portion 40 is composed of a columnar shaft portion 42 projecting from the inner surface of the other end portion 36B of the side portion 36 and a disc portion 44 integrally provided at the tip of the shaft portion 42. It is configured.

As a matter of course, the outer diameter of the disk portion 44 is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 42. Further, the width of the opening groove 16A of the first slide rail 16 and the width of the opening groove 18A of the second slide rail 18 are formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 42 and smaller than the outer diameter of the disk portion 44, respectively. Has been done.

As a result, the disk portion 44 can slide in the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 without being disengaged from the inside of the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18. There is. Further, as described above, since the side portion 36 can be moved in the left-right direction relative to the main body portion 32, even if the width of the seat back 24 and the width of the seat cushion 22 are different, it is possible to cope with it. It has become.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a cylindrical restraint net 46, which is an example of an elastic cloth, is wound around the upper end portions 26A of the pair of left and right seat back frames 26 embedded in the seat back 24. A shaft portion 48A that rotatably supports the rotating member 48 of the above is attached with the seat width direction as the axial direction.

One end of the restraint net 46 in the longitudinal direction is attached to and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 48, and the upper end portion 26A (seat occupant P) of the seat back frame 26 is wound around the rotating member 48. It is arranged at the upper end portion of the seat back 24 located above the head of the vehicle.

The other end of the restraint net 46 in the longitudinal direction is pulled out from a slit portion (not shown) formed in the skin of the seat back 24, and is attached to and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 32 of the frame 30. .. The width of the restraint net 46 (length in the seat width direction) is substantially the same as the length between the ring member 38 on the left side and the ring member 38 on the right side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a step portion 24A having a substantially inverted "U" shape in front view capable of accommodating the frame 30 is formed on the peripheral portion of the front surface of the upper portion of the seat back 24. In other words, a reduced portion 24B that is one size smaller than the upper portion of the seat back 24 is formed on the front surface of the upper portion of the seat back 24, and a step portion 24A is formed around the reduced portion 24B. The depth of the step portion 24A is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the frame 30 (main body portion 32).

Therefore, in normal times (when the control unit 14 described later does not predict the collision of the vehicle 12), the frame 30 is formed on the inner surface of the side portion 36, the outer peripheral surface of the EA material 34, and the upper portion of the seat back 24. It is held by frictional force with the edge end surfaces (upper surface and left and right side surfaces) of the reduced portion 24B, and is accommodated in the stepped portion 24A formed on the upper portion of the seat back 24.

Further, each of the pair of left and right seat back frames 26 is provided with an extrusion mechanism 50 for projecting the frame 30 toward the front side of the seat. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each extrusion mechanism 50 hits the side portion 36 of the frame 30 from the rear side of the seat, and the extrusion plate 56 for causing the frame 30 to protrude to the front side of the seat and the extrusion plate 56 for the front side of the seat. It has a coil spring 54 that urges the coil spring 54, and a housing 52 that houses the extrusion plate 56 and the coil spring 54.

Each housing 52 is attached and fixed to the outer surface on the upper side of the pair of left and right seat back frames 26. Each extruded plate 56 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape whose vertical direction is the longitudinal direction, so that the surface 56A thereof is exposed from an opening (not shown) formed in the step portion 24A of the seat back 24. It has become. The same material as the skin of the seat back 24 may be attached to the surface 56A of each extruded plate 56. In this case, each extruded plate 56 provided on the step portion 24A can be made inconspicuous.

One end of each coil spring 54 is attached to the inner wall surface 52A on the rear side of the seat of the housing 52, and the other end is attached to the back surface 56B of the extrusion plate 56. Further, each housing 52 is provided with a stopper (not shown) for holding the extrusion plate 56 in the housing 52. Each stopper is configured by a known mechanism so as to be released by the control of the control unit 14 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) provided in the vehicle 12.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the normal state (when the control unit 14 does not predict the collision of the vehicle 12), the extrusion plate 56 is provided with the coil spring 54 by the stopper provided on the housing 52. It is held in the housing 52 against the urging force of. Then, when the control unit 14 predicts (detects) that the vehicle 12 collides in front, the stopper is released by the control of the control unit 14, and the extrusion plate 56 is coiled as shown in FIG. 7B. By the urging force of the spring 54, it pops out to the front side of the seat and hits the side portion 36 of the frame 30.

As a result, the frame 30 (main body portion 32) rotates (jumps out) toward the front side of the seat with the fitting portion 40 (shaft portion 42 and disk portion 44) as a fulcrum, and is directly affected by its own weight and the inertial force at the time of popping out. It is designed to move downward. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the frame 30 moves along the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 to the front end portion of the seat cushion 22, and a wide range from the head to the shin of the seated occupant P. Is covered with a restraint net 46.

Next, the operation of the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

When the vehicle 12 is in automatic driving, the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 20 is released from the driving operation. Therefore, the occupant P slides the seat cushion 22 of the vehicle seat 20 to the rear side so as to be separated from the steering wheel 13, and reclines the seat back 24 (the seat back 24 is greatly tilted backward and horizontally. (Make it closer).

In this case, when the control unit 14 predicts (detects) a frontal collision of the vehicle 12, the stopper provided in the housing 52 of the extrusion mechanism 50 is released. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the extrusion plate 56 protrudes to the front side of the seat by the urging force of the coil spring 54 and hits the side portion 36 of the frame 30.

As a result, the main body 32 of the frame 30 rotates (jumps out) toward the front of the seat with the fitting portion 40 (shaft portion 42 and disk portion 44) as a fulcrum, and the restraint net 46 wound around the rotating member 48. Pull out. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8A, the rotating member 48 rotates with the rotation of the frame 30 toward the front side of the seat, and the restraint net 46 is pulled out toward the front side of the seat.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the frame 30 has a fitting portion due to the weight of the main body portion 32 (including the EA material 34) and the inertial force when the extruded plate 56 pops out to the front side of the seat. The restraint net 46 is further pulled out while moving along the first slide rail 16 via the 40.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, the frame 30 moves along the second slide rail 18 via the fitting portion 40 due to the weight of the main body portion 32 and the inertial force described above. The restraint net 46 is further pulled out and stopped at the front end portion of the seat cushion 22 (front end portion of the second slide rail 18).

At this time, the main body 32 of the frame 30 rotates toward the front of the seat and reaches the shin of the occupant P. Here, since the EA material 34 is provided on the main body portion 32, the EA material 34 hits the shin portion of the occupant P. Therefore, even if the main body portion 32 of the frame 30 rotates toward the front side of the seat and reaches the shin portion of the occupant P, the shin portion of the occupant P is not damaged.

Further, the hinge portion 17 of the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18 is configured to be coaxial with the rotation fulcrum of the seat back 24 with respect to the seat cushion 22, and the opening groove 16A and the opening groove 18A are formed. It is configured to be continuous (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the fitting portion 40 (shaft portion 42 and disk portion 44) can smoothly move from the first slide rail 16 to the second slide rail 18.

As described above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, a wide range from the head to the shin of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 20 in which the seat back 24 is in the reclining posture is restrained. Covered by net 46. Therefore, immediately after that, even if the vehicle 12 in automatic driving collides in front and the occupant P in the reclining posture tries to move to the front side of the seat by inertial force, the movement (behavior) of the occupant P is suppressed by the restraint net 46. (Indicated by an arrow in FIG. 10).

That is, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle 12 during automatic driving, the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 20 is restrained by the vehicle seat 20 by the restraint net 46 and is arranged on the front side of the vehicle seat 20. Collision with interior parts (for example, steering wheel 13 and the like) is avoided. Moreover, since the frame 30 reaches the shin portion of the occupant P, the lower limbs of the occupant P can also be restrained by the vehicle seat 20 by the frame 30.

Even if the seat back 24 is not in the reclining posture, such as when the occupant P is in the driving posture with hands off, if the occupant P is not gripping the steering wheel 13, the frame 30 is as described above. It can be moved and the restraint net 46 can cover a wide range from the head to the shin of the occupant P.

As described above, according to the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the occupant P is the vehicle seat 20 regardless of the positioning of the vehicle seat 20 (seat back 24) at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle 12. It can be restrained and the occupant P can be protected.

Further, since the restraint net 46 covers (wraps) a wide range from the head to the shin of the occupant P, the inertial force causes not only the frontal collision of the vehicle 12 but also the rearward collision, the side collision, and the like. The movement (behavior) of the occupant P can be suppressed. That is, according to the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the occupant P is constrained to the vehicle seat 20 by the restraint net 46 and the frame 30 even when a load is applied to the vehicle 12 from all directions. And can protect the occupant P.

The vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, but the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawing, and is not limited to the one shown in the drawing. The design can be changed as appropriate within the range that does not deviate from the gist.

For example, the elastic cloth is not limited to the restraint net 46, and may be any cloth-like material having elasticity. Further, when the width of the seat back 24 and the width of the seat cushion 22 are the same, the side portion 36 may not be movable in the left-right direction relative to the main body portion 32.

Further, even if the frame 30 is configured to move by being pulled to the front end portion of the seat cushion 22 by, for example, a wire (not shown) instead of its own weight when a collision of the vehicle 12 is predicted (detected). good. That is, one end of the wire or the like is attached to the shaft portion 42, the wire or the like is arranged along the first slide rail 16 and the second slide rail 18, and the other end of the wire or the like is arranged on the front end portion side of the seat cushion 22. It may be configured to wind up the part side.

Further, when the frame 30 is made of a magnetic material, in a normal state (when the control unit 14 does not predict the collision of the vehicle 12), the frame 30 is reduced by the reduced portion formed on the upper part of the seat back 24. It may be configured to be attracted and held by the magnetic force of a magnet (not shown) provided on the lower side of the extrusion plate 56 in the housing 52, for example, instead of the frictional force with the edge surface of the 24B.

10 Vehicle occupant protection device 12 Vehicle 16 1st slide rail 18 2nd slide rail 22 Seat cushion 24 Seat back 30 Frame 46 Restraint net (elastic cloth)
P Crew

Claims (1)

A seat back with first slide rails on both sides,
A seat cushion having a second slide rail continuous with the first slide rail on both sides, and a seat cushion.
A frame that is placed on the upper part of the seat back and is configured to be movable along the first slide rail and the second slide rail to the front end portion of the seat cushion when the vehicle is predicted to collide in front. ,
One end is fixed to the upper part of the seat back and the other end is fixed to the frame so as to cover from the head to the shin of the occupant seated on the seat cushion as the frame moves. With an elastic cloth composed of
Vehicle occupant protection device equipped with.

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