JP2022152066A - air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air bag device which can mitigate damage when colliding with an obstacle.SOLUTION: An air bag device comprises: a plurality of air bags 30C, 30R, 30L which are arranged at a vehicle body front part in a vehicle width direction; a pre-crash determination part 120; an air bag development control part 110 which develops the air bags according to the establishment of the pre-crash determination; and air bag rotation control part in which the air bags 30R, 30L at side end parts are rotatably supported to be shaken out outward and switchable between a rotation restriction state and a rotation allowable state. The air bag rotation control part performs an end side air bag rotation control which lets an air bag arranged at the side where crashing against an obstacle in the vehicle width direction be in the rotation allowable state according to precursory phenomenon of off-set collision with the obstacle or occurrence thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an airbag device having an airbag that deploys from the front portion of a vehicle such as an automobile to the outside of the vehicle.

As a technology related to an airbag device that deploys to the outside of a vehicle such as an automobile, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an airbag system equipped with a plurality of exterior airbags to mitigate the impact on the vehicle in a frontal collision. It is stated that
In Patent Document 2, a bag-shaped structure that retains gas or the like is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle body, and a part of the bag-shaped structure changes its volume at the time of a collision, and the fixed part of the bag-shaped structure separates. It is described to be configured as follows.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-526593 JP 2012-101657 A

In general, vehicles such as automobiles are designed in consideration of collapsing the front structure of the vehicle body to absorb the impact energy in the event of a frontal collision.
As described in Patent Document 1 and the like, even when the airbag is deployed outside the vehicle, the load received by the airbag is normally transmitted to the vehicle body structural members, and the collision cannot be absorbed by the airbag. Energy will be absorbed by the crushing of the body structure.
In many cases, such energy absorption is based on the assumption that the other vehicle that collides with the subject vehicle has a vehicle weight equivalent to that of the own vehicle, and that the vehicle collides at a relative speed of, for example, several tens of kilometers per hour.
However, in reality, collisions with vehicles larger than the own vehicle, collisions with vehicles traveling faster than expected speed, multiple collisions with multiple vehicles in succession, etc. may occur. It is conceivable that sufficient energy absorption cannot be performed only by the collapse of the .
For this reason, it is desired to reduce the damage at the time of collision without excessively depending on the vehicle body structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device capable of reducing damage when colliding with an object.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the airbag system of the present invention has a plurality of airbags arranged in the vehicle width direction, which are deployed forward from the front part of the vehicle body, and a predetermined possibility of collision with an object. A pre-crash determination unit that establishes a pre-crash determination in the above cases, an airbag deployment control unit that deploys the airbag in response to the establishment of the pre-crash determination, and a collision type that determines the type of collision with the object. and a discriminating portion, wherein the airbag disposed at the end portion in the vehicle width direction is rotatably supported in a direction in which the front end portion is swung outward in the vehicle width direction. and an airbag rotation control unit capable of switching between a rotation restriction state in which the rotation is restricted and a rotation permission state in which the rotation is permitted, and the airbag rotation control unit is configured to control the collision mode when the collision mode is offset. In the case of a collision, end airbag rotation control is performed so that the airbag at the end on the offset collision side in the vehicle width direction is placed in a rotation permitting state.
According to this, at the time of an offset collision, the front end of the airbag at the end on the collision side in the vehicle width direction is rotated in a direction in which the front end is swung outward in the vehicle width direction, so that the surface of the airbag hits the object. In the close contact state, the object is guided by the rotation of the airbag and relatively displaced outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the own vehicle.
As a result, the collision energy of the object is converted into kinetic energy that moves the object away from the own vehicle, thereby reducing the amount of collision energy absorbed by the body of the own vehicle and suppressing damage such as damage to the passenger compartment.

In the present invention, an airbag contraction control unit for individually controlling contraction of the plurality of airbags is provided, and the airbag contraction control unit rotates the airbags prior to the end airbag rotation control. is deflated, and the end airbag deflation control is performed to maintain the deployment of the other airbag.
According to this, the airbag is first contracted by a predetermined amount to absorb a portion of the collision energy, and then the airbag is rotated to convert the remaining collision energy into kinetic energy, which is input to the vehicle body structure. The above effects can be obtained while reducing energy and suppressing damage.

In the present invention, the airbag deflation control section may be configured to suppress the deflation of the airbag after the deflated airbag has deflated over a predetermined target stroke.
According to this, after a predetermined amount of energy is absorbed by the contraction of the airbag, the contraction of the airbag is suppressed to generate a sufficient drag, so that the above effects can be obtained more effectively. .

In the present invention, the airbag that is allowed to rotate by the airbag rotation control is attached to the vehicle body by a plurality of support points distributed in the vehicle width direction, and the airbag rotation control unit can be configured such that the airbag is allowed to rotate by disabling the support point on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.
According to this, the airbag can be changed from the rotation restricted state to the rotation permitted state with a simple configuration.

In the present invention, the vehicle includes a yaw moment generating device that generates a yaw moment in the vehicle body, and the airbag rotation control unit moves the airbag at one end in the vehicle width direction to the rotation permitted state. In this case, the yaw moment generating device can be configured to generate a yaw moment toward the other side in the vehicle width direction.
According to this, it is possible to more effectively keep the vehicle away from the object by performing end airbag rotation control and generating a yaw moment that causes the vehicle to turn in a direction to avoid the object.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an airbag device capable of reducing damage when colliding with an object.

It is a figure showing typically composition of an embodiment of an air bag device to which the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram showing typically composition of a system which controls an air bag device of an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the airbag device of the embodiment at the time of a collision; It is a figure which shows typically an example of the state after the vehicle which has the airbag apparatus of embodiment collided with another vehicle. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing another example of a state after the vehicle having the airbag device of the embodiment has collided with another vehicle;

An embodiment of an airbag device to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
The airbag device of the embodiment is provided, for example, in the front part of the vehicle body of an automobile such as a passenger car, and aims to reduce damage when the vehicle collides with an object such as another vehicle.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an airbag device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a vehicle having an airbag device according to an embodiment is viewed from above.
The vehicle 1 has, for example, a so-called two-box vehicle shape having an engine compartment 20 projecting forward from a vehicle interior 10 .

The passenger compartment 10 is a portion having a space in which a passenger and the like are accommodated.
The engine compartment 20 is a portion having a space for accommodating power train components such as an engine, a transmission, and, in the case of an electric vehicle, a motor generator and its control devices.
The engine compartment 20 is provided with a front side frame 21, a bumper beam 22, a front bumper 23, and the like.

The front side frame 21 is a structural member that protrudes forward of the vehicle from a toeboard (not shown) that is a partition wall provided at the front end of the vehicle compartment 10 .
The front side frame 21 functions as a base to which, for example, a powertrain, a cross member to which a front suspension is attached, a strut housing that accommodates an upper strut of a MacPherson strut type front suspension, and the like are attached.
The front side frame 21 has a rectangular closed cross section when viewed in the vehicle front-rear direction, for example, by assembling and welding members formed by press-molding a steel plate.

The bumper beam 22 is a structural member provided in the front portion of the vehicle body and extending in the vehicle width direction.
The bumper beam 22 is formed into a beam shape with a closed cross-section, for example, by assembling and welding members formed by press-molding steel plates, or by using an extruded material of an aluminum-based alloy.
The bumper beam 22 has an intermediate portion connected to the front end portions of the left and right front side frames 21 .
Both ends of the bumper beam 22 in the vehicle width direction protrude outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the front side frame 21 .
The bumper beam 22 is a load transmission member that transmits the load received from the collision opponent object to the center airbag 30C, the right airbag 30R, and the left airbag 30L, which will be described later, to the rear side of the vehicle body via the front side frame 21 .

The front bumper 23 is an exterior member provided at the front end of the vehicle body, and is constructed by attaching a bumper face, which is formed of, for example, a PP-based resin and constitutes a skin portion, to the vehicle body with a bracket or the like (not shown).
The front portion of the front bumper 23 is curved so that the front side of the vehicle is convex when the vehicle 1 is viewed from above.
The bumper beam 22 is formed in an arc shape that is convex toward the front of the vehicle along the curve of the front surface of the front bumper 23 when the vehicle 1 is viewed from above.

The airbag device of the embodiment includes a central airbag 30C, a right airbag 30R, and a left airbag 30L.
Each airbag is formed in a bag shape by joining panels made of a base fabric such as nylon 66 fabric, for example, and is blown with deployment gas generated by the inflator 111 in response to the establishment of the pre-crash determination. ,expand.

The center airbag 30C is provided at the center of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction.
The right airbag 30R is provided adjacent to the center airbag 30C on the right side in the vehicle width direction.
The left airbag 30L is provided adjacent to the center airbag 30C on the left side in the vehicle width direction.
The central airbag 30C, the right airbag 30R, and the left airbag 30L are attached to the bumper beam 22 in a folded state and housed inside the front bumper 23 in a normal state (before the pre-crash determination is established). there is
In the event of a collision, each airbag breaks a fragile portion formed in the front bumper 23 to be extended forward of the vehicle, and deployed forward with respect to the front surface of the front bumper 23 .

The right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L are attached to the vehicle body at an inner attachment portion 31 and an outer attachment portion 32, respectively.
The inner mounting portion 31 is provided near the inner end in the vehicle width direction at the rear ends of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L.
The outer mounting portion 32 is provided near the outer end in the vehicle width direction at the rear end of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L.
The outer mounting portion 32 supports the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L so as to be rotatable (swingable) about an axis along the vertical direction.
In addition, the inner mounting portion 31 is disabled (disengaged) by a mounting portion disabling actuator 114, which will be described later, in accordance with a command from the airbag control unit 110, and the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30R from the bumper beam 22 and the front bumper 23, respectively. The bag 30L can be separated. The inner mounting portion 31 is a support point that supports the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L on at least one of the bumper beam 22 and the front bumper 23, and the support state thereof is set to a non-supporting state by the mounting portion disabling actuator 114. (For example, the inner mounting portion 31 is movable in the vertical direction by the mounting portion disabling actuator 114, and serves as an engaging portion that engages the bumper beam 22 or the front bumper 23 when the vertical position of the inner mounting portion 31 is at a predetermined position. and is disengaged from the bumper beam 22 or front bumper 23 by being driven to a position other than the predetermined position by the mounting portion disabling actuator 114 .
When the inner mounting portion 31 is disabled, the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L move their front ends outward in the vehicle width direction around the vertical axis passing through the outer mounting portion 32 from the rotation restricted state in which the rotation is restricted. It will be in a rotation allowable state in which it can rotate so as to swing out.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that schematically shows the configuration of a system that controls the airbag device of the embodiment.
A system for controlling the airbag device includes an airbag control unit 110, an environment recognition unit 120, a behavior control unit 130, and the like.
Each of these units can be configured as a microcomputer having, for example, an information processing section (processor) such as a CPU, a storage section such as a RAM and a ROM, an input/output interface, and a bus connecting them.
Further, each unit can communicate with each other by being connected directly or via an in-vehicle LAN such as a CAN communication system.

The airbag control unit 110 gives commands to the inflator 111 and the vent control valve 112 and controls them to deploy the right airbag 30R, the central airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L, and to control the deployment state. It is.
The airbag control unit 110 functions as an airbag deployment control section of the present invention.
The airbag control unit 110 also cooperates with the vent control valve 112 to function as the airbag deflation control of the present invention.
In addition, the airbag control unit 110 has a function of controlling a mounting portion disabling actuator 114 that disables the inner mounting portions 31 of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L.
This point will be described in detail later.

The inflator 111 is a chemical (explosive) gas generator that generates deployment gas for deploying each airbag in accordance with a command from the airbag control unit 110 .
The inflators 111 are provided independently for the right airbag 30R, the central airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L, respectively. It is possible to individually control the timing.

The vent control valve 112 is provided in each of the right airbag 30R, the center airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L, and opens and closes a vent passage (not shown) for discharging gas from each airbag (for example, opening to the atmosphere). .
The vent control valve 112 has a function of independently opening and closing the vent channels of the right airbag 30R, the center airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L according to commands from the airbag control unit 110, for example.
The vent control valve 112 may be configured with, for example, an electromagnetic valve.

A pressure sensor 113 is provided in the airbag control unit 110 .
The pressure sensor 113 has a function of detecting the internal pressures of the right airbag 30R, the central airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L.
Based on the output of the pressure sensor 113, the airbag control unit 110 can determine the state of load input from other vehicles to the right airbag 30R, center airbag 30C, and left airbag 30L.

The mounting portion disabling actuator 114 disables the inner mounting portion 31 of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L in accordance with a command from the airbag control unit 110. FIG.
When the inner mounting portion 31 is disabled, the regions around the inner mounting portion 31 of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L separate (drop off) from the front bumper 23 .
Various types of actuators, such as a chemical (explosive) type or an electromagnetic type, can be used as the mounting section invalidation actuator 114 . The airbag control unit 110 and the attachment disable actuator 114 cooperate to function as an airbag rotation control unit of the present invention.

The environment recognition unit 120 recognizes the environment around the vehicle based on the outputs of various sensors.
The environment recognition unit 120 has a function of recognizing, for example, various objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, trees, and landforms around the vehicle 1 (own vehicle), road shape (lane shape), and the like.
The environment recognition unit 120 functions as a pre-crash determination section that establishes a pre-crash determination when a collision with an object such as another vehicle is unavoidable (when the collision probability is greater than or equal to a predetermined value).
The environment recognition unit 120 is connected with a stereo camera device 121, a millimeter wave radar device 122, a laser scanner device 123, and the like.

The stereo camera device 121 has a pair of cameras spaced apart by a predetermined distance (base line length), and recognizes objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycle occupants, and uses known stereo image processing to , has the function of detecting the relative position of an object with respect to the vehicle 1 .
The stereo camera device 121 has a function of recognizing attributes of objects by pattern recognition of captured images. For example, when the object is another vehicle, it has a function of recognizing the size of the other vehicle (whether or not it is a large vehicle such as a truck, a bus, or a large SUV that is significantly heavier than the vehicle 1). .
The millimeter wave radar device 122 is, for example, a radar device using radio waves in a frequency band of 30 to 300 GHz, and has a function of detecting the presence or absence of an object and the relative position of the object with respect to the vehicle 1 .

A laser scanner device (LIDAR) 123 scans the periphery of the vehicle 1 by irradiating, for example, a pulsed near-infrared laser beam, and detects the presence or absence of an object and the vehicle based on the presence or absence of reflected light and the time difference until the reflected light returns. It has a function to detect the relative position of an object with respect to 1, the shape of the object, and so on.
For example, when a collision with an object such as another vehicle is unavoidable (when the pre-crash determination is established), the environment recognition unit 120 determines the collision mode with the object (for example, the velocity vector of the object with respect to the vehicle 1, the collision position, etc.) and the attributes of the object (for example, in the case of a vehicle, the vehicle type, vehicle shape, size, etc.) can be recognized.
The environment recognition unit 120 has a function as a collision type determination section.

The behavior control unit 130 controls the braking force of each wheel in a hydraulic service brake device (not shown) to perform vehicle behavior control for suppressing oversteering behavior or understeering behavior of the vehicle, antilock brake control, and the like. ing.
A vehicle speed sensor 131 , an acceleration sensor 132 , a yaw rate sensor 133 and the like are connected to the behavior control unit 130 .
The vehicle speed sensor 131 is provided adjacent to, for example, a hub bearing portion that rotatably supports a wheel, and outputs a vehicle speed signal having a frequency proportional to the rotational speed of the wheel.
The behavior control unit 130 has a function of calculating the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed signal.
The acceleration sensor 132 detects longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle body.
The yaw rate sensor 133 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle body.
Further, the behavior control unit 130 generates a braking force difference between the left and right wheels when executing the end airbag rotation control described later, and moves the vehicle to the side opposite to the collision side (the side avoiding the other vehicle V). ), it functions as a yaw moment generating device that generates a yaw moment for turning.

Next, operation of the airbag device of the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the airbag device of the embodiment at the time of collision.
Each step will be described in order below.

<Step S01: Judgment of establishment of pre-crash determination>
The environment recognition unit 120 uses a known pre-crash determination logic to estimate the possibility of a collision with another vehicle approaching from the front of the vehicle 1 (an example of an object referred to in the present invention), and Determine whether the probability is equal to or greater than a preset threshold.
If the possibility of a collision occurring is equal to or greater than the threshold, the pre-crash determination is made assuming that the collision is unavoidable, and the process proceeds to step S02. Otherwise, the series of processing ends (returns).

<Step S02: Deploy All Airbags>
The airbag control unit 110 gives an operation command to the inflator 111 to deploy the right airbag 30R, the central airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L.
At this time, the vent control valve 112 is in a state of closing the vent channel of each airbag.
After that, the process proceeds to step S03.

<Step S03: Collision Mode Recognition>
The airbag control unit 110 recognizes the type of collision of another vehicle with the vehicle 1 .
The collision mode can be recognized based on, for example, the internal pressure of each airbag detected by the pressure sensor 113 .
For example, when the internal pressure of some of the airbags is higher than the internal pressure of the other airbags, it can be recognized that the other vehicle is in contact with only the airbags. In particular, when the increase in internal pressure of one of the right airbag 30R or the left airbag 30L is greater than the increase in internal pressure of the central airbag 30C and there is no significant change in the internal pressure of the other of the right airbag 30R or the left airbag 30L. , another vehicle or the like can be recognized as an offset collision, in which the vehicle or the like collides mainly with either the right airbag 30R or the left airbag 30L.
Further, instead of recognizing the type of collision using the pressure sensor 113, the airbag control unit 110 may recognize the type of collision based on the outputs of the environment recognition unit 120 and the behavior control unit 130. FIG.
For example, an offset collision or the like may be determined based on the result of monitoring the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle 1 before and after the collision using the stereo camera device 121 or the like.
Also, based on the vehicle body behavior detected by the acceleration sensor 132 and the yaw rate sensor 133, an offset collision or the like may be determined.
After that, the process proceeds to step S04.

<Step S04: Offset Collision Determination>
The airbag control unit 110 determines whether the type of collision recognized in step S03 is a specific offset collision in which collision damage can be reduced by end airbag rotation control, which will be described later.
For example, in a state where the other vehicle has a wrap rate with respect to the vehicle 1 that is, for example, a predetermined value or less and is in contact with the center airbag 30 and one of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L, If the vehicle's velocity vector is within a predetermined angular range and the vehicle collides, it can be determined to be a specific offset collision.
Such a determination can be made, for example, based on the output of the pressure sensor 113, the environment recognition unit 120, or the like.
In this specification and the scope of the claims, the offset collision includes an oblique offset collision (so-called oblique collision) in which an object such as another vehicle collides along a direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the own vehicle. .
If the collision is determined to be a specific offset collision, the process proceeds to step S06. Otherwise (for example, a full-wrap collision or an offset collision in which the wrap rate is out of a predetermined range), the process proceeds to step S05.

<Step S05: Open All Airbag Vent Control Valves>
The airbag control unit 110 commands the vent control valve 112 to open the vent channels for all of the right airbag 30R, center airbag 30C, and left airbag 30L.
Thus, in the event of a full-wrap collision, for example, the maximum possible energy absorption by the airbag system can be achieved by deflating and deflating all the airbags in response to the collision.
Such deflation of the airbag can be suppressed by, for example, closing the vent control valve 112 after the airbag deflates for a preset predetermined stroke (here, the amount of deflation in the front-rear direction). can.
Also, after the collision, the vent control valve 112 may be kept open.
After that, the series of processing ends (returns).

<Step S06: Collision Side Airbag Vent Control Valve Open>
The airbag control unit 110 gives a command to the vent control valve 112 to open one of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L on the side of the collision with another vehicle and end airbag contraction control is performed to exhaust the gas from the airbag and contract it in the front-rear direction.
At this time, the vent channels of the other airbags are kept closed. This maintains the deployed state of the other airbags.
After that, the process proceeds to step S07.

<Step S07: Target Stroke Arrival Determination>
The airbag control unit 110 controls that the airbag whose vent passage has been opened in step S06 contracts while exhausting gas due to the input from the other vehicle, and the dimension in the longitudinal direction decreases over a predetermined target stroke (impact absorption stroke). determine whether it did.
For example, the target stroke can be set larger according to the increase in the size of the other vehicle V recognized by the environment recognition unit 120 (increase in the estimated weight of the other vehicle).
Also, the target stroke can be set larger according to, for example, an increase in the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle V recognized by the environment recognition unit 120 .
As a result, the amount of energy absorbed by each airbag can be increased when the collision energy is large.
If the amount of contraction in the longitudinal direction of the airbag with the vent channel opened reaches the target stroke, the process proceeds to step S08; otherwise, step S07 is repeated.

<Step S08: Close Vent Control Valve>
The airbag control unit 110 gives a command to the vent control valve 112 to close the vent channel opened in step S06.
As a result, the airbag is brought into a state in which it can generate a drag force according to an input from the other vehicle V. As shown in FIG.
After that, the process proceeds to step S09.

<Step S09: Invalidation of End Airbag Inner Mounting Portion>
The airbag control unit 110 gives a command to the attachment portion disabling actuator 114, and the inner side of the right airbag 30R or the left airbag 30L where the collision occurs (the side where the vent flow path is opened in step S06). End airbag rotation control for disabling the mounting portion 31 is performed.
As a result, the front end of the airbag swings outward in the vehicle width direction around the outer mounting portion 32, and guides the other vehicle V away from the vehicle 1 (passes by).
At this time, the behavior control unit 130 controls the braking force of the brake device provided for each wheel to generate a difference in braking force between the left and right wheels, thereby causing the vehicle 1 to turn in the opposite direction to the other vehicle V side. It is possible to perform control to generate moment.
After that, the series of processing ends.

In the embodiment, as described above, the right airbag 30R, the central airbag 30C, and the left airbag 30L are all deployed as shown in FIG. .
At this time, the inner mounting portions 31 of the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L are not disabled, and each airbag is in a rotation restricted state.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a state after the vehicle having the airbag device of the embodiment collides with another vehicle.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, the other vehicle V collides from the front side of the vehicle 1 over substantially the entire front surface of the center airbag 30C and the left airbag 30L, resulting in an offset collision with a relatively large wrap rate.
In this case, since it is difficult to turn the other vehicle V by the end airbag rotation control, the airbag control unit 110 opens the vent flow paths of all the airbags by the vent control valve 112 and The airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L are maintained in the rotation restricted state.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the central airbag 30C and the left airbag 30L that have collided with the other vehicle V contract in the front-rear direction while discharging the deployment gas from the vent passage, thereby absorbing the collision energy. I do.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the state after the vehicle having the airbag device of the embodiment has collided with another vehicle.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the other vehicle V is in contact with the left airbag 30L mainly from the front side of the vehicle 1, and in a specific offset collision (end airbag rotation It is a collision that can reduce damage by control).
In this case, the airbag control unit 110 first gives a command to the vent control valve 112 to open the vent channel of the left airbag 30L, contract the left airbag 30L to a predetermined target stroke, and absorb the collision energy. .
At this time, the attachment portion disabling actuator 114 maintains the left airbag 30 in the rotation restricted state.

After that, when the left airbag 30L deflates to the target stroke, the airbag control unit 110 gives a command to the vent control valve 112 to close the vent channel of the left airbag 30L to suppress the deflation, and further disables the mounting portion. A command is given to the activation actuator 114 to deactivate the inner support portion 31 and shift the left airbag 30L to the rotation permitting state.
As a result, the left airbag 30L rotates in a direction in which the front end portion is swung outward in the vehicle width direction due to the force received from the other vehicle V. As shown in FIG.
The other vehicle V is guided to the left in the vehicle width direction as viewed from the vehicle 1 by the rotation of the left airbag 30L while being in close contact with the left airbag 30L, and is deflected in the direction away from the vehicle 1 as illustrated by the dashed arrow. do.
At this time, the vehicle 1 starts turning to the left due to the yaw moment generated by the behavior control unit 130 to avoid the other vehicle V, as indicated by the dashed line arrow.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Perform airbag rotation control to rotate the right airbag 30R or the left airbag 30L in a direction in which the front end portion swings outward in the vehicle width direction at the time of a predetermined form of offset collision with another vehicle V. As a result, while the surface of the airbag is in close contact with the other vehicle V, the other vehicle V is guided by the rotation of the airbag and displaced outward relative to the vehicle 1 in the vehicle width direction.
As a result, the collision energy of the other vehicle V is converted into kinetic energy that moves the other vehicle V away from the vehicle 1, thereby reducing the collision energy absorption amount of the vehicle 1 and suppressing damage.
(2) Prior to airbag rotation control, the right airbag 30R or the left exterior airbag 30L to be rotated is deflated, and end airbag deflation control is performed to maintain deployment of other airbags. After the right airbag 30R or the left exterior airbag 30L is contracted first to absorb a part of the collision energy, the airbag can be rotated to convert the remaining collision energy into kinetic energy. It is possible to obtain the above effects while suppressing damage by reducing input energy.
(3) In the airbag deflation control, after deflating the right airbag 30R or the left exterior airbag 30L to be deflated over a predetermined target stroke, the deflation of the airbag is suppressed (vent closed) to deflate the airbag. After a predetermined amount of energy is absorbed by , the above-described effects can be obtained more effectively by suppressing the contraction of the airbag and generating a sufficient drag force.
(4) The right side airbag 30R and the left side airbag 30L are attached to the vehicle body by an inner support portion 31 and an outer support portion 32 arranged dispersedly in the vehicle width direction. By disabling 31 and setting the airbags in the rotation-allowed state, the right airbag 30R and the left airbag 30L can be changed from the rotation-restricted state to the rotation-allowed state with a simple configuration.
(5) When the right airbag 30R or the left airbag 30L is in the rotation-allowing state, the behavior control unit 130 generates a yaw moment to the other side in the vehicle width direction (the direction to avoid the other vehicle V). Thus, the vehicle 1 can be turned in a direction to avoid the other vehicle V, and the vehicle 1 can be kept away from the other vehicle V more effectively.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, which are also within the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) The configurations of the airbag device and the vehicle are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate.
For example, the structure, shape, material, manufacturing method, arrangement, number, and specific contents of various controls of each member and part constituting these are not limited to the embodiment and can be changed as appropriate.
(2) The method of performing pre-crash determination and the method of determining the collision mode are not limited to the method of the embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.
(3) In the embodiment, for example, three airbags are arranged in the vehicle width direction.
Further, in the embodiment, one airbag is rotatable at each of the left and right ends in the vehicle width direction, but a plurality of airbags may be rotatable at each end.
(4) In the embodiment, the target stroke in the end airbag deflation control is set according to the size and relative speed of the colliding object, but the target stroke is set based on other information. You may For example, if the object is another vehicle and the vehicle type can be determined by image recognition or the like, the vehicle weight of the other vehicle may be estimated, and the target stroke may be set according to the estimated vehicle weight.
(5) In the embodiment, the target stroke is set and the deflation of the airbag is terminated when the target stroke is reached. may be configured.
Further, the deflation of the airbag may be terminated based on the transition of the internal pressure of the deflating airbag.
(6) The structure for attaching the rotating airbag to the vehicle body and the method for switching between the rotation restricted state and the rotation permitted state are not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.
(7) In the embodiment, after the offset collision actually occurs, the side end airbags are switched from the rotation restriction state to the rotation allowable state. When it is recognized that there is a high possibility of a collision, the airbag may be placed in a rotation-permitting state prior to the collision (according to a sign of an offset collision).
(8) In the embodiment, the braking force difference between the left and right wheels generates a yaw moment that causes the vehicle body to turn to the side opposite to the collision side (collision avoidance side), but the method of generating the yaw moment is not limited to this. , other methods may be used. For example, a steering device that steers the steered wheels may be controlled to steer the vehicle to the side opposite to the collision side. Alternatively, a torque vectoring device may be used to generate a driving force difference between the left and right wheels.

1 vehicle 10 passenger compartment 20 engine compartment 21 front side frame 22 bumper beam 23 front bumper 30R right airbag 30C center airbag 30L left airbag 31 inner attachment 32 outer attachment 110 airbag control unit 111 inflator 112 vent control valve 113 pressure Sensor 114 Attachment invalidation actuator 120 Environment recognition unit 121 Stereo camera device 122 Millimeter wave radar device 123 Laser scanner device 130 Behavior control unit 131 Vehicle speed sensor 132 Acceleration sensor 133 Yaw rate sensor V Other vehicle

Claims (5)

a plurality of airbags arranged in the width direction of the vehicle and deployed forward from the front portion of the vehicle body;
a pre-crash determination unit that establishes a pre-crash determination when the possibility of collision with an object is greater than or equal to a predetermined value;
an airbag deployment control unit that deploys the airbag in response to the establishment of the pre-crash determination;
an airbag device comprising: a collision type determination unit that determines a type of collision with the object,
The airbag arranged at the end in the vehicle width direction is rotatably supported in a direction in which the front end is swung outward in the vehicle width direction,
an airbag rotation control unit capable of switching between a rotation restricted state in which rotation is restricted and a rotation permitted state in which rotation is permitted;
When the collision mode is an offset collision, the airbag rotation control unit controls the rotation of the end airbag to allow rotation of the airbag at the end of the offset collision side in the vehicle width direction. An airbag device characterized by performing an airbag contraction control unit that individually controls contraction of the plurality of airbags;
The airbag contraction control unit, prior to the end airbag rotation control, contracts the rotating airbag and performs end airbag contraction control to maintain the deployment of the other airbag. The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized by: 3. The airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the airbag deflation control section suppresses the deflation of the airbag after the deflated airbag has deflated over a predetermined target stroke. The airbag, which is allowed to rotate by the airbag rotation control, is attached to the vehicle body by a plurality of support points distributed in the vehicle width direction,
4. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the airbag rotation control unit puts the airbag in a rotation-permitting state by disabling the support point on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The airbag device according to the paragraph. The vehicle includes a yaw moment generator that generates a yaw moment on the vehicle body,
When the airbag rotation control unit puts the airbag at one end in the vehicle width direction into the rotation allowable state, the yaw moment generating device generates a yaw moment to the other side in the vehicle width direction. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that

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