JP2023130899A - Collision detection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To satisfactorily detect whether a collision object in collision with a vehicle is a human.SOLUTION: In a collision detection apparatus 10, a pressure tube 42 is held in a holding groove part 34A of a tube holding part 32 which constitutes part of the front end part of an absorber 30, and a pressing cover 50 is attached to the front end part of the tube holding part 32. Further, a pressing part 54 of the pressing cover 50 is disposed inside an opening groove part 34B of a groove part 34 and disposed in front of the pressure tube 42. As viewed from a right-left direction, the opening groove part 34B extends in such an inclined direction as to be inclined downward as it goes backward, and makes the holding groove part 34A open forward. Further, the pressing part 54 extends from a cover body 52 toward another side in the inclined direction and is disposed inside the opening groove part 34B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a collision detection device.

In a vehicle, a collision detection sensor is provided on the rear side of a bumper cover of the vehicle, and the collision detection sensor detects whether or not the object colliding with the vehicle is a person. For example, in the vehicle collision sensor mounting structure described in Patent Document 1 below, a shock absorbing member is provided on the front side of a bumper beam, and the shock absorbing member as a whole is opened to the rear side when viewed from the vehicle width direction. It is formed in a generally concave shape. Further, a groove is formed in the front portion of the shock absorbing member, and a pressure tube is held in the groove. In the event of a collision between a vehicle and a person, the shock absorbing member deforms so that the pressure tube is crushed in the vertical direction, thereby detecting the collision between the vehicle and the person. On the other hand, in a collision between a vehicle and a collision object other than a human, such as a small animal, the upper and lower parts of the shock absorbing member are mainly deformed, and deformation of the pressure tube is suppressed. Thereby, a collision between a collision object other than a person and a vehicle can be detected.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-55711

By the way, in a collision between a vehicle and a person with the person facing toward the front of the vehicle, the bumper cover of the vehicle collides with the back of the person's legs. At this time, the person's legs begin to bend starting from the knees. Therefore, the collision load input from the person to the vehicle is reduced. This may make it impossible to crush the pressure tube well. In this case, there is a possibility that the collision detection device may not be able to satisfactorily detect whether the object colliding with the vehicle is a person.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a collision detection device that can satisfactorily detect whether or not the object colliding with a vehicle is a person.

One or more embodiments of the present invention include a bumper beam extending in the vehicle width direction, an absorber disposed adjacent to the vehicle front side of the bumper beam and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a bumper beam extending in the vehicle width direction. a collision detection sensor configured to include a pressure tube extending and held by the absorber and outputting a signal according to a pressure change in the pressure tube; A tube holding portion having a holding groove portion that holds the tube, and an opening groove portion that extends in a direction that is inclined toward the upper side of the vehicle as viewed from the vehicle width direction toward the front side of the vehicle and opens the holding groove portion toward the front side of the vehicle; a main body part that is assembled to the front end of the tube holding part and covers the front surface of the tube holding part from the front side of the vehicle; This is a collision detection device including a pusher disposed inside an opening groove, and a cover configured to include the pusher.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily detect whether the object colliding with the vehicle is a person.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a collision detection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view (enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1) of the collision detection device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the left side. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the tube holding portion of the absorber shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 schematically showing the operation of the collision detection device at the time of a frontal collision between a vehicle and a person. FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 schematically showing the operation of the collision detection device at the time of a frontal collision between a vehicle and a collision object other than a person. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the inclination angle of the opening groove of the absorber shown in FIG. 3 is changed.

Hereinafter, a collision detection device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described using the drawings. Note that the arrow FR shown as appropriate in the drawings indicates the front side of the vehicle (automobile) V to which the collision detection device 10 is applied, the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the left side of the vehicle (one side in the vehicle width direction). It shows. In the following description, when the vertical, longitudinal, and horizontal directions are used, unless otherwise specified, the vertical direction of the vehicle, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the horizontal direction of the vehicle are meant.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the collision detection device 10 is arranged at the front end of the vehicle V and is configured as a device that detects a collision of a collision object with the vehicle V. The collision detection device 10 includes a bumper beam 20 constituting a frame member of the vehicle V, an absorber 30 disposed on the front side of the bumper beam 20, and a push cover 50 as a cover assembled to the absorber 30. ing. The collision detection device 10 also includes a collision detection sensor 40. Each configuration of the collision detection device 10 will be described below.

(About bumper beam 20)
The bumper beam 20 extends in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) and has a substantially rectangular closed cross-sectional shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the bumper beam 20. The bumper beam 20 includes a front panel 22 that forms the front end of the bumper beam 20, and a rear panel 24 that forms the rear part of the bumper beam 20.

The front panel 22 is made of a metal plate, and has a thickness direction extending in the front-rear direction and extends in the left-right direction. Furthermore, a recessed portion 22A that is recessed one step toward the rear side is formed in the vertically intermediate portion of the front panel 22. A portion of the front panel 22 above the recess 22A is configured as an upper flange portion 22B, and a portion of the front panel 22 below the recess 22A is configured as a lower flange portion 22C.

The rear panel 24 is made of a metal plate like the front panel 22, and extends in the left-right direction. The rear panel 24 is formed into a substantially hat shape that is open toward the front when viewed from its longitudinal direction. The upper end of the rear panel 24 is joined to the upper flange 22B of the front panel 22, and the lower end of the rear panel 24 is joined to the lower flange 22C of the front panel 22.

A pair of left and right front side frames 60 that constitute the frame of the vehicle V are provided on the rear side of the bumper beam 20, and the front side frames 60 extend in the front-rear direction. Both ends of the bumper beam 20 in the vehicle width direction are connected to the front end of the front side frame 60 via a crash box 62.

(About absorber 30)
The absorber 30 is made of a foamed resin material, ie, urethane foam, or the like. The absorber 30 is formed into a substantially elongated shape whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction, and is arranged adjacent to the front side of the recessed portion 22A of the bumper beam 20. The absorber 30 is formed into a substantially trapezoidal shape when viewed in cross section from the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the lower surface of the absorber 30 is inclined downward toward the rear side when viewed from the left and right direction. The rear surface of the absorber 30 is fixed to the front surface of the recess 22A of the bumper beam 20. Further, a bumper cover 64 is provided on the front side of the absorber 30. The bumper cover 64 constitutes the front end of the vehicle V and covers the absorber 30 from the front side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the absorber 30 is provided with a tube holding portion 32 for holding a pressure tube 42 and for assembling a push cover 50, which will be described later. The tube holding portion 32 projects forward from the upper end of the absorber 30. A groove portion 34 that is open to the front side is formed in the vertically intermediate portion of the tube holding portion 32, and the groove portion 34 is formed over the entire length of the absorber 30 in the longitudinal direction. The groove portion 34 is formed in a substantially inverted C-shape that is open toward the front in a side cross-sectional view seen from the left side. Specifically, the groove portion 34 is configured to include a holding groove portion 34A that constitutes a rear portion of the groove portion 34 and for holding the pressure tube 42, and an opening groove portion 34B that constitutes an opening of the groove portion 34. . The holding groove portion 34A is formed in a substantially elliptical shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the front-rear direction in a side cross-sectional view. The opening groove portion 34B penetrates in a side cross-sectional view along a direction that slopes upward toward the front side (arrow A direction and arrow B direction in FIG. 3, hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the slope direction), The holding groove portion 34A is opened to one side in the inclined direction (the side in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). In the following description, a direction perpendicular to the inclination direction as seen from the left and right directions will be referred to as an orthogonal direction (see arrow C direction and arrow D direction in FIG. 3). Further, the vertical dimension of the holding groove 34A is set larger than the width dimension (dimension in the orthogonal direction) of the opening groove 34B, and the opening groove 34B is located at one side in the inclined direction from the center in the vertical direction at the front end of the holding groove 34A. It extends to the side (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). A pair of upper and lower overhang portions 34C are formed at the rear end of the open groove portion 34B, and extend inward in the vertical direction from the inner peripheral surface of the holding groove portion 34A.

(About collision detection sensor 40)
The collision detection sensor 40 includes a pressure tube 42 held by the absorber 30, and a pressure sensor 44 (in a broad sense, an element understood as a pressure detector) that outputs a signal according to pressure changes in the pressure tube 42. It is composed of .

The pressure tube 42 is formed in an elongated shape with its longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction, and is configured as a hollow structure having a substantially annular cross section. The pressure tube 42 is fitted into the holding groove 34A of the groove 34 and held by the tube holding part 32 of the absorber 30. Further, the diameter of the pressure tube 42 is set larger than the groove width dimension of the opening groove portion 34B.

The pressure sensors 44 are provided at both ends of the pressure tube 42 in the longitudinal direction, and are fixed to the vehicle body at positions not shown. The pressure sensor 44 is electrically connected to an ECU 46 (in a broad sense, it is an element understood as a collision determination section). As the pressure tube 42 deforms, a signal corresponding to the change in pressure within the pressure tube 42 is outputted from the pressure sensor 44 to the ECU 46.

Further, the ECU 46 calculates the pressure change value in the pressure tube 42 based on the output signal of the pressure sensor 44, determines whether the pressure change value exceeds a threshold value, and determines whether the collision object against the bumper cover 64 is detected. It is designed to determine whether the collision object is a person or a non-human object such as a small animal. Specifically, when the pressure change value within the pressure tube 42 is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the ECU 46 determines that the collision object is a person, and when the pressure change value within the pressure tube 42 is smaller than the threshold value, the ECU 46 determines that the collision object is a person. However, the collision object is determined to be something other than a person.

(About the push cover 50)
The push cover 50 is made of a resin material and is assembled to the tube holding part 32 of the absorber 30. The push cover 50 is configured to include a cover main body 52 as a main body portion and a push portion 54.

The cover main body 52 is formed in a substantially elongated plate shape extending in the left-right direction, and is also formed in a substantially U-shape open to the rear side in a side cross-sectional view. Specifically, the cover main body 52 includes a front wall 52A whose thickness direction is the front-rear direction, an upper wall 52B extending rearward from the upper end of the front wall 52A, and a rear wall 52B extending from the lower end of the front wall 52A to the rear. The lower wall 52C extends to the side. Then, the cover body 52 is fitted into the tube holder 32 from the front side so that the upper wall 52B and the lower wall 52C sandwich the tube holder 32 from both sides in the vertical direction, and the cover body 52 is assembled to the tube holder 32. It is attached. When the cover main body 52 is assembled to the tube holding part 32, the front wall 52A is arranged adjacent to the front side of the tube holding part 32.

The pushing portion 54 is formed into a substantially elongated rib shape whose thickness direction is in the orthogonal direction and extends in the left-right direction. ) has been extended to The thickness of the pushing portion 54 is set smaller than the width of the opening groove 34B of the absorber 30, and the pushing portion 54 is disposed within the opening groove 34B. That is, the pushing part 54 is arranged on the front side of the pressure tube 42. Further, the pushing part 54 is arranged at the center in the width direction of the opening groove part 34B, and the upper and lower gaps between the pushing part 54 and the opening groove part 34B are set to be the same.

The rear surface of the pushing portion 54 is configured as a pushing surface 54A, and the pushing surface 54A is formed in a substantially V-shaped groove shape that is open to the other side in the inclined direction (toward the pressure tube 42 side) in a side cross-sectional view. Further, a pair of upper and lower sloped surfaces 54B are formed at the rear end of the pushing portion 54, and the sloped surfaces 54B slope outward in the orthogonal direction toward the other side in the slope direction. In other words, the inclined surface 54B is inclined outward in the thickness direction of the pushing part 54 as it goes toward the tip side of the pushing part 54.
In other words, the thickness of the rear end of the pushing portion 54 is set larger than the thickness of the other portions. The inclined surface 54B is arranged so as to come into contact with the projecting portion 34C of the opening groove portion 34B.

(effect)
Next, the operation and effects of the present embodiment will be explained while explaining the operation of the collision detection device 10 in the case of a frontal collision between a person and the vehicle V, and in the case of a frontal collision between a colliding object other than a person and the vehicle V. do.

In a frontal collision of the vehicle V with a person, the person's legs hit the bumper cover 64, causing the person to fall onto the hood of the vehicle V. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the rear oblique downward collision load F1 is mainly input to the bumper cover 64, and the push cover 50 assembled to the front end portion (tube holding portion 32) of the absorber 30 is entered at the top of When the collision load F1 is input to the upper part of the push cover 50, the push cover 50 assumes a rearward tilted posture in which it tilts diagonally downward to the rear and is displaced rearward. Therefore, the pushing portion 54 is displaced rearward (to the other side in the inclination direction) within the opening groove portion 34B of the absorber 30. Then, the pushing surface 54A of the pushing part 54 in the pushing cover 50 comes into contact with the outer peripheral part of the front part of the pressure tube 42, and the pushing part 54 starts pressing the pressure tube 42. When the push cover 50 is further displaced to the rear side, the push surface 54A presses the pressure tube 42 while holding the front part of the pressure tube 42 by the push surface 54A formed in a V-shaped groove. As a result, the pressure tube 42 is deformed so as to be crushed. Therefore, the pressure within the pressure tube 42 changes, and the pressure sensor 44 outputs a signal to the ECU 46 in accordance with the change in pressure of the pressure tube 42. As a result, the ECU 46 detects that the collision object is a person.

On the other hand, in a frontal collision between a collision object other than a person, such as a small animal, and the vehicle V, the collision object hits the lower part of the bumper cover 64. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the collision load F2 is mainly applied to the rear diagonally upward side, and the collision load F2 is input to the bumper cover 64. It is input into the lower part of the cover 50. When the collision load F2 is input to the lower part of the push cover 50, the push cover 50 attempts to displace rearward while rocking counterclockwise when viewed from the left side. That is, since the pushing surface 54A is displaced rearward and diagonally upward, the pressure tube 42 is mainly pressed by the lower end of the pushing surface 54A.

At this time, the inclined surface 54B on the upper side of the pushing part 54 of the pushing cover 50 presses the overhanging part 34C on the upper side of the opening groove part 34B of the absorber 30 upward. Therefore, a downward reaction force is applied from the upper projecting portion 34C to the upper inclined surface 54B of the pushing portion 54, and the swinging of the pushing cover 50 is suppressed. Therefore, the pressing force acting on the pressure tube 42 from the lower end of the pressing surface 54A becomes low. This reduces the amount of deformation of the pressure tube 42. As a result, in the event of a collision with a collision object other than a person, the pressure change within the pressure tube 42 becomes small, so that the ECU 46 detects that the collision object against the bumper cover 64 is a small animal other than a person.

As explained above, in the collision detection device 10 of this embodiment, the pressure tube 42 is held in the holding groove 34A of the tube holding part 32 that constitutes a part of the front end of the absorber 30, and the push cover 50 is It is attached to the front end of the tube holding part 32. Further, the push portion 54 of the push cover 50 is disposed within the opening groove portion 34B of the groove portion 34 and is disposed on the front side of the pressure tube 42. Here, the opening groove portion 34B extends in an inclined direction that slopes downward toward the rear side when viewed from the left and right direction, and opens the holding groove portion 34A to the front side. Further, the push portion 54 extends from the cover main body 52 toward the other side in the inclined direction and is disposed within the opening groove portion 34B.

Therefore, in a frontal collision between a person and the vehicle V, the direction of the collision load F1 input to the push cover 50 at the time of the collision can be made to substantially match the direction in which the opening groove portion 34B and the push portion 54 extend. As a result, as described above, in the event of a collision between the vehicle V and a person, the collision load F1 input to the push cover 50 causes the push portion 54 to be displaced rearward relative to the opening groove portion 34B. The pressure tube 42 can be pressed by. On the other hand, in a frontal collision between a colliding object other than a person and the vehicle V, the direction of the collision load F2 input to the push cover 50 at the time of the collision and the direction in which the opening groove 34B and the push portion 54 extend cannot be made to intersect. can. As a result, as described above, in the event of a frontal collision between a colliding object other than a person and the vehicle V, the rear end of the pushing part 54 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the opening groove 34B, and a reaction force is applied from the opening groove 34B to the pushing part 54. can be made to work. Therefore, the pressing force acting on the pressure tube 42 from the pushing part 54 can be reduced. As a result, the amount of deformation of the pressure tube 42 at the time of a collision between a person and the vehicle V can be increased, and the amount of deformation of the pressure tube 42 at the time of a collision between the vehicle V and a colliding object other than a person, such as a small animal, can be reduced. can do. Therefore, according to the collision detection device 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to satisfactorily detect whether the object colliding with the vehicle V is a person.

Further, the pushing surface 54A of the pushing portion 54 is formed in the shape of a groove that opens toward the rear side when viewed from the vehicle width direction. Therefore, in the event of a frontal collision between a person and the vehicle V, the pressure tube 42 can be pushed rearward while being held by the pushing surface 54A. In other words, the pushing surface 54A can suppress misalignment between the pressure tube 42 and the pushing section 54 when the pushing section 54 presses the pressure tube 42. Thereby, the pushing part 54 can press the pressure tube 42 even better.

Further, a pair of upper and lower sloped surfaces 54B are formed at the rear end of the pushing portion 54, and the sloped surfaces 54B slope outward in the orthogonal direction toward the other side in the slope direction. Further, the inclined surface 54B is in contact with the projecting portion 34C of the opening groove portion 34B. Therefore, in the event of a collision between a person and the vehicle V, the movement of the pusher 54 can be guided by the lower inclined surface 54B, and the pusher 54 can be guided into the holding groove 34A. Therefore, the pressure tube 42 can be pressed even more effectively by the pressing portion 54. On the other hand, in the event of a collision between a colliding object other than a person and the vehicle V, the upper inclined surface 54B is applied to the upper overhang 34C of the opening groove 34B to effectively reduce the reaction force from the overhang 34C to the pusher 54. can be made to act. Therefore, the pressure on the pressure tube 42 by the pusher 54 can be suppressed even better.

In addition, in this embodiment, the opening groove portion 34B of the absorber 30 and the push portion 54 of the push cover 50 extend in the oblique direction when viewed from the left and right direction. That is, the inclination angle of the opening groove portion 34B and the inclination angle of the push portion 54 with respect to the front-rear direction are set to be the same angle. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the inclination angle a1 of the opening groove portion 34B with respect to the front-rear direction may be larger than the inclination angle a2 of the push portion 54. In this case, the lower projecting portion 34C is omitted in the opening groove portion 34B, and the lower gap between the pushing portion 54 and the opening groove portion 34B is set to increase toward the rear side. . Thereby, in the event of a collision between a person and the vehicle V, interference between the inclined surface 54B of the pushing portion 54 and the lower surface of the opening groove portion 34B can be suppressed. Therefore, in the event of a collision between a person and the vehicle V, the pressure tube 42 can be effectively pressed by the pushing portion 54.

Further, in the present embodiment, the pushing surface 54A of the pushing portion 54 is formed in a substantially V-shaped groove shape that is open to the other side in the inclination direction when viewed from the vehicle width direction, but the shape of the pushing surface 54A is , but not limited to this. For example, although not shown, the pushing surface 54A may be formed in the shape of a substantially arcuate groove that is open to the other side in the inclination direction. Further, for example, the pushing surface 54A may be inclined linearly or curvedly toward the rear as it goes upwards when viewed from the vehicle width direction. In this case, the lower end of the pushing surface 54A is located closer to the front of the vehicle than the upper end of the pushing surface 54A. That is, the lower end of the pushing surface 54A is spaced apart from the upper end of the pushing surface 54A toward the front of the pressure tube 42. Thereby, it is possible to effectively suppress the pressing part 54 from pressing the pressure tube 42 in the event of a frontal collision between the collision object other than a person and the vehicle V.

Further, in this embodiment, the upper and lower gaps between the push portion 54 and the opening groove portion 34B are set to be the same. Instead of this, for example, the lower surface of the opening groove portion 34B may be arranged below the position of the present embodiment, so that the lower gap between the pushing portion 54 and the opening groove portion 34B is separated from the pushing portion 54. It may be made larger than the upper gap with the opening groove portion 34B. In this case as well, in the event of a collision between a person and the vehicle V, interference between the inclined surface 54B of the pushing portion 54 and the lower surface of the opening groove portion 34B can be suppressed. Therefore, in the event of a collision between a person and the vehicle V, the pressure tube 42 can be effectively pressed by the pushing portion 54.

10 Collision detection device 20 Bumper beam 30 Absorber 32 Tube holding section 34A Holding groove section 34B Opening groove section 40 Collision detection sensor 42 Pressure tube 50 Push cover (cover)
52 Cover body (body part)
54 Push part 54A Push surface (rear surface of push part)
52B Slope

Claims (4)

A bumper beam extending in the vehicle width direction,
an absorber arranged adjacent to the front side of the vehicle of the bumper beam and extending in the vehicle width direction;
a collision detection sensor configured to include a pressure tube extending in the vehicle width direction and held by the absorber, and outputting a signal according to pressure changes in the pressure tube;
A holding groove part forming a part of the front end of the absorber and holding the pressure tube; a tube holding portion having an opening groove portion opening to the tube holding portion;
a main body part that is assembled to the front end of the tube holding part and covers the front surface of the tube holding part from the front side of the vehicle; a cover configured to include a pusher disposed inside the opening groove;
Collision detection device with. The collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination of the opening groove portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is larger than the angle of inclination of the pushing portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, when viewed from the vehicle width direction. The collision detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear surface of the pushing portion is formed in a groove shape open to the rear side of the vehicle when viewed from the vehicle width direction. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pair of upper and lower sloped surfaces are formed at the rear end of the pushing part, the inclined surfaces being inclined outward in the thickness direction of the pushing part toward the distal end side of the pushing part. Collision detection device as described in section.

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