JP2024072965A - Occupant protection devices - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an occupant protection device capable of suppressing delay in the timing of contact between an occupant and a protection portion and improving replaceability of the occupant protection device. [Solution] An occupant protection device 50 includes a protection unit 51 that receives the knees MK of an occupant M to protect the occupant M, and a moving mechanism 52 that moves the protection unit 51 between a standby position in front of a driver's seat 90 and a deployed position that is a position rearward of the standby position and close to the driver's seat 90, and moves the protection unit 51 from the standby position to the deployed position when a preliminary detection of a collision is performed by a vehicle 1, and the protection unit 51 is configured to be detachable from the moving mechanism 52 and replaceable when a collision of the vehicle 1 is detected after the preliminary detection is performed by the vehicle 1, and to receive the knees MK of the occupant M to protect the occupant M. [Selected Figure] Fig. 7

Description

The present invention relates to an occupant protection device that protects an occupant by receiving the lower legs of the occupant seated in the vehicle seat.

Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, there has been known an occupant protection device that is provided in front of a vehicle seat and extends rearward in the event of a vehicle collision to receive and protect the lower legs of an occupant seated in the seat. The occupant protection device described in Patent Document 1 has an airbag (protective part) that receives the lower legs of the occupant, and a moving part that holds the airbag, moves rearward toward the occupant before the airbag inflates after a vehicle collision is detected, and breaks open when the airbag inflates to deploy the airbag.

JP 2022-11206 A

In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the movement of the moving part toward the rear begins when a vehicle collision is detected. Therefore, if the seat is moved rearward or otherwise there is a large distance between the mounting position of the occupant protection device and the seat, there is a risk that the timing of contact between the occupant and the protection part will be delayed, and the occupant may not be protected appropriately.

In addition, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the airbag is deployed from the moving part, the moving part breaks open. Therefore, it is necessary to replace both the moving part and the airbag after using the passenger protection device, which may lead to more complicated replacement work for the passenger protection device and higher replacement costs.

The present invention aims to provide an occupant protection device that can reduce delays in the timing of contact between the occupant and the protection part, and improve the replaceability of the occupant protection device.

A representative configuration of the passenger protection device according to the present invention for solving the above problems is an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant seated in a vehicle seat, the device comprising: a protection section for receiving the lower legs of the occupant to protect the occupant; and a moving section for moving the protection section between a standby position in front of the seat and a deployed position that is a position rearward of the standby position and close to the seat, the moving section moving the protection section from the standby position to the deployed position when a preliminary collision detection is performed by the vehicle, the protection section being configured to extend rearward from the deployed position when a collision of the vehicle is detected after the preliminary detection is performed by the vehicle, to receive the lower legs of the occupant to protect the occupant, and to be detachable from the moving section and replaceable.

The present invention makes it possible to suppress delays in the timing of contact between the occupant and the protection part in an occupant protection device, and to improve the replaceability of the occupant protection device.

1 is a view showing the periphery of a driver's seat of a vehicle equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the left side. This is a view looking forward from the driver's seat. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an occupant protection device. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an occupant protection device when preliminary detection of a vehicle collision is performed; 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an occupant protection device when a vehicle collision is detected; FIG. 2 is a view of the area around the driver's seat when a vehicle collision is detected, as viewed from the left side. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a protection unit of the occupant protection device is replaced; FIG.

First, the overall configuration of an occupant protection device 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the left-right direction means the left and right directions of the vehicle 1 equipped with the occupant protection device 50, specifically the left and right directions as seen by an occupant M seated in the driver's seat 90. The front-rear direction means the front and rear directions of the vehicle 1, specifically the front and rear directions as seen by an occupant M seated in the driver's seat 90. The up-down direction means the vertical upward and downward directions. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to only those unless otherwise specified.

Figure 1 is a view from the left side of the driver's seat 90 of a vehicle 1 equipped with an occupant protection device 50 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a view looking forward from the driver's seat 90. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the occupant protection device 50 is mounted on the lower part of an instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as "instrument panel") 12 in front of the driver's seat 90 (seat), which is the front seat of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the occupant protection device 50 is provided on the lower part of a column cover 9 of a steering column 6 that protrudes rearward from the instrument panel 12.

The steering column 6 is composed of a column shaft 7 that is connected to a steering wheel (not shown) of the vehicle 1, a column tube 8 that covers the outer periphery of the upper side of the column shaft 7 to support the column shaft 7, and a column cover 9 that covers the column shaft 7 and the column tube 8. The rear ends of the column shaft 7, column tube 8, and column cover 9 each protrude rearward from an opening (not shown) formed in the rear surface 12a of the instrument panel 12, and the steering wheel 15 is attached to the tip of this protruding column shaft 7.

The vehicle 1 is also provided with a control device 17 including a CPU, a memory, a timer, and the like, a distance detection sensor (not shown) that detects the distance between the vehicle 1 and an object outside the vehicle, and an acceleration sensor (not shown) that detects the acceleration of the vehicle 1. As the distance detection sensor, for example, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, or a camera is used. As the acceleration sensor, for example, a piezoelectric type or a MEMS type is used. The distance detection sensor and the acceleration sensor are electrically connected to the control device 17, and when a signal is input from each sensor, the CPU of the control device 17 controls the controlled object according to a control program stored in the memory. Specifically, when the CPU determines that the distance between the vehicle 1 and an object outside the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance based on the detection result of the distance detection sensor, the CPU performs a preliminary collision detection since the possibility of a collision of the vehicle 1 is higher than in a normal state, and performs a predetermined control described later. Furthermore, when the CPU determines that the distance between the vehicle 1 and an object outside the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance based on the detection result of the distance detection sensor and the acceleration sensor, and the vehicle 1 has suddenly decelerated, the CPU detects a collision between the vehicle 1 and an object outside the vehicle, and performs a predetermined control described later. The methods of preliminary collision detection and collision detection are not limited to those described above, and may be configured to perform preliminary collision detection when the possibility of a collision of vehicle 1 is higher than normal using other sensors or other control methods, and to perform collision detection when vehicle 1 collides.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the occupant protection device 50. As shown in Figure 3, the occupant protection device 50 includes a protection unit 51 (protection section) that receives the lower legs of the occupant M to protect the occupant M, and a movement mechanism 52 (movement section) that moves the protection unit 51. The movement mechanism 52 includes a drive shaft 53 arranged so that the rotation axis line is approximately aligned with the front-rear direction, a motor 54 that serves as the drive source for the drive shaft 53, and a connecting plate 55 that is a substantially rectangular metal plate that is fitted and connected to the rear end of the drive shaft 53.

The motor 54 is held on the body of the vehicle 1 via a bracket (not shown). The drive shaft 53 is supported by two linear ball bearings 88 attached to the body of the vehicle 1 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The motor 54 is electrically connected to the control device 17. The drive shaft 53 is formed with a rack gear portion 53a that meshes with the pinion gear 54a of the motor 54. When the motor 54 rotates forward under the control of the control device 17, the driving force of the motor 54 is transmitted to the drive shaft 53 via the pinion gear 54a and the rack gear portion 53a, and the drive shaft 53 moves linearly backward. When the motor 54 rotates reversely under the control of the control device 17, the driving force of the motor 54 is transmitted to the drive shaft 53 via the pinion gear 54a and the rack gear portion 53a, and the drive shaft 53 moves linearly forward.

The protective unit 51 has a mounting panel 56 (fixing member) made of resin such as polypropylene attached to the rear surface 55a of the connecting plate 55, and an inflator 57 attached to the front surface 56a of the mounting panel 56. The protective unit 51 also has an exterior panel 58 (abutment member) arranged at a distance from the mounting panel 56 behind the mounting panel 56, and an airbag 60 (pressing member) and a shock absorber 59 (connecting member) arranged between the mounting panel 56 and the exterior panel 58 in the front-rear direction.

The front surface 56a of the mounting panel 56 is provided with a plurality of metallic bolts 56e (screw members). The mounting panel 56 is attached to the connecting plate 55 by inserting the bolts 56e into the connecting plate 55 and fastening nuts 73. In other words, the protection unit 51 is attached to the moving mechanism 52 by fastening the bolts 56e of the mounting panel 56.

The inflator 57 has a cylindrical body 57a that generates inflation gas, and a conduit 57b that extends from the body 57a and guides the inflation gas generated in the body 57a to the airbag 60. The body 57a is attached to the front surface 56a of the mounting panel 56 by a bolted clamp 70. The conduit 57b protrudes rearward through a through hole 56c in the mounting panel 56 and is inserted into the airbag 60 located behind the mounting panel 56. In addition, a discharge port (not shown) for discharging inflation gas is provided at the portion of the conduit 57b that is inserted into the airbag 60. The inflator 57 is electrically connected to the control device 17 by an electric cable (not shown), and is activated by receiving an activation signal from the control device 17 via the electric cable, causing the body 57a to generate inflation gas.

The airbag 60 is a bag-shaped member made of polyester fiber or the like, and is attached to the rear surface 56b of the mounting panel 56. An opening 60a is provided on the front surface of the airbag 60 for inserting the passage 57b of the inflator 57. A retainer 61, which is a substantially rectangular annular metal plate for fixing the airbag 60 to the mounting panel 56, is stored inside the airbag 60. The front surface of the airbag 60 is sandwiched between the front surface of the retainer 61 and the rear surface 56b of the mounting panel 56. In this state, a bolt 77 is inserted through the retainer 61, the front surface of the airbag 60, and the mounting panel 56, and a nut 78 is fastened, thereby fixing the airbag 60 to the rear surface 56b of the mounting panel 56. The airbag 60 is folded before the inflator 57 is activated, and is inflated so as to spread rearward by the inflation gas supplied from the inflator 57.

The exterior panel 58 is a plate-shaped member made of resin such as polypropylene, and is placed in the opening 12b formed in the lower part of the column cover 9 in the instrument panel 12 so as to be generally flush with the rear surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 in consideration of design before the occupant protection device 50 is activated. When viewed from the left and right direction before the occupant protection device 50 is activated, the rear surface 58b of the exterior panel 58 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so as to face rearward from the top to the bottom. In addition, the left and right width L (FIG. 2) of the rear surface 58b of the exterior panel 58 is a width dimension that is arranged in a position where both the left and right knees MK overlap with the exterior panel 58 in the front-rear direction even if the occupant M is not in a normal seated position and at least one of the left and right knees MK is spread outward to increase the distance between the knees. In this embodiment, the width L is set to 550 mm.

The shock absorbers 59 are flexible members made of stainless steel sheet metal, and four are provided in this embodiment. The front end of each of the four shock absorbers 59 is attached to each of the four corners of the rear surface 56b of the substantially rectangular mounting panel 56 with screws (not shown). The rear end of each of the four shock absorbers 59 is attached to each of the four corners of the front surface 58a of the substantially rectangular exterior panel 58 with screws (not shown). In this way, the shock absorbers 59 connect the mounting panel 56 and the exterior panel 58.

Before the airbag 60 is inflated, the shock absorbers 59 are bent and folded in a dogleg shape, with the front and rear portions overlapping each other, with the central portion in the fore-and-aft direction as the bent portion. When the airbag 60 inflates, the shock absorbers 59 are pulled rearward by the exterior panel 58, which is pressed by the airbag 60 and moves rearward, and change from the dogleg shape to an extended state in the fore-and-aft direction. The number of shock absorbers 59 may be increased or decreased depending on the amount of kinetic energy absorption required of the occupant protection device 50.

Next, the operation of the occupant protection device 50 will be described. First, when the control device 17 detects a preliminary collision of the vehicle 1 based on a signal input from the distance detection sensor, it rotates the motor 54 of the moving mechanism 52 in the forward direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive shaft 53 moves rearward, and the protection unit 51 connected to the drive shaft 53 via a connecting plate 55 moves rearward and approaches the driver's seat 90 in which the occupant M is seated. In other words, when the vehicle 1 detects a preliminary collision, the moving mechanism 52 moves the protection unit 51 from a position (standby position) in front of the driver's seat 90 to a position (extended position) rearward and close to the driver's seat 90. This position close to the driver's seat 90 is a position between the instrument panel 12 and the driver's seat 90 in the front-rear direction, and is a position rearward of the position of the protection unit 51 before the preliminary collision detection of the vehicle 1.

Next, if a predetermined time has passed without detecting a collision of the vehicle 1 after the preliminary detection of a collision of the vehicle 1, the control device 17 reverses the motor 54 of the movement mechanism 52. This causes the drive shaft 53 to move forward, and the protection unit 51 connected to the drive shaft 53 via the connection plate 55 moves forward and returns to the initial position, which is the position of the protection unit 51 before the preliminary detection of a collision of the vehicle 1 and is the position shown in FIG. 3.

On the other hand, when the control device 17 detects a collision of the vehicle 1 based on signals input from the acceleration sensor and the distance detection sensor within a predetermined time after the preliminary detection of the collision of the vehicle 1, it activates the inflator 57 of the protection unit 51. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the inflator 57 generates inflation gas, and the airbag 60 to which the inflation gas is supplied is inflated so as to spread rearward and is deployed rearward. Specifically, the airbag 60 of this embodiment is deployed rearward in the front-rear direction and downward in the vertical direction. As long as the airbag 60 is configured to deploy at least rearward in the front-rear direction, it may be configured to deploy horizontally or upward in the vertical direction according to the position of the occupant M. In addition, the exterior panel 58 located behind the airbag 60 is pushed by the airbag 60 and deployed rearward together with the impact absorbing body 59, and moves to just in front of the knees MK, which are the lower legs of the occupant M.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the knees MK of the occupant M, which move forward due to the collision of the vehicle 1, come into contact with the exterior panel 58 located immediately in front of the knees MK of the occupant M. When the knees MK of the occupant M collide with the exterior panel 58, the airbag 60 and the shock absorber 59 bend forward to absorb the kinetic energy, thereby suppressing the impact on the knees MK of the occupant M and the thighs and waist connected to the knees MK. In this way, the occupant protection device 50 receives the lower legs of the occupant M and protects the occupant M when the vehicle 1 collides.

In this way, according to the occupant protection device 50 of this embodiment, even if the distance between the initial position of the protection unit 51 and the driver's seat 90 is large, the protection unit 51 is moved from the initial position to a position close to the occupant M at the stage of detecting a potential collision of the vehicle 1. This makes it possible to suppress delays in the timing of contact between the occupant M and the protection unit 51.

7, the protection unit 51 is attached to the moving mechanism 52 by fastening the bolt portion 56e between the mounting panel 56 and the connecting plate 55, so that it can be easily removed from the moving mechanism 52 by removing the bolt portion 56e. When a new protection unit 51 is attached to the moving mechanism 52 after the protection unit 51 is used, the protection unit 51 can be easily attached to the moving mechanism 52 by fastening the bolt portion 56e. When replacing the protection unit 51, the control device 17 and the inflator 57 of the new protection unit 51 are electrically connected by removing the connector (not shown) attached to the electric cable (not shown) from the inflator 57 of the old protection unit 51 and attaching the connector to the inflator 57 of the new protection unit 51. Thus, according to the passenger protection device 50 of this embodiment, the replaceability of the passenger protection device 50 can be improved compared to a configuration in which both the protection unit 51 and the moving mechanism 52 need to be replaced when replacing the passenger protection device 50.

In this embodiment, the motor 54 is used as the drive source for moving the drive shaft 53, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect as above can be obtained even if the drive shaft 53 is moved by the driving force of another drive source, such as a hydraulic cylinder or an electromagnetic solenoid.

In addition, in this embodiment, the protective unit 51 and the moving mechanism 52 are attached and detached by fastening and detaching the bolt portion 56e, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods of attachment and detachment may be used. For example, a forward recess (engaged portion) may be formed on the rear surface 55a of the connecting plate 55, and a forward protrusion (engaging portion) may be formed on the front surface 56a of the mounting panel 56, and the protective unit 51 and the moving mechanism 52 may be attached by engaging these recesses and protrusions, and the protective unit 51 may be removed from the moving mechanism 52 by releasing the engagement.

In addition, in this embodiment, the configuration in which the protection unit 51 is deployed rearward by the inflation of the airbag 60 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the protection unit 51 may be deployed rearward by other methods. For example, instead of the airbag 60, an actuator may be provided as a pressing member that includes a cylinder, a piston rod housed in the cylinder, and a gas generator. The piston rod in the cylinder may then be moved rearward by the pressure of the gas generated from the gas generator, and the exterior panel 58 located behind the piston rod may be pressed rearward by the piston rod, causing the exterior panel 58 to be deployed rearward together with the shock absorber 59.

In addition, although the present embodiment has been described with respect to a configuration in which the occupant protection device 50 is mounted in front of the driver's seat 90, the present invention is not limited to this, and the device may be mounted in front of another seat of the vehicle 1. For example, the same effect as described above can be obtained by mounting the occupant protection device 50 on the instrument panel 12 in front of the passenger seat, which is the front seat of the vehicle 1, to protect the occupant seated in the passenger seat.

1...vehicle, 12...instrument panel, 50...occupant protection device, 51...protection unit (protection part), 52...moving mechanism (moving part), 56...mounting panel (fixing member), 56e...bolt part (screw member), 57...inflator, 58...exterior panel (contact member), 59...shock absorber (connecting member), 60...airbag (pressing member), 90...driver's seat (seat, front seat), M...occupant, MK...knee part (lower leg)

Claims (7)

An occupant protection device for protecting an occupant seated in a vehicle seat,
A protection portion that receives the lower limbs of the occupant to protect the occupant;
a moving unit that moves the protection unit to a standby position in front of the seat and a deployed position that is a position rearward of the standby position and close to the seat, the moving unit moving the protection unit from the standby position to the deployed position when a preliminary collision detection is performed by the vehicle;
Equipped with
The protective part is
After the preliminary detection is performed by the vehicle, when a collision of the vehicle is detected, the vehicle seat extends rearward from the extended position to receive the lower legs of the occupant and protect the occupant;
The passenger protection device is configured to be detachable from the moving part and replaceable. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the moving unit moves from the deployed position to the standby position when a predetermined time has elapsed without a collision of the vehicle being detected after the preliminary detection is performed by the vehicle. The protective part is
An inflator,
an airbag that is inflated by inflation gas supplied from the inflator;
Equipped with
2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein, when a collision of the vehicle is detected after the preliminary detection is performed by the vehicle, the airbag is deployed rearward by inflation. The protective part is
A fixed member fixed to the moving part;
a contact member disposed behind the fixing member with a gap therebetween and adapted to contact the occupant;
a connecting member having one end connected to the fixing member and the other end connected to the abutment member;
a pressing member that presses the contact member rearward;
Equipped with
The occupant protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a collision of the vehicle is detected after a preliminary detection is performed by the vehicle, the abutment member is pressed by the pressing member and is extended rearward together with the connecting member. The passenger protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the protection part is attached to the moving part by fastening a screw member. the protection portion includes an engagement portion that engages with an engaged portion provided on the moving portion,
The occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the protective part is attached to the moving part by engaging the engaging part with the engaged part, and the protective part is removed from the moving part by releasing the engagement of the engaging part with the engaged part. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the passenger protection device is provided on the instrument panel of the vehicle, and the protection portion receives and protects the lower legs of the passenger seated in the front seat of the vehicle.

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