JP3684566B2 - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device such as an air bag or a seat belt pretensioner.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-186879 proposes adjusting an airbag deployment pressure based on a passenger's weight and position.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the deployment of a plurality of airbags is independently determined, for example, the driver airbag may be deployed at the time of a collision, but the passenger airbag may not be deployed. It may be uncomfortable or question the reliability of the airbag.
[0004]
Further, in a configuration in which the deployment of a plurality of airbags is independently determined, there are cases where it is better to deploy even if the airbag deployment condition is satisfied or not deployed or in a non-deployed situation. It is necessary to appropriately determine whether the airbag is deployed or not.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle occupant protection device that allows the occupant protection members to respond to each other and eliminates the sense of discomfort experienced by the occupants.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
A first occupant protection member for protecting the first occupant, a first control means for operating the first occupant protection member by satisfying a first condition relating to the first occupant, and a first for protecting the second occupant A vehicle occupant protection device comprising: 2 occupant protection members; and second control means for operating the second occupant protection member by satisfying a second condition relating to the second occupant, wherein the first control means First correction means is provided for detecting whether or not the second occupant protection member is activated, and correcting whether or not the first occupant protection member is activated so as to correspond to the presence or absence of the operation.
[0007]
Preferably, a limit that can be corrected is set in the first correction unit.
[0008]
Preferably, the first and second occupant protection members are vehicle airbags or vehicle seat belt pretensioners.
[0009]
Preferably, the first and second occupants are occupants seated in a passenger seat and a driver seat, respectively.
[0010]
Preferably, the second control means detects the presence / absence of the operation of the first occupant protection member, and corrects the presence / absence of the operation of the second occupant protection member to correspond to the presence / absence of the operation. Correction means are provided.
[0011]
Preferably, a limit that can be corrected is set in the first and second correction means.
[0012]
Preferably, the first and second control means refer to the same acceleration / deceleration signal.
[0013]
Preferably, the detected occupant state differs between the first condition and the second condition.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first control means detects the presence / absence of the operation of the second occupant protection member, and operates the first occupant protection member so as to correspond to the presence / absence of the operation. By correcting the presence / absence of the occupant, the operations of the occupant protection members can be made to correspond to each other, and the discomfort experienced by the occupant can be eliminated. In addition, when the airbag deployment condition is satisfied, it is possible to determine whether the airbag is deployed or not deployed properly when it is not deployed or when it is better to deploy the airbag.
[0015]
According to the invention of claim 2, since the limit which can be corrected is set in the first correction means, the first occupant protection member is always operated while corresponding to the operation or non-operation of each other occupant protection member. In the case where it is to be caused to be inactivated or to be inactivated, the activation or inactivation can be surely executed.
[0016]
According to the invention of claim 3, since the first and second occupant protection members are pretensioners for the vehicle airbag or the vehicle seat belt, the operations of the airbags or the pretensioner correspond to each other. Can eliminate discomfort.
[0017]
According to the invention of claim 4, the first and second occupants are occupants seated in the passenger seat and the driver seat, respectively. Because the operation of the passenger protection member for the passenger seat, which may not be present, is handled, the driver's passenger protection device that requires higher control accuracy is not affected by the state of the passenger In addition, the driver's seat occupant protection device can be activated and deactivated more accurately.
[0018]
According to the invention of claim 5, the second control means detects the presence / absence of the operation of the first occupant protection member, and corrects the presence / absence of the operation of the second occupant protection member to correspond to the presence / absence of the operation. Thus, the operations of the occupant protection members can be made to correspond to each other, and the discomfort experienced by the occupant can be eliminated.
[0019]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the first and second correction means are set with correctable limits, so that the first occupant protection member is made to correspond to the operation or non-operation of each occupant protection member. Alternatively, when the second occupant protection member should be operated or must be deactivated, the activation or deactivation can be reliably performed.
[0020]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the first and second control means refer to the same acceleration / deceleration signal, so that the operations of the occupant protection members of each other can be performed despite reference to the same acceleration / deceleration signal. Even if they are different, the discomfort experienced by the passengers can be resolved.
[0021]
According to the invention of claim 8, even when the operation of the occupant protection members is likely to be different because the detected occupant states are different between the first condition and the second condition, This can be done to eliminate the uncomfortable feeling experienced by passengers. In addition, when the airbag deployment condition is satisfied, it is possible to determine whether the airbag is deployed or not deployed properly when it is not deployed or when it is better to deploy the airbag.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0023]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the vehicle occupant protection device of the present embodiment.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present embodiment includes a driver airbag device 1, a passenger airbag device 3, and a driver seat airbag device 3 that are deployed in response to a rapid deceleration that occurs during a vehicle collision. A seat pretensioner 5 and a passenger seat pretensioner 6 are provided, and an airbag controller 11 receives detection signals from a deceleration (G) sensor 7, a belt sensor 8, a driver seat load sensor 9, and a passenger seat load sensor 10. Control.
[0025]
The G sensor 7 is installed, for example, on a bumper frame of a vehicle body, a cross member of a cowl portion, and the like, detects a longitudinal acceleration / deceleration acting on the vehicle body, and outputs a detection signal to the airbag controller 11.
[0026]
The airbag controller 11 determines whether or not the vehicle is in a collision state based on the average value of acceleration / deceleration detected by the G sensor 7, and at the time of the vehicle collision, the driver seat pretensioner 5 and the passenger seat pretensioner. 6 is set, and a threshold value that is a criterion for determining whether or not the driver seat inflator 2 and the passenger seat inflator 4 are to be detonated, and the operation timing thereof are set.
[0027]
Further, the airbag controller 11 calculates the load applied to the driver's seat (that is, the weight of the driver) based on the detection signal of the driver's seat load sensor 9.
[0028]
Further, the airbag controller 11 calculates the load applied to the passenger seat (that is, the weight of the passenger in the passenger seat) based on the detection signal of the passenger seat load sensor 10, and based on the passenger seat load from a predetermined time before the collision. The distance traveled by the passenger until the time of the collision is calculated.
[0029]
The driver seat pretensioner 5 and the passenger seat pretensioner 6 can be used when the vehicle is in a predetermined collision state by the detection signals of the G sensor 7 and the belt sensor 8 and the driver seat and the passenger are wearing the seat belt. For example, the driver seat pretensioner 5 and the passenger seat pretensioner 6 are operated at a predetermined timing.
[0030]
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the driver airbag device.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 2, the driver airbag device 1 includes a driver airbag 20 and a driver inflator 2. The driver's seat airbag 20 is stored in a folded state in a storage case 22 provided at the center of the steering wheel 28, and is inflated by breaking the protective pad 22a that covers the surface of the storage case 22 in the event of a vehicle collision. Thus, the vehicle is configured to deploy between the steering wheel 28 and the passenger seated in the driver's seat.
[0032]
The driver's seat inflator 2 has a pair of gas generating agents 24 and 25 that are divided and accommodated by a partition wall 23 and a pair of squibs 26 and 27 that individually burn the gas generating agents 24 and 25, respectively. . Then, at the time of a vehicle collision, one or both of the squibs 26 and 27 are started at a predetermined operation timing according to an integral value G or a driver seat load W in a flowchart described later according to a control signal output from the airbag controller 11. Let
[0033]
The passenger airbag device 3 has the same configuration as the driver airbag device 1 and is built in the instrument panel above the glove box in front of the passenger seat. It is detonated at a predetermined operation timing according to the travel distance L of the passenger.
[0034]
The airbag controller 11 detects the presence / absence of the operation of the passenger airbag device 3, corrects the presence / absence of the operation of the driver airbag device 1 so as to correspond to the presence / absence of the operation, and the driver airbag device 1. Is detected, and the presence or absence of the operation of the passenger airbag device 3 is corrected so as to correspond to the presence or absence of the operation.
[First Embodiment]
<Driver airbag device>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the deployment control of the driver airbag device according to the first embodiment.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 3, when the process is started, the airbag controller 11 reads the detection signal g from the G sensor 7 in step S <b> 1. In step S2, an integral value G of the detection signal g is calculated. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the integral value G is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value G0. If the integral value G is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value G0 in step S3 (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4, and if it is less than the predetermined threshold value G0 (NO in step S3), the process returns to step S1.
[0036]
In step S <b> 4, the airbag controller 11 reads the detection signal W from the driver seat load sensor 9. In step S5, a driver seat airbag deployment determination value K is calculated.
[0037]
The expansion determination value K in step S5 is calculated by the product of the correction value α obtained from the map of the integral value G shown in FIG. 9 and the correction value β obtained from the map shown in FIG. 10 (K = α × β).
[0038]
In step S6, it is determined whether or not the development determination value K is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value K0. If the development determination value K is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value K0 in step S6 (YES in step S6), the process proceeds to step S7, and if it is less than the predetermined threshold value K0 (NO in step S6), the process proceeds to step S13.
[0039]
In step S7, a flag A is set. The setting of the flag A indicates that the deployment condition for the driver's seat airbag is established as the first condition.
[0040]
In step S8, it is determined whether or not the flag B is set. The setting of the flag B indicates that the passenger seat airbag deployment condition is satisfied as the second condition. If flag B is set in step S8 (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S12 to deploy the driver's seat airbag. On the other hand, if the flag B is reset in step S8 (NO in step S8), the process proceeds to step S9, and the correction value W0 is subtracted from the detection signal W read in step S4 (W = W−W0). .
[0041]
In step S10, the development determination value K is calculated using the detection signal W corrected in step S9. In step S11, it is determined whether or not the development determination value K is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value K0. If the deployment determination value K is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value K0 in step S11 (YES in step S11), the process proceeds to step S12, and if it is less than the predetermined threshold value K0 (NO in step S11), the process proceeds to step S16 and the driver's seat airbag is turned off. Develop.
[0042]
In step S13, the flag A is reset. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the flag B is set. If the flag B is set in step S14 (YES in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15, and the correction value W0 is added from the detection signal W read in step S4 (W = W + W0). On the other hand, if the flag B is reset in step S14 (NO in step S14), the process proceeds to step S16 and the driver's seat airbag is not deployed.
[0043]
In the driver airbag deployment control of the first embodiment, the driver seat airbag deployment determination is performed from the deceleration G and the driver seat load W, and even if the driver seat airbag deployment condition is satisfied, the passenger seat airbag If the deployment condition is not met, the driver seat load W is subtracted and corrected so that the deployment condition for the driver's seat airbag is difficult to be met, and the deployment condition for the passenger seat airbag is met even if the deployment condition for the driver seat airbag is not met. Then, the driver seat load W is added and corrected so that the driver seat airbag deployment condition is easily satisfied, so that the driver seat airbag deployment state corresponds to the passenger seat airbag deployment state. Discomfort can be eliminated.
<Passenger airbag device>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the deployment control of the passenger seat airbag device according to the first embodiment.
[0044]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the process is started, the airbag controller 11 reads the detection signal g from the G sensor 7 in step T <b> 1. In step T2, an integral value G of the detection signal g is calculated. In step T3, it is determined whether or not the integral value G is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value G0. If the integral value G is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value G0 in step T3 (YES in step T3), the process proceeds to step T4, and if it is less than the predetermined threshold value G0 (NO in step T3), the process returns to step T1.
[0045]
In step T4, the airbag controller 11 determines the movement distance L of the passenger's head from the predetermined time before the condition in step T3 is satisfied to the condition based on the detection signal from the passenger seat load sensor 10. Is calculated. In step T5, a passenger seat airbag deployment determination value M is calculated.
[0046]
The expansion determination value M in step T5 is calculated by the product of the correction value α obtained from the map of the integral value G shown in FIG. 9 and the correction value γ found from the map shown in FIG. 11 (M = α × γ).
[0047]
In step T6, it is determined whether or not the development determination value M is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value M0. If the development determination value M is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value M0 in step T6 (YES in step T6), the process proceeds to step T7, and if it is less than the predetermined threshold value M0 (NO in step T6), the process proceeds to step T13.
[0048]
In step T7, a flag B is set. The setting of the flag B indicates that the passenger seat airbag deployment condition is satisfied as the second condition.
[0049]
In step T8, it is determined whether or not the flag A is set. The setting of the flag A indicates that the deployment condition for the driver's seat airbag is established as the first condition. If flag A is set in step T8 (YES in step T8), the process proceeds to step T12 to deploy the passenger seat airbag. On the other hand, if the flag A is reset in step T8 (NO in step T8), the process proceeds to step T9, and the correction value L0 is subtracted from the movement distance L calculated in step S4 (L = L-L0). .
[0050]
In step T10, the development determination value M is calculated using the movement distance L corrected in step T9. In step T11, it is determined whether or not the development determination value M is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value M0. If the deployment determination value M is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value M0 in step T11 (YES in step T11), the process proceeds to step T12, and if it is less than the predetermined threshold value M0 (NO in step T11), the process proceeds to step T16 and the passenger seat airbag is not turned on. Develop.
[0051]
In step T13, the flag B is reset. In step T14, it is determined whether or not the flag A is set. If the flag A is set in step T14 (YES in step T14), the process proceeds to step T15, and the correction value L0 is added from the movement distance L calculated in step T4 (L = L + L0). On the other hand, if the flag A is reset in step T14 (NO in step T14), the process proceeds to step T16 and the passenger seat airbag is not deployed.
[0052]
In the deployment control of the passenger seat airbag of the first embodiment, the deployment determination of the passenger seat airbag is performed from the deceleration G and the movement distance L, and the deployment of the driver seat airbag is performed even if the deployment condition of the passenger seat airbag is satisfied. If the condition is not satisfied, the travel distance L is subtracted and corrected so that the passenger seat airbag deployment condition is difficult to be satisfied, and if the driver seat airbag deployment condition is satisfied even if the passenger seat airbag deployment condition is not satisfied. , By adding and correcting the travel distance L so that the conditions for deploying the passenger's seat airbag can be easily satisfied, the deployed state of the passenger's seat airbag is made to correspond to the deployed state of the driver's seat airbag, eliminating the sense of discomfort experienced by passengers can do.
<Modification>
Note that the development control may be performed so that the process proceeds from step S7 to S12 except for steps S8 to S11 in FIG. 3 and the process proceeds from step S13 to step S16 except for steps S14 and S15. Furthermore, unfolding control excluding steps S8 to S11 in FIG. 3 may be performed.
[0053]
Further, the development control may be performed so that the process proceeds from step T7 to T12 except for steps T8 to T11 in FIG. 4 and the process proceeds from step T13 to step T16 except for steps T14 and T15. Furthermore, unfolding control excluding steps T8 to T11 in FIG. 4 may be performed.
[Second Embodiment]
<Driver airbag device>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the deployment control of the driver airbag device according to the second embodiment.
[0054]
In the first embodiment, the driver's seat load W is corrected in steps S9 and S15 of FIG. 3, whereas in the second embodiment, the correction value G1 is subtracted from the integral value G calculated in step S2 in step S17. (G = G−G1), the correction value G1 is added from the integral value G in step S18 (G = G + G1).
[0055]
For the other processes, the same steps as those in FIG.
<Passenger airbag device>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the deployment control of the passenger seat airbag device according to the second embodiment.
[0056]
In the first embodiment, the driver seat load W is corrected in steps T9 and T15 in FIG. 4, whereas in the second embodiment, the correction value G1 is subtracted from the integral value G calculated in step T2 in step T17. (G = G−G1), the correction value G1 is added from the integral value G in step T18 (G = G + G1).
[0057]
For the other processes, the same steps as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[0058]
The second embodiment can also obtain the same effects as the first embodiment.
<Modification>
The development control may be performed so that the process proceeds from step S7 to S12 except for steps S8, S17, S10, and S11 in FIG. 5 and the process proceeds from step S13 to step S16 except for steps S14 and S18. Furthermore, unfolding control excluding steps S8, S17, S10, and S11 in FIG. 5 may be performed.
[0059]
Further, the expansion control may be performed so that the process proceeds from step T7 to T12 except for steps T8, T17, T10, and T11 in FIG. 6 and the process proceeds from step T13 to step T16 except for steps T14 and T18. Furthermore, unfolding control excluding steps T8, T17, T10, and T11 in FIG. 6 may be performed.
[Third Embodiment]
<Driver airbag device>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the deployment control of the driver airbag device according to the third embodiment.
[0060]
In the first embodiment, the deployment determination value K calculated from the driver seat load W in steps S5 and S6 in FIG. 3 is determined, and the driver seat load W is corrected in steps S9 to S11 and S15. In the third embodiment, the deployment determination value K is divided into 10 stages of specified values N from the map of the deployment determination values K shown in FIG. 12 in step S19, and the driver seat airbag is determined depending on whether or not the specified value N is 6 or more in step S20. It is determined whether or not the expansion condition is satisfied.
[0061]
Further, in step S21, the specified value N calculated in step S19 is subtracted by 1 (N = N−1), and in step S23, 1 is added from the specified value N (N = N + 1). In step S22, step S21 or It is determined whether or not the condition for deploying the driver's seat airbag is satisfied based on whether or not the specified value N determined in S23 is 6 or more.
[0062]
For the other processes, the same steps as those in FIG.
<Passenger airbag device>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the deployment control of the driver airbag device according to the third embodiment.
[0063]
In the first embodiment, the unfolding determination value K calculated from the driver seat load W in steps T5 and T6 in FIG. 4 is determined, and the driver seat load W is corrected in steps T9 to T11 and T15. In the third embodiment, the deployment determination value K is divided into 10 stages of specified values N from the map of the deployment determination values K shown in FIG. 12 in step T19, and the passenger seat airbag is determined depending on whether or not the specified value N is 6 or more in step T20. It is determined whether or not the expansion condition is satisfied.
[0064]
Further, in step T21, the specified value N calculated in step T19 is subtracted by 1 (N = N−1), and in step T23, 1 is added from the specified value N (N = N + 1). In step T22, step T21 or It is determined whether or not the condition for deploying the driver's seat airbag is satisfied based on whether or not the specified value N determined in S23 is 6 or more.
[0065]
For the other processes, the same steps as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[0066]
In the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, arithmetic processing is facilitated when determining whether or not the specified value N is 6 or more.
<Modification>
The development control may be performed so that the process proceeds from step S7 to S12 except for steps S8, S21, and S22 in FIG. 7 and the process proceeds from step S13 to step S16 except for steps S14 and S23. Furthermore, unfolding control excluding steps S8, S21, and S22 of FIG. 7 may be performed.
[0067]
Further, the development control may be performed so that the process proceeds from step T7 to T12 except for steps T8, T21, and T22 in FIG. 8, and the process proceeds from step T13 to step T16 except for steps T14 and T23. Furthermore, unfolding control excluding steps T8, T21, and T22 of FIG. 8 may be performed.
[0068]
The present invention can be applied to modifications or variations of the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle occupant protection device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a driver's seat airbag device.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating deployment control of the driver's seat airbag device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating deployment control of the passenger airbag device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating deployment control of a driver airbag device according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating deployment control of the passenger airbag device according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining deployment control of a driver airbag device according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating deployment control of the passenger airbag device according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a map showing a relationship between an integral value G and a correction value α.
FIG. 10 is a map showing the relationship between driver seat load W and correction value β.
FIG. 11 is a map showing a relationship between a movement distance L and a correction value γ.
12 is a map showing a relationship between a development determination value K and a specified value N. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driver seat airbag apparatus 2 ... Driver seat inflator 3 ... Passenger seat airbag apparatus 4 ... Passenger seat inflator 5 ... Driver seat tensioner 6 ... Passenger seat pretensioner 7 ... G sensor 8 ... Belt sensor 9 ... Driver seat load sensor 10 ... Passenger seat load sensor 11 ... Airbag controller

Claims (8)

A first occupant protection member for protecting the first occupant;
First control means for operating the first occupant protection member by satisfying a first condition relating to the first occupant;
A second occupant protection member for protecting the second occupant;
A vehicle occupant protection device comprising: a second control unit that operates the second occupant protection member by satisfying a second condition regarding the second occupant;
The first control means includes first correction means for detecting presence / absence of operation of the second occupant protection member and correcting presence / absence of operation of the first occupant protection member so as to correspond to the presence / absence of the operation. An occupant protection device for a vehicle. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein a limit that can be corrected is set in the first correction means. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second occupant protection members are pretensioners for a vehicle airbag or a vehicle seat belt. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second occupants are occupants seated in a passenger seat and a driver seat, respectively. The second control means includes second correction means for detecting presence / absence of operation of the first occupant protection member and correcting presence / absence of operation of the second occupant protection member so as to correspond to the presence / absence of the operation. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1. 6. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 5, wherein a limit that can be corrected is set in the first and second correction means. The vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first and second control means refer to the same acceleration / deceleration signal. The vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein detected occupant states are different between the first condition and the second condition.

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