JP4244834B2 - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for a vehicle, and relates to an occupant protection device for a vehicle that can set operating sensitivity of an airbag, a seat belt pretensioner, or the like.

  Currently, a vehicle occupant protection device having occupant protection means such as an air bag and a seat belt pretensioner is used to protect the occupant during a vehicle collision.

  Conventional vehicle occupant protection devices are set to always operate under conditions suitable for the vehicle. Therefore, since the conventional vehicle occupant protection device automatically operates regardless of the will of the occupant, it may be expected that the operation is not optimal for the occupant or that the occupant feels uncomfortable.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an airbag device in which an occupant can select prohibition / permission of airbag deployment. However, in the airbag device of Patent Document 1, it is possible to select whether the airbag is to be deployed or not deployed. However, the operation sensitivity when the airbag is deployed, for example, how much the airbag is deployed at the degree of collision. It is not something that the occupant can set.
JP-A-8-318814

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle occupant protection device in which an occupant can set operation sensitivity of an airbag, a seat belt pretensioner, or the like according to his / her own will.

The vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention includes a detection means for detecting an impact applied to the vehicle, an occupant protection means for protecting the occupant in the event of a collision, and operating the occupant protection means according to a detection result of the detection means. An occupant protection device for a vehicle, further comprising an operation sensitivity setting unit that sets a threshold value for activating the occupant protection means by an input of the occupant. .

  In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the operation sensitivity setting means is a threshold value changing means for changing a threshold value at which the operation control means operates the occupant protection means within a predetermined range.

  The operation sensitivity setting means preferably has an input unit for inputting the threshold value to the operation control means by an electric signal. In this case, the input unit preferably includes a sensitivity setting device including a variable resistor capable of changing the electric signal continuously or stepwise, and the sensitivity setting device manually sets the threshold value by an occupant's operation. It may be a switch.

In the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, it is desirable that the occupant protection means is an airbag or a seat belt pretensioner.

The vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention has operation sensitivity setting means for setting the threshold for the operation control means to operate the occupant protection means by the occupant input, so that the occupant sets the operation sensitivity of the occupant protection means by his / her own will. can do.

  Further, the operation sensitivity setting means is a threshold value changing means for changing the threshold value at which the operation control means operates the occupant protection means within a predetermined range, so that the protection effect of the occupant protection means is maintained and the occupant's will The operating sensitivity of the occupant protection means can be changed.

Further, if the occupant protection means is an airbag or a seat belt pretensioner, for example, either one can be set to be operated with priority, and setting according to the use state and preference of the occupant is possible. .

  The best mode for carrying out the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

  The vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention includes a detection means for detecting an impact applied to the vehicle, an occupant protection means for protecting the occupant in the event of a collision, and an operation for operating the occupant protection means according to the detection result of the detection means. An occupant protection device for a vehicle having a control means, further comprising an operation sensitivity setting means.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, the detection means, the occupant protection means, and the operation control means are not particularly limited as long as they are configurations used in general occupant protection devices such as seat belt devices and airbag devices. That is, the protection means may be a general protection means such as a seat belt or an airbag, and the detection means is a G sensor that detects an impact (acceleration) generated in the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed, Any general sensor such as a weight sensor for detecting the weight applied to the vehicle seat may be used.

The operation sensitivity setting means is a means for setting a threshold for the operation control means to operate the occupant protection means by the input of the occupant. Therefore, the occupant can set the operating sensitivity of the occupant protection means according to his / her will.

  By the way, in an ordinary vehicle occupant protection device such as a seat belt device or an airbag device, an operation control unit such as an airbag ECU performs a calculation process using the detection result from the detection unit as processing information, and the calculation result is a threshold value. Whether or not the occupant protection means needs to be operated is determined based on whether or not (usually preset in accordance with the vehicle type) is exceeded. Therefore, in order to set the sensitivity at which the operation control means operates the occupant protection means by the operation sensitivity setting means, information relating to the operation sensitivity input from the occupant by the operation sensitivity setting means may be added as one of the processing information. In particular, it is a suitable means to change the threshold value by an occupant input. That is, it is preferable that the operation sensitivity setting unit is a threshold value changing unit that changes a threshold value at which the operation control unit operates the occupant protection unit. At this time, by changing the threshold value within a predetermined range permitted from the viewpoint of safety, it is possible to change the operating sensitivity of the occupant protection means according to the occupant's will while maintaining the protective effect of the occupant protection means.

  Moreover, it is preferable that an operation sensitivity setting means has an input part which inputs a threshold value into an operation control means with an electrical signal. For example, if an input unit is installed on an instrument panel or the like in a vehicle, the occupant can easily set the operation sensitivity in accordance with road conditions.

  There is no particular limitation on the method of inputting the operation sensitivity by the occupant, but the input unit is a sensitivity composed of an element whose electric characteristics continuously change, such as a variable resistor capable of changing an electric signal continuously or stepwise. It is preferable to have a setting device. As the sensitivity setting instrument, a manual switch for setting a threshold value by an occupant's operation is preferable, and a dial type switch or a digital value input such as a rotary encoder may be used.

In the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, the occupant protection means is preferably an airbag or a seat belt pretensioner (hereinafter referred to as “pretensioner”). In addition to protecting the head, the airbag may be an airbag that protects the lower limbs and the side of the body. In addition, the operation sensitivity setting means may set only one of the airbag and the pretensioner, or the operation sensitivity may be set for two or more occupant protection means. It may be activated preferentially, and can be set according to the use state and preference of the occupant.

  Here, the “operation sensitivity” is a degree of ease of operation. “High actuation sensitivity” means that the occupant protection means is activated (ie, “sensitive”) even if the impact detected by the detection means when the collision occurs is weak, for example. Further, “low operating sensitivity” means that the occupant protection means does not operate unless a strong impact is detected (that is, “insensitivity”). Therefore, an occupant who wants to be protected even in a small collision may increase the operating sensitivity of the occupant protection means. An occupant who considers that only a restraint by the seat belt is sufficient for a small collision may increase the sensitivity of the pretensioner and decrease the sensitivity of the airbag. Of course, it is also possible to set so that the protection means is not operated by the operation sensitivity setting means.

  In general, when a collision occurs, the airbag and the pretensioner operate simultaneously. According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, by setting the sensitivity of the airbag and the pretensioner, it is possible to generate a time difference in the time until activation. For example, by reducing the operating sensitivity of the airbag (or increasing the operating sensitivity of the pretensioner), when a collision occurs, the restraint force is first applied to the seat belt by the pretensioner, and then the airbag is deployed. The operation at the timing becomes possible. Furthermore, depending on the extent of the collision, the occupant protection is performed only by the operation of the pretensioner, and the airbag may not be deployed. In such a case, there is an advantage that the repair of the airbag becomes unnecessary.

  In addition, depending on the vehicle model, if the airbag is actuated before the pretensioner, the passenger may not be protected effectively. For this reason, depending on the vehicle model, it may be configured such that the setting for operating the airbag first cannot be performed.

  The vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and other configurations may be added. For example, it may be possible to set the operation sensitivity for each seat, and the operation sensitivity setting means may prevent the passenger seat airbag from being operated as required (for example, when there is no passenger in the passenger seat or when using a child seat). It is also possible to set.

  Below, the Example of the passenger | crew protection device for vehicles of this invention is described using Table 1, FIG. 2, FIG.

  The vehicle occupant protection device according to the present embodiment includes an airbag device 10 and a seat belt pretensioner device 20.

  The airbag device 10 includes a detection unit 11 including various sensors, an airbag 12 that protects an occupant in the event of a collision, and an operation control unit 13 that operates the airbag 12 according to the detection result of the detection unit 11. . Further, the seat belt pretensioner device 20 includes a detection unit 21 including various sensors, a pretensioner 22 that protects an occupant in the event of a collision, and an operation control unit 23 that operates the pretensioner 22 according to the detection result of the detection unit 21. And having.

  Furthermore, the vehicle occupant protection device of this embodiment includes a setting switch 30 that outputs a signal to each of the operation control means 13 and 23. The setting switch 30 has a switch for each of the airbag device 10 and the seat belt pretensioner device 20. Each switch can be set on a scale of three levels, H (high) with high sensitivity, M (middle) which is a normal setting, and L (low) with low sensitivity (see Table 1). The setting switch 30 has a variable resistor, and an electric signal corresponding to each scale of H, M, and L is input to the operation control means 13 and 23. The scales H and L do not exceed the permissible range in which the sensitivity can effectively protect the occupant.

  The operation control unit 13 includes a calculation unit 131, a determination unit 132, and a threshold change unit 133. Vehicle information detected by the detection means 11 is input to the calculation unit 131. Further, the electrical signal from the setting switch 30 is input to the threshold value changing unit 133. The operation control means 13 performs determination and control in the determination unit 132 based on the calculation result in the calculation unit 131 and the electric signal from the setting switch 30 input to the threshold value changing unit 133. The operation control means 23 includes a calculation unit 231, a determination unit 232, and a threshold change unit 233. In the operation control means 23, determination and control are performed in the same manner as the operation control means 13.

  In the operation control means 13 and 23, the necessity of the operation of the airbag 12 and the pretensioner 22 is determined based on whether or not the calculation result in the calculation units 131 and 231 exceeds a threshold value. For example, the threshold value is set to one of h, m, and l in FIG. 3 by setting the operation sensitivity by the input according to the scales H, M, and L of the setting switch 30, respectively. When the calculation result in the calculation unit 131 or 231 is indicated by a curve in FIG. 3, if the setting switch 30 is set to H, a collision is determined at the time indicated by ●. If the setting switch 30 is set to M, a collision is determined at the time indicated by ◯. When a collision is determined, the operation control means 13 and 23 operate the airbag 12 and the pretensioner 22, respectively. When the setting switch 30 is set to L, the collision is not determined from the calculation result shown in FIG. 3, and the airbag 12 and the pretensioner 22 do not operate.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle occupant protection device of this embodiment will be described.

  In the operation control unit 13, the calculation unit 131 determines whether the operation condition of the airbag 12 is necessary based on the detection result of the detection unit 11 and the threshold value of the threshold value changing unit 133 set by the setting switch 30. In the operation control unit 23, the calculation unit 231 determines whether or not the operation condition of the pretensioner 22 is necessary based on the detection result of the detection unit 21 and the threshold value of the threshold value changing unit 233 set by the setting switch 30.

  If both the airbag device 10 and the seatbelt pretensioner device 20 are set to the M scale in the setting switch 30, the airbag 12 and the pretensioner 22 are operated according to normal settings when a collision is determined. Therefore, the operation when the scale of the setting switch 30 is changed under a collision under the same conditions will be described below in comparison with a normal operation (scale M). In addition, it is assumed that the calculation result of the calculation units 131 and 231 at the time of a collision under a certain condition is a condition that does not operate on the scale L.

  For example, both the sensitivity of the airbag device 10 and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 are set to the scale H. In this case, the airbag device 10 and the seat belt pretensioner device 20 operate sensitively earlier than normal operations. On the contrary, if both the sensitivity of the airbag device 10 and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 are set to the scale L, neither the airbag device 10 nor the seat belt pretensioner device 20 operates.

  The sensitivity of the airbag device 10 is set as a scale L, and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 is set as a scale M. In this case, the seat belt pretensioner device 20 is not different from the normal operation, but the airbag device 10 does not operate. Further, the sensitivity of the airbag device 10 is set as a scale L, and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 is set as a scale H. In this case, the seat belt pretensioner device 20 operates more sensitively and faster than the normal operation, but the airbag device 10 does not operate.

  Further, for example, the sensitivity of the airbag device 10 is set to a scale M, and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 is set to a scale H. In this case, the airbag device 10 is not different from the normal operation, but the seat belt pretensioner device 20 operates sensitively earlier than the normal operation.

  Table 1 summarizes the operation state at the time of collision for the sensitivity set by the setting switch 30.

また、通常の作動（目盛Ｍ）では、エアバッグ装置１０およびシートベルトプリテンショナ装置２０が同時に作動すると仮定する。同じ条件の衝突の下で、たとえば、エアバッグ装置１０の感度、シートベルトプリテンショナ装置２０の感度、を共に目盛Ｈと設定すると、各装置は通常の作動よりも早いタイミングで作動する。そして、エアバッグ装置１０の感度を目盛Ｍ、シートベルトプリテンショナ装置２０の感度を目盛Ｈ、と設定すると、シートベルトプリテンショナ装置２０は、エアバッグ装置１０の作動よりも早いタイミングで作動する。

In normal operation (scale M), it is assumed that the airbag device 10 and the seat belt pretensioner device 20 operate simultaneously. For example, if the sensitivity of the airbag device 10 and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 are both set to the scale H under the collision of the same conditions, each device operates at a timing earlier than the normal operation. When the sensitivity of the airbag device 10 is set to the scale M and the sensitivity of the seat belt pretensioner device 20 is set to the scale H, the seat belt pretensioner device 20 operates at an earlier timing than the operation of the airbag device 10.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle occupant protection device of the present embodiment, the operation of the airbag and the pretensioner can be set to a desired timing for the occupant by changing the threshold value with the setting switch. Moreover, even if the operation timing of the airbag and the pretensioner is simultaneous, it is possible to set the operation sensitivity desired by the occupant.

It is a block diagram showing the outline of the crew protection device for vehicles of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing the passenger protection device for vehicles of an example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the calculation result in a calculating part, and the set threshold value in the control means of the passenger protection device for vehicles of an Example.

Explanation of symbols

10: Airbag device 20: Seat belt pretensioner device 11, 21: Detection means 12: Airbag (occupant protection means)
22: Pretensioner (occupant protection means)
13, 23: Operation control means 131, 231: Operation part 132, 232: Determination part 133, 233: Threshold change part 30: Setting switch (operation sensitivity setting means)

Claims (6)

A vehicle having detection means for detecting an impact applied to a vehicle, occupant protection means for protecting an occupant at the time of a collision, and an operation control means for operating the occupant protection means in accordance with a detection result of the detection means An occupant protection device,
The vehicle occupant protection device further includes an operation sensitivity setting unit that sets a threshold value for operating the occupant protection unit by the occupant input.   The vehicle protection device according to claim 1, wherein the operation sensitivity setting means is a threshold value changing means for changing a threshold value by which the operation control means operates the occupant protection means within a predetermined range.   The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein the operation sensitivity setting unit includes an input unit that inputs the threshold value to the operation control unit by an electric signal.   The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the input unit includes a sensitivity setting device including a variable resistor capable of changing the electric signal continuously or stepwise.   The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 4, wherein the sensitivity setting instrument is a manual switch that sets the threshold value by an occupant's operation. The vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the occupant protection means is an airbag or a seat belt pretensioner.

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