JP4507076B2 - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for a vehicle that enhances the occupant protection function by changing the posture to a seat posture suitable for occupant protection when a collision is predicted in a vehicle having a collision prediction function.

  As a device for protecting a passenger on a vehicle, for example, in Patent Document 1, a vehicle deceleration caused by sudden braking of the vehicle is detected by a sensor, an airbag provided at a lower portion of the seat cushion is inflated, and the seat cushion is A technique for lifting and restricting forward movement of an occupant is shown.

  Further, Patent Document 2 includes a sensor that predicts or detects a rear collision and an inclination sensor that detects an inclination angle of the seatback, and based on a detection output of the inclination sensor when the rear collision is predicted or detected. Thus, there has been proposed a vehicle occupant protection device provided with a seat back angle control means for displacing the seat back within a predetermined range when the inclination angle of the seat back is outside the predetermined range.

  Patent Document 3 proposes a seat with an automatic side support that protects an occupant in an industrial vehicle seat such as a forklift truck. The seat is provided with side supports rotatably on both sides of a back seat (back seat), and the base portions of these side supports are connected to a driving device. A plurality of pressure sensors are disposed on the front surface of the back seat, and the side support is rotated by operating the driving device according to detection signals from the pressure sensors. According to the body shape of the driver and the position on the seat, the side support is rotated to the optimum position to ensure the safety of the passenger.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-81466 (2nd page, FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-334437 (page 3-5, FIG. 2) JP-A-1-240330 (the upper part of the second page, FIG. 1-2)

  These conventional techniques act to protect the occupant when the vehicle collides or tilts. However, although it is effective for either a forward or backward collision, the object is not expanded even in the case of a collision from an oblique direction or a lateral direction of the vehicle, for example. And when a vehicle collision actually occurs, the actual situation is that there are many offset collisions, side collisions, and oblique collisions due to the driver's behavior of avoiding saddles. As described above, a vehicle occupant protection device for various collisions has not been provided yet, and a response is desired.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the occupant of the vehicle enhances the occupant protection function by changing the posture to a seat posture suitable for the occupant protection in response to various cases of collision and collision possibility. The object is to provide a protective device.

In order to achieve this object, the characteristic configuration of the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention operates each part of the seat within a predetermined target range based on the output from the collision prediction means for predicting a collision. The collision predicting means has a function for detecting the collision direction, and further, when the collision is predicted based on the output from the collision predicting means, the operation is performed regardless of the collision direction . the reclining means of a predetermined operation priority is priority first place, the seat back inclination angle of the seat is allowed to operate to a predetermined appropriate angle, depending on the detected collision direction, the cushion of the seat A cushion length changing means for changing the length in the front-rear direction of the seat, and a side support for changing the distance between the side pads provided on both sides of the seat back so as to protrude toward the passenger side Seat operation means, lumbar support operation means for changing the protruding amount of the receiving surface of the waist portion of the seat back, front vertical means for vertically moving the front of the cushion portion of the seat, and a headrest of the seat a head support means for location is the change operation, the seat sliding means for operating the pedestal of the seat in the longitudinal direction, of selecting at least one, control means for operating in accordance with the operation order which is determined in accordance with the collision direction It is in the point provided with.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the reclining means having a high occupant protection effect is operated in common with various collisions such as front, rear, and side, and other seat portions are operated, so that the occupant protection effect is enhanced. be able to. In addition, if the cushion length changing means is operated so as to shorten the length of the cushion portion of the seat in the front-rear direction, the occupant's buttocks move backward with the cushion, so the occupant sits deeply on the seat, Increased safety. Further, when the side support operating means is operated so as to narrow the distance between the side pads, the occupant is enveloped by the seat, and the protective effect is enhanced. Moreover, if the protrusion amount of the receiving surface of the waist portion of the seat back is reduced, the occupant's waist portion sinks into the seat, so that the occupant is enveloped by the seat, and the protective effect is similarly enhanced.

The collision prediction means passenger protection equipment for a vehicle according to the present invention, since a function for detecting the collision direction, the control means, the cushion length changing hands stage in accordance with the collision direction, the side support operation manual stage , it is possible to operate the one or more, such as lumbar support operation means.

For this reason , since the site | part of a seat effective for a passenger | crew's protection can be operated with a reclining means according to a collision direction, it is preferable. For example, when a side collision is predicted, for example, when the reclining means is operated and at least the side support operation means is operated, the occupant is wrapped in the seat, and the occupant's lateral movement amount Is restricted and safety is increased.

As described above, the passenger protection equipment for a vehicle according to the present invention, based on an output from the collision forecast means for predicting a collision, there is for operating the respective parts of the sheet within a predetermined target range, Ru control means to operate the respective parts of the sheet based on an output from the collision forecast means having a function for detecting the collision direction according to a predetermined operation order which is determined according to the collision direction, the it is intended to operate each part of the sheet. Here, the reclining means that can be operated regardless of the collision direction has the highest operation order.

According to this characteristic configuration, the reclining means is operated with the highest priority in accordance with a predetermined operation order determined in accordance with the collision direction based on the output from the collision prediction means , and then each part of the other seat is operated. Therefore, for example, even when the time from when a collision is predicted to when the collision actually occurs is short, the portion of the sheet that can be expected to be most effective can be moved to an appropriate range. That is, it can be expected to be most effective for protecting the passenger. In various cases such as frontal collision, rearward collision (side collision), and side collision, it is effective for protecting the occupant that the seat back is maintained at an appropriate angle and the occupant is in an appropriate seating posture.

In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention, when a forward collision is predicted by the collision prediction means, the control means selects at least the front vertical means and the cushion length changing means , It can be characterized by operating according to the operation order .

  According to this characteristic configuration, in the case of a forward collision, by raising the front part of the cushion part in the vertical direction, a phenomenon called so-called submarine, in which the occupant slips forward through the seat belt due to inertia, can be reduced. As the front part of the cushion part rises, the angle between the contact surface between the thigh and the front part of the cushion part and the direction of the inertial force toward the front increases, and this forces the inertial force toward the front. It is because it can enlarge. In addition, if the cushion length changing means is operated so as to shorten the longitudinal length of the cushion portion of the seat, the occupant's buttocks move backward together with the cushion, so the occupant sits deeply on the seat, and the inertial force This acts against the movement of the hips forward, which also reduces the submarine phenomenon.

Alternatively, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention, when a rear collision is predicted by the collision prediction means, the control means selects at least the head support means and the front vertical means , It is also possible to operate according to the operation order .

  According to this characteristic configuration, in the case of a rear collision, for example, by moving the position of the headrest toward the traveling direction, excessive impact on the neck can be mitigated. Further, by raising the front part of the cushion part in the vertical direction, the angle formed between the contact surface between the thigh part of the occupant and the cushion and the direction of the force pushing the occupant's body forward is increased. As a result, the occupant's body can be prevented from moving forward.

Alternatively, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention, when a side collision is predicted by the collision prediction unit, the control unit selects at least the side support operation unit and the lumbar support operation unit. In addition, the operation may be performed according to the operation order .

  According to this characteristic configuration, the side support operating means can be operated so as to narrow the distance between the side pads, and the occupant is wrapped by the seat, so that the protective effect is enhanced. Moreover, if the protrusion amount of the receiving surface of the waist portion of the seat back is reduced, the occupant's waist portion sinks into the seat, so that the occupant is enveloped by the seat, and the protective effect is similarly enhanced.

  According to these characteristic configurations, the reclining means having a high occupant protection effect is operated in common for various collisions such as front, rear, and side, and the occupant protection effect is considered to be high according to each collision direction. Since the seat portion to be operated is operated, the occupant protection effect can be further enhanced.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle occupant protection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the vehicle occupant protection device should operate each part 4 of the seat within a predetermined target range based on the output from the collision prediction means 1 for predicting a collision. It is configured. The collision prediction means 1 includes, for example, a sensor 1a that measures the distance to an obstacle using a millimeter wave laser radar or the like, and a collision prediction ECU that predicts a collision based on information from the sensor 1a, traveling speed, and the like ( Electronic Control Unit) 1e. Although the route for obtaining the traveling speed and other information is not shown, of course, the collision prediction means 1 may be configured to include devices other than the sensor 1a and the collision prediction ECU 1e.

  The vehicle occupant protection device according to the present embodiment has a seat control ECU 2 as a control means for operating each part 4 of the seat in the vehicle. More specifically, each part 4 of the seat is moved by the seat operating means 3, and the seat operating means 3 is driven by the seat control ECU 2. The sheet operating means 3 includes a mechanism for moving each part 4 of the sheet, an actuator, a drive circuit for the actuator, a control circuit for the drive circuit, and the like. The actuator is, for example, a motor or a solenoid, the drive circuit is a motor drive IC, and the control circuit is a small CPU, a logic circuit, or the like. In order to facilitate the explanation, the detailed configuration and operation of the sheet operating means 3 will not be described and illustrated.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining each part of the seat and the operation of each part. In the present embodiment, each part 4 of the seat includes a seat back 4a as a backrest, a cushion (cushion part) 4b serving as a seating surface, side pads 4c provided on both sides of the seat back 4a so as to protrude toward the occupant side, and a seat back A lumbar pad 4d that is a receiving surface of the waist portion of 4a, a front cushion 4e that is a front portion of the cushion 4b, a headrest 4f, and a base 4g on which a seat is installed. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the seat operating means 3 for moving each part 4 of the seat includes a reclining means 3a for changing the seat back inclination angle, and a cushion length changing means for changing the longitudinal length of the cushion 4b. 3b, side support operating means 3c for changing the distance between both side pads 4c, lumbar support operating means 3d for changing the protruding amount of the lumbar pad 4d, front vertical means 3e for vertically moving the front cushion 4e in the vertical direction, headrest 4f The head support means 3f for changing the position of the head and the seat slide means 3g for moving the pedestal 4g in the front-rear direction.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle occupant protection device in this embodiment will be described. The seat control ECU 2 operates the reclining means 3a based on the output from the collision prediction means 1 so that the inclination angle of the seat back 4a becomes a predetermined appropriate angle, and the cushion length changing means 3b and the side support operating means. One or more of 3c and lumbar support operating means 3d are operated. As shown in FIG. 2, these operations are operations that cause the seat back 4a to move in the direction of the arrow D1, and move the cushion 4b in the direction of the arrow D2, that is, the seat back direction (backward direction) to shorten the cushion length. Yes, it is an operation of projecting both side pads 4c in the direction of arrow D3 so that the distance between the two is shortened, and an operation of moving the lumbar pad 4d in the direction of arrow D4 to reduce the amount of projection. Preferred for protection. In addition, if each part 4 of a sheet | seat is already in the said predetermined position when the collision prediction means 1 detects a collision, it is not necessary to operate | move in this way. Further, for example, when the inclination angle of the seat back exceeds the predetermined appropriate angle (for example, 20 degrees from the vertical direction) and is in the raising direction, the seat back may be moved in the lying direction.

  In this embodiment, the operation | movement of each part 4 of said sheet | seat should just perform any one or more about things other than the reclining means 3a. For example, if a priority order (motion order) is given to the operation, even when the time from when the collision prediction means 1 detects a collision or the like until the actual collision or the like is short, the priority is higher. It can be operated. In addition, when only a necessary part is operated selectively, it is possible to reduce power shortage by operating a useless part. The priority can be set in advance according to the predicted state of the collision. Foreseeable collision states include various things such as forward collision, rear-end collision, side collision, rollover, and fall. In the present embodiment, the seat back 4a is always moved to a predetermined position. However, this is because the seat back 4a is at an appropriate angle in various cases such as a frontal collision, a rearward collision (rear collision), and a side collision. This is because it is effective for protecting the occupant that the occupant is maintained in an appropriate sitting posture. Here, the proper seating posture is, for example, a state in which the occupant's buttocks are seated deeply at a position close to the back seat 4a on the cushion 4b.

  When the seat back 4a is set to an appropriate angle and the cushion 4b is shortened to the seat back 4a side, the occupant's buttocks move together with the cushion 4b in the direction of the seat back 4a and are preferably seated deeply. Further, it is preferable to increase the protruding amount of both side pads 4c and narrow the distance between both side pads 4c because the occupant can be wrapped in the seat and the amount of movement of the occupant can be regulated. Further, if the amount of protrusion of the lumbar pad 4d is reduced, the occupant's waist can be sunk into the seat back 4a so that the occupant is wrapped in the seat, and the occupant himself also applies force to the abdomen in preparation for a collision. It is preferable that a preliminary operation such as can be performed.

[Second Embodiment]
In addition to the embodiment of the vehicle occupant protection device described above, the collision prediction means 1 has a function for detecting the collision direction, and the seat control ECU 2 includes a cushion length changing means 3b according to the collision direction, When one or more of the side support operating means 3c and the lumbar support operating means 3d are operated, a preferable configuration is obtained when the control according to the above-described priority is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the collision direction of the vehicle. The direction facing the traveling direction of the vehicle is the front, the direction facing the backward direction of the vehicle is the rear, the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the vehicle and facing the right side toward the traveling direction is the right side, and the opposite direction is the left side To be. Then, these front, rear, left and right sides are used as axes, and the angles are symmetrically opened on both sides, that is, within the ranges of the front angle L1, the rear angle L2, the right side angle L3, and the left side angle L4, respectively. , And the collision direction to which an impact such as a collision is applied. Each of these angles L1 to L4 may be 90 degrees, or different angles may be set depending on each direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it may be aligned with the diagonal line of the vehicle, the left and right sides may be 120 degrees each, and the front and rear may be 60 degrees each. Further, the symmetry with respect to the axis may be eliminated, the front may be 90 degrees, the rear may be 60 degrees, and the remaining may be the left and right sides. In order to detect the possibility of a collision in each direction, in this example, four sensors, a front sensor 1a, a rear sensor 1b, a right side sensor 1c, and a left side sensor 1d, are provided corresponding to each direction. It has been.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the vehicle occupant protection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the vehicle occupant protection device should operate each part 4 of the seat within a predetermined target range based on the output from the collision prediction means 1 for predicting a collision. It is configured. The collision prediction means 1 has a function for detecting the collision direction. For example, a front sensor 1a, a rear sensor 1b, and a right side sensor that measure the distance to an obstacle using a millimeter wave laser radar or the like are used. It has a sensor 1c, a left side sensor 1d, and a collision prediction ECU 1e that predicts a collision based on information from these sensors 1a to 1d, travel speed, and the like. Although the route for obtaining the traveling speed and other information is not shown, of course, the collision prediction means 1 may be configured to include devices other than the sensors 1a to 1d and the collision prediction ECU 1e.

  The vehicle occupant protection device according to the present embodiment includes a seat control ECU 2 as a control means for operating each part 4 of the seat in the vehicle via the seat operation means 3. The sheet operating means 3 includes a mechanism for moving each part 4 of the sheet, an actuator, a drive circuit for the actuator, a control circuit for the drive circuit, and the like. The actuator is, for example, a motor or a solenoid, the drive circuit is a motor drive IC, and the control circuit is a small CPU, a logic circuit, or the like.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle occupant protection device in this embodiment will be described. The seat control ECU 2 operates the reclining means 3a based on the output from the collision prediction means 1 having a function for detecting the collision direction so that the inclination angle of the seat back 4a becomes a predetermined appropriate angle. Depending on the collision direction, one or more of the cushion length changing means 3b, the side support operating means 3c, and the lumbar support operating means 3d are operated. As described above with reference to FIG. 2, these operations are the operation that causes the seat back 4a, the operation that shortens the cushion length of the cushion 4b, the operation that causes the side pads 4c to protrude, and the protrusion amount of the lumbar pad 4d is small. It is preferable for the protection of the occupant that the operation is performed. If the respective parts 4 of the sheet are already in the predetermined position when the collision prediction means 1 detects a collision, it is not necessary to operate in this way. Further, for example, when the inclination angle of the seat back exceeds the predetermined appropriate angle (for example, 20 degrees from the vertical direction) and is in the raising direction, the seat back may be moved in the lying direction.

  As for the operation of each part 4 of the above-described seat, any one or more of the operations other than the reclining means 3a may be executed. In the present embodiment, according to the collision direction, priority can be given to the actions (action orders), and the actions can be operated sequentially, or the action parts can be selected and operated. By doing so, even when the time from when the collision prediction means 1 detects a collision or the like until the actual collision or the like is short, it can be operated from a higher priority, and a wasteful part Can be used to reduce power shortage.

  The priority can be set in advance according to the predicted state of the collision. Foreseeable collision states include various things such as forward collision, rear-end collision, side collision, rollover, and fall. Here, a method for determining priority according to the direction of collision will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the priority order of each part of the seat that is operated by the vehicle occupant protection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the reclining means 3a for operating the inclination angle of the seat back 4a to a predetermined appropriate angle has the highest priority in the operation in any collision direction. . This is because in various cases such as a frontal collision, a rearward collision (side collision), and a side collision, it is effective for protecting the occupant that the seat back 4a is maintained at an appropriate angle and the occupant has an appropriate seating posture. It is. Here, the proper sitting posture is, for example, a so-called deeply seated state where the upper body of the occupant is moderately raised and the buttocks are close to the back seat 4a on the cushion 4b.

Since the second and lower motion priorities differ depending on the collision direction, the following description will be made for each collision direction.
(Forehead collision prediction)
When a forward collision is predicted by the collision prediction means 1, the reclining means 3a is operated so that the inclination angle of the seat back 4a becomes a predetermined appropriate angle, and at least the front vertical means 3e and the cushion length changing means Preferably, the priority order (operation order) is determined so as to operate 3b.

  In the case of a forward collision, a so-called submarine phenomenon is easily generated in which the occupant passes through the seat belt and slides forward due to the inertia in the forward direction. However, when the front part of the cushion part (front cushion 4e) is raised in the direction of the arrow D5 in FIG. 2, the angle formed between the contact surface between the occupant's thigh and the front cushion 4e and the forward inertial force is increased. growing. As a result, it is possible to increase the force that resists the inertial force toward the front. Further, when the cushion length changing means 3b is operated so as to shorten the length of the cushion 4b (cushion portion) in the front-rear direction, the occupant's buttocks move backward together with the cushion 4b, so that the occupant sits deeply on the seat. This acts to resist the movement of the buttocks forward due to inertial force, which also leads to a reduction in the submarine phenomenon.

  In view of such an effect, when a forward collision is predicted, the front vertical means 3e is operated as the second highest priority, and the cushion length changing means 3b is operated as the third priority. In the fourth and lower ranks, the importance of prioritization is lower than that in the top three ranks, but in the present embodiment, it is defined in the rank as shown in FIG. As the fourth position, the head support means 3f is operated to protect the head and neck from so-called rebound, in which the head moved forward by inertial force after the occurrence of a frontal collision returns backward due to the elasticity of the cervical spine. Fifth place is a seat slide means to enhance the effect of the seat belt and to avoid collision with windshield, glove box, handle etc. (front seat) and front seat (rear seat) Operate 3g. As the sixth and seventh positions, the side support operating means 3c and the lumbar support operating means 3d are operated in order to protect the occupant's body by wrapping it with a seat.

(When predicting rear collision)
When a rear collision is predicted by the collision prediction means 1, the reclining means 3a is operated so that the inclination angle of the seat back 4a becomes a predetermined appropriate angle, and at least the head support means 3f and the front vertical means 3e. It is preferable that the priority order (operation order) is determined so that

  When a rear collision occurs, for example, a rear-end collision is made while the vehicle is stopped, the rider's body is pushed forward while the passenger's head not prepared for the collision is held in its original position by inertia. It becomes a form. As a result, the head is in a posture that slides backward, and an excessive impact is applied to the neck of the occupant serving as a fulcrum. When the headrest 4f is moved forward as indicated by the arrow D6 in FIG. 2 by the head support means 3f, the amount of the head sliding backward can be reduced and the impact on the neck can be reduced. When the front vertical means 3e raises the cushion front (front cushion 4e) in the direction of arrow D5 in FIG. 2, the contact surface between the thigh of the occupant and the front cushion 4e moves the occupant's body forward. And the direction of the pushing force increases. As a result, forward movement of the occupant's body can be suppressed.

  In view of such an effect, when a rear collision is predicted, the head support means 3f is operated as the second highest priority, and the front vertical means 3e is operated as the third priority. In the fourth and lower ranks, the importance of prioritization is lower than that in the top three ranks, but in the present embodiment, it is defined in the rank as shown in FIG. Fourth, seat slide means to enhance the effect of seat belts and to avoid collisions with windshields, glove boxes, handles, etc. (front seats) and front seats (rear seats) Operate 3g. From the fifth place to the seventh place, the side support operating means 3c, the cushion length changing means 3b, and the lumbar support operating means 3d are operated in order to adjust the posture of the occupant and protect the body by wrapping it with a seat.

(At the time of side collision prediction)
When a side collision is predicted by the collision prediction means 1, the reclining means 3a is operated so that the inclination angle of the seat back 4a becomes a predetermined appropriate angle, and at least the side support operation means 3c and the lumbar support operation Preferably, a priority order (operation order) is determined so as to operate the means 3d.

  In the case of a side collision, an impact is applied in the direction toward the lateral direction of the occupant's body. Therefore, it is effective for protecting the occupant to suppress the lateral movement of the occupant's body as much as possible, that is, to wrap the occupant's body. Therefore, if the side pad 4c of the seat back 4a protrudes laterally as shown by the arrow D3 in FIG. 2 to wrap the occupant's body from the side, the movement of the occupant's body in the lateral direction is restricted. Can do. In this embodiment, a method of projecting the side pad 4c is used, but a shaft is provided on both sides along the vertical direction of the seat back 4a, and the side pad 4c is swung with respect to this shaft. It may be configured. Further, if the protruding amount of the lumbar pad 4d, which is the receiving surface of the waist portion of the seat back 4a, is reduced in the direction indicated by the arrow D4 in FIG. 2, the occupant's waist portion sinks into the seat, so that the occupant is wrapped by the seat. In addition, the amount of forward protrusion of the side pad 4c is relatively increased, and the passenger's protective effect is enhanced.

  In view of such an effect, when a side collision is predicted, the side support operating means 3c is operated as the second priority, and the lumbar support operating means 3d is operated as the third priority. In the fourth and lower ranks, the importance of prioritization is lower than that in the top three ranks, but in the present embodiment, it is defined in the rank as shown in FIG. As the fourth and fifth positions, the butt of the occupant is brought closer to the seat back 4a, the contact between the thigh and the cushion 4b is increased, the occupant is seated deeply in the seat, and the occupant is wrapped in the seat. In order to enhance the effect of swallowing, the cushion length changing means 3b and the front vertical means 3e are operated. In the sixth and seventh positions, the head support means 3f and the seat slide means 3g are operated in preparation for a collision from an oblique side instead of a side.

  As described above, it is preferable to change the operation order of the respective portions 4 of the seat according to the collision direction because it is possible to cope with the situation. The operation order (priority order) is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5 and described above, and can be set to various orders. In the present embodiment, the predetermined order has been described as an example of a mode selected according to the front, rear, and side collision directions, but not limited thereto, diagonally forward, diagonally backward, etc. Another direction may be added. In this case, the number of sensors for detecting the collision direction is not limited to four. If five or more sensors are provided, the detection accuracy of the collision direction can be increased. The predetermined operation order and the division of the collision direction may be stored in a storage means built in the seat control ECU 2, or stored in a memory or the like separate from the seat control ECU 2. In addition, control means for operating each part of the sheet may be configured.

[Third embodiment]
In the above embodiment, an example in which each part of the seat is operated based on a predetermined priority (operation order) classified according to the collision direction has been described. And calculating the priority order based on the direction frequency and the priority for operating each part of the seat corresponding to the basic collision direction (front, rear and side). Each part of the sheet may be operated based on the priority order. A specific method will be described below.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the priority of each part of the seat operated by the vehicle occupant protection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the priority order of each part of the sheet is shown, but in FIG. 6, this is shown by priority. The higher the number, the higher the priority, and the higher the priority, the higher the priority order (operation order) for operating. In this embodiment, this priority is referred to as a collision coefficient K. For example, a forward collision coefficient K1 when a forward collision is expected, a rear collision coefficient K2 when a rear collision is expected, a right or left side The side collision coefficient K3 when a collision is expected is assumed. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the forward collision coefficient K1 is set to 20 as a priority for operating the reclining means 3a, and 10 is set as a priority for operating the front vertical means 3e. A coefficient is given to the means 3. In the present embodiment, the coefficients are assigned so that the total value of the coefficients K1 to K3 is all 50.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the collision direction frequency of the vehicle occupant protection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the direction degree P is calculated in correspondence with the front, rear, right side, and left side collision directions. The forward degree P1, the backward degree P2, the right side degree P3, and the left side degree P4, respectively. The forward degree P1 is calculated by the collision prediction ECU 1e based on outputs from the front sensor 1a, the right side sensor 1c, and the left side sensor 1d. The rear degree P2 is calculated by the collision prediction ECU 1e based on outputs from the rear sensor 1b, the right side sensor 1c, and the left side sensor 1d. The right side degree P3 is calculated by the collision prediction ECU 1e based on outputs from the right side sensor 1c, the front sensor 1a, and the rear sensor 1b. Similarly, the left degree P4 is calculated by the collision prediction ECU 1e based on outputs from the left side sensor 1d, the front sensor 1a, and the rear sensor 1b.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the forward degree P1 is, for example, over 180 degrees so that the front direction of the vehicle is 90 degrees forward and the direction perpendicular to the forward direction of the vehicle is 0 degree forward. Calculated in 1 degree increments. The rear degree P2 is calculated over 180 degrees so that the front side opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle is a rear degree 90, and the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle is zero forward degree. The right side degree P3 and the left side degree P4 are similarly calculated. In the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the explanation, the frequency according to the angle is set as the direction degree P and is calculated in increments of 1 degree. However, the range and the increment of the direction degree are not limited to this.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining the priority order of each part of the seat operated by the vehicle occupant protection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. A method for obtaining the priority (operation order) for operating the operation means 3 of each part of the seat with respect to the collision direction (forward 60, left 30) shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the coefficient K at the time of collision corresponding to the forward, backward, and both sides is defined as K1, K2, and K3, respectively. Further, the collision prediction ECU 1e calculates the direction degree P based on detection signals from the sensors 1a to 1d in charge of the front, rear, and both sides. The predetermined collision coefficient K1 to K3 may be stored in a storage means built in the seat control ECU 2, or stored in a memory other than the seat control ECU 2, and these are combined. You may make it comprise the control means to operate each part of a sheet | seat. The seat control ECU 2 uses the collision coefficient K and the direction degree P input from the collision prediction means 1 to determine the priority order (operation order) for operating the operation means 3 of each part of the seat.

  The seat control ECU 2 obtains the priority corresponding to each direction by multiplying the coefficient K at the time of collision corresponding to each direction and the direction degree P. That is, the front priority K1 × P1, the rear priority K2 × P2, the right priority K3 × P3, and the left priority K3 × P4 are calculated. As shown in FIG. 8, the backward priority K2 × P2 whose direction degree is 0 and the right priority K3 × P3 are 0 for all the operation means 3, respectively. As for the front priority K1 × P1 and the left side priority K3 × P4, as shown in FIG. 8, the priority corresponding to each operation means 3 of each part of the seat is calculated.

Next, the priority obtained corresponding to each of these directions is added for each operation means 3. That is, for each operating means,
Σ = Forward priority + Backward priority + Right side priority + Left side priority
= (K1 x P1) + (K2 x P2) + (K3 x P3) + (K3 x P4)
Is calculated. Since those having a large Σ generally have a high priority, the priority (operation order) for operating the operation means 3 of each part of the sheet increases in the order of the Σ. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the priority order (operation order) is the reclining means 3a, front vertical means 3e, cushion length changing means 3b, head support means 3f, side support action means 3c, lumbar in order from the top. It becomes the support operation means 3d and the seat slide means 3g.

  In this example, the priority is calculated for the reclining means 3a by setting the coefficient K at the time of collision. However, since the reclining means 3a is always operated at the highest priority, it may be excluded from the calculation target. That is, it is possible to calculate only the operation means 3 having the second priority to the seventh priority excluding the reclining means 3a. Further, in this example, the priority order is calculated and the operation means 3 of each part of the sheet is sequentially operated using the priority order as an operation order. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is possible to operate only up to the rank and not to operate at the sixth rank or less.

  As described above, the present invention provides an occupant protection device for a vehicle that enhances the occupant protection function by changing the posture to a seat posture suitable for occupant protection in response to various cases of collision and collision possibility. can do.

The block diagram which shows the structural example of the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. The perspective view for demonstrating the operation | movement of each part and each part of a sheet | seat Schematic for explaining the collision direction of the vehicle The block diagram which shows the structural example of the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the priority of each part of the seat which the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention operates. The figure which shows an example of the priority of each part of the sheet | seat which the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention operates. The figure which shows an example of the collision direction frequency of the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the method which determines the priority of each part of the sheet | seat which the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention operates.

Explanation of symbols

1 Collision prediction means 2 ECU for seat control
3 Seat operation means 3a: Reclining means, 3b: Cushion length changing means, 3c: Side support operation means, 3d: Lumber support operation means 4 Seat parts 4a: Seat back, 4b: Cushion, 4c: Side pad, 4d: Lumber pad

Claims (4)

A vehicle occupant protection device that operates each part of a seat within a predetermined target range based on an output from a collision prediction means for predicting a collision,
The collision prediction means has a function for detecting the collision direction,
Further, when a collision is predicted based on the output from the collision predicting means , the reclining means having the first predetermined operation order, which is the priority of the operation , regardless of the collision direction, back angle of inclination is operating to a predetermined appropriate angle, depending on the detected collision direction, a cushion length change means for changing operation the length of the longitudinal direction of the cushion portion of the seat, of the seat back Side support operating means for changing the distance between side pads provided projecting toward the occupant on both sides, lumbar support operating means for changing the protruding amount of the receiving surface of the waist portion of the seat back, and the front of the cushion portion of the seat Front vertical means for vertically moving the head and head support for changing the position of the headrest of the seat Means and the seat sliding unit to operate in the longitudinal direction of the base of the sheet, the Select at least one occupant protection device of a vehicle including a control means for operating in accordance with the operation order which is determined in accordance with the collision direction . 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein, when a front collision is predicted by the collision prediction unit , the control unit selects at least the front vertical unit and the cushion length changing unit, and operates according to the operation order. Vehicle occupant protection device. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein, when a rear collision is predicted by the collision prediction unit , the control unit selects at least the head support unit and the front vertical unit and operates according to the operation order. 3. Vehicle occupant protection device. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein, when a side collision is predicted by the collision prediction unit , the control unit selects at least the side support operation unit and the lumbar support operation unit, and operates according to the operation order. The vehicle occupant protection device described.

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