JP5075686B2 - Side collision determination device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle side collision determination apparatus that determines a side collision of a vehicle.

  When the vehicle receives a side collision, the vehicle side structure is deformed or destroyed by the collision force. As the vehicle side structure is deformed / destructed, the vehicle moves laterally due to the pressure caused by the collision, and the vehicle body side portion vibrates left and right. It is necessary to avoid damage to the occupant due to the vehicle side part structure being destroyed or deformed and entering. In addition, it is necessary to avoid injury caused by a secondary collision of an occupant to a structure on the side of the vehicle because the vehicle moves laterally and inertia force acts on the occupant. Therefore, in order to protect the occupant from damage caused by side collision or secondary collision, the vehicle is equipped with an airbag device such as a side airbag, determines the side collision to the vehicle, deploys the airbag, Protects passengers.

  A side impact sensor (satellite sensor) that detects lateral acceleration is provided inside the side sill to provide a highly rigid part with a rigidity equal to or greater than a predetermined value on the side of the vehicle body to determine a side collision. The side collision of the vehicle is determined based on the acceleration detected by the sensor.

  In addition, in the single point determination using only the side impact sensor, a collision is determined when a local impact is applied to the side impact sensor such as a door slam, a stepping stone, or a hammering that does not require the airbag to be deployed. A unit sensor that detects lateral acceleration is placed on the center console in the center in the width direction of the vehicle body to prevent inconveniences such as unpacking the bag, and safing determination is performed based on the acceleration detected by the unit sensor. Whether or not to deploy the airbag is determined using the safing determination result and the collision determination result by the side impact sensor.

As a prior art relating to determination of a vehicle side collision, there is Patent Literature 1. In Patent Document 1, an event that collides with a side portion in front of or behind a passenger compartment and a side vehicle such as a high-speed offset collision and a high-speed oblique collision are obtained by short-range integration and middle-section integration of acceleration output from a unit sensor. An event in which deformation does not occur relatively is judged, and a safing determination is performed by distinguishing a collision event in which a speed change occurs over a relatively long section, such as strong door closing or kicking, by long section integration.
JP-A-10-185842

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the safing determination is performed only by the output of the unit sensor, there are the following problems. Since the unit sensor is arranged at the center of the vehicle, the unit sensor is resistant to collisions and impacts, and the acceleration measured at the time of collision is more stable than the side impact sensor.

  On the other hand, the unit sensor is placed in the center of the vehicle and receives impact energy from the door beam and center pillar at the time of a side collision and distributes it to the cross member on the indoor side via the side sill to protect the occupant Since the collision energy is less transmitted than the side impact sensor, the acceleration measured at the time of the collision is smaller than that of the side impact sensor. Even when the vehicle collides with the side part before or behind the passenger compartment and the vehicle rotates around the center part, the acceleration measured by the unit sensor is compared with the acceleration measured by the side impact sensor. Is getting smaller.

  On the other hand, side collision determination safing requires that safing is determined to be ON by the time when airbag deployment is required, and that it is not determined to be ON during normal travel. Therefore, in a high-speed side collision, it is necessary to determine the collision within a short time and deploy the airbag. For this reason, if the safing determination threshold is set high, it is difficult to determine that safing is ON by the time when the airbag needs to be deployed in a high-speed side collision or the like.

  If the safing determination threshold is set low, safing can be determined to be ON by the time the airbag needs to be deployed, but it can be used to drive on rough roads such as gravel roads and depressions, cornering, bottoming, bellows, stepping stones. There is a problem that it is easy to determine ON during normal driving. Even when the vehicle collides with a rigid wheel and makes a side slip, there is a problem that if the unit sensor alone performs the safing determination, the safing is determined to be ON. Further, since the unit sensor is provided at the center in the width direction of the vehicle in order to carry out the safing determination, there is a problem that the cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. The unit sensor is omitted, the cost is reduced, and safing is determined to be ON by the time when the airbag needs to be deployed. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle side collision determination device that does not determine ON.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first side impact sensor that detects lateral acceleration disposed on one of the right side portion and the left side portion of the vehicle, and the one side portion of the vehicle include: Second and third side impact sensors that are arranged on the other different side and detect lateral acceleration, and side collision determination that calculates a side collision determination calculation value based on the acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor Based on an acceleration detected by the second side impact sensor, a value calculation means, a side collision determination comparison value that compares the side collision determination calculation value and a collision determination threshold, and determines whether or not a collision ON determination is made. The first safing determination calculation value calculation means for calculating the first safing determination calculation value and the second safin based on the acceleration detected by the third side impact sensor A second safing determination calculation value calculating means, a first safing determination calculation value, a first safing determination threshold value, a second safing determination calculation value, and a second safing determination threshold value, Based on the determination result by the safing determination comparing means for determining whether safing ON is determined, and the collision determination comparing means and the safing determination comparing means, it is determined whether to deploy the airbag, There is provided a vehicle side collision determination device including a collision ignition signal output means for outputting a collision ignition signal.

According to a second aspect , in the first aspect , the safing determination comparison means includes the first safing determination calculation value, the first safing determination threshold value, the second safing determination calculation value, Compare the three safing determination threshold values, compare the second safing determination calculation value with the second safing determination threshold value, compare the first safing determination calculation value with the fourth safing determination threshold value, and There is provided a side collision determination device for a vehicle for determining whether or not to determine whether or not the vehicle is ON.

According to a third aspect , in the second aspect , the safing determination comparison means has the first safing determination calculation value equal to or greater than the fourth safing determination threshold value and the second safing determination calculation. If the value is greater than or equal to the second safing determination threshold, or the first safing determination calculation value is greater than or equal to the first safing determination threshold and the second safing determination calculation value is the third safing There is provided a vehicle side collision determination device that performs safing ON determination when the determination threshold value is exceeded.

According to a fourth aspect , in the third aspect , the safing determination comparing means is configured such that when the first safing determination calculation value is smaller than the first safing determination threshold value, or the second safe There is provided a vehicle side collision determination device that performs a safing OFF determination when a wing determination calculation value is smaller than the second safing determination threshold.

According to a fifth aspect , in the third aspect , the safing determination comparing means has the first safing determination calculation value smaller than the fourth safing determination threshold and the second safing determination. When the calculated value is smaller than the third safing determination threshold, a vehicle side collision determination device that performs safing OFF determination is provided.

According to a sixth invention, in the second invention described above , a safing ON determination for performing the safing ON determination in a two-dimensional space comprising the first safing determination calculation value and the second safing determination calculation value. There is provided a vehicle side collision determination apparatus in which a safing determination threshold value region, which is a boundary region between a region and a safing OFF determination region for performing safing OFF determination, is partially defined by a curve.

According to a seventh aspect , in the second aspect , the first safing determination calculation value calculation means detects the positive direction of the acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor and the second side impact sensor. The first safing determination calculation value is calculated based on the positive direction of the acceleration to be performed, and the second safing determination calculation value calculation means calculates the positive direction of the acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor. The second safing determination calculation value is calculated based on the positive direction of acceleration detected by the third side impact sensor, and the safing determination comparing means calculates the first to fourth safing determination threshold values. As a positive value, a vehicle side collision determination device that performs a safing determination is provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect , the safing determination / comparison means includes a positive direction of acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor and an acceleration detected by the second side impact sensor. If the positive direction is opposite, the first safing determination threshold and the fourth safing determination threshold are negative, and the positive direction of the acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor and the third side impact sensor are If the positive direction of the detected acceleration is opposite, a side collision determination device for a vehicle that performs the safing determination with the second safing determination threshold and the third safing determination threshold being negative is provided.

According to the first invention, the acceleration detected by the second and third side impact sensors that are two non-collision side impact sensors arranged on the opposite side of the first side impact sensor that is the collision side impact sensor is detected. Compared with the case where only the unit sensor performs the safing determination, the safing ON determination is made and the normal driving such as the rough road driving or the cornering is performed by the time required for the collision determination. In this case, the safing ON determination is not performed, and safing can be performed more reliably. Further, the unit sensor can be omitted, and the cost is reduced.

According to the present invention, in addition to the first and second safing determination threshold, it is provided with the third and fourth safing determination threshold, the more reliably the safing ON / OFF determination.

According to the third invention, by setting the first to fourth safing judgment thresholds according to door slam and kicking events, wheel impact events and normal driving events such as cornering and rough road driving, these events Can be surely determined to be safing OFF.

According to the fourth invention, when one of the first and second safing determination calculation values is relatively large and the other is relatively small, the second and third are caused by door slam, kicking, and traveling on a rough road. In the event of vibration or roll due to a local impact in the vicinity where the side impact sensor is arranged, the safing OFF determination is made, so that the safing ON determination is not made in normal running or the like.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, both the first and second safing determination calculation values are of a certain size, and the safing ON determination is not performed in normal traveling such as cornering.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the vehicle body structure and the positions where the second and third side impact sensors are arranged in a normal driving event such as a door slam or kicking event, a wheel impact event and cornering or rough road driving. Depending on the lateral acceleration, a safing determination threshold region that is a boundary region between the safing ON determination region and the safing OFF determination region can be partially defined by a curve, and the safing OFF determination can be performed more reliably. it can.

According to the seventh aspect , the first and second safing determination calculation values are calculated based on the direction of acceleration detected by the second and third side impact sensors and the direction of acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor. Therefore, the judgment logic in the safing judgment comparison means can be simplified.

According to the eighth invention, if the positive direction of the acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor and the positive direction of the acceleration detected by the second and third side impact sensors are opposite, the first and fourth safing Since the safing determination is performed with the determination threshold and the second and third safing determination thresholds being negative, the determination logic in the safing determination comparing means can be simplified.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an occupant protection device 1 includes a control unit (ECU) 2, a steering handle 4, an instrument panel 6, airbags 8R and 8L, seat backs 10R and 10L, side airbags 12R and 12L, seat belts. Pretensioners 14R, 14L and side impact sensors 18FR, 18FL, 18RR, 18RL are provided.

  The control unit 2 is an electronic control unit disposed at the center in the width direction of the vehicle. The control unit 2 includes a CPU, and performs processing related to side collision determination of the vehicle, which will be described later, by executing a program by the CPU. The airbag 8L is provided in the instrument panel 6 in front of the passenger seat, and is deployed based on determination of a frontal collision of the vehicle by the control unit 2.

  The seat belt pretensioners 14R and 14L are provided on the seat belts of the driver seat and the passenger seat. The side impact sensors 18FR, 18FL, 18RR, and 18RL are acceleration sensors that are disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle and detect lateral acceleration. Hereinafter, the lateral acceleration is abbreviated as acceleration. The unit sensor for detecting the lateral acceleration in the control unit 2 is omitted and not provided.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of the control unit 2 and the side impact sensors 18FR, 18FL, 18RR, and 18RL. In FIG. 2, only the right side surface is shown, and the left side surface is not shown because the side surface is symmetrical. The control unit 2 is disposed inside a center console 26 disposed on the front floor 27 of the vehicle formed on the hollow cylinder. The side impact sensor 18FR is disposed in a high-rigidity portion having a rigidity equal to or greater than a predetermined value at the side portion of the vehicle body, for example, a right side sill 24R below the right center pillar 22R.

  The side impact sensor 18RR is disposed in the vicinity of a rear wheel house (not shown) inside a high-rigidity portion whose rigidity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, for example, a right side sill 24R below the right center pillar 22R. Cross members 28 disposed on the rear floor 29 are provided on the left and right side sills 24R, 24L.

  The side impact sensors 18FR, 18FL, 18RR, 18RL are provided inside the left and right side sills 24R, 22L, receive impact from the side surfaces by the left and right center pillars 22R, 22L, and cross members via the left and right side sills 24R, 24L. Since the impact energy is distributed to 28, compared with the unit sensor arranged in the control unit 2, the impact energy from the side surface can be easily transmitted, and the impact can be detected with high sensitivity.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sensor used in safing determination according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, when determining a right side collision, the left front side impact sensor 18FL and the left rear side impact sensor 18RL are used for safing determination. For the left side collision, the right front side impact sensor 18FR and the right rear side impact sensor 18RR are used for safing determination. Thus, since the side impact sensors 18FL, 18FR, 18FR, and 18RR are used for the safing determination, the collision energy due to the side collision is detected with high sensitivity.

First Embodiment FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram relating to side collision determination of a vehicle of the control unit 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the functional block relating to the side collision determination includes a right side collision determination unit 50R and a left side collision determination unit 50L. The right side collision determination unit 50R includes a right side collision determination value calculation unit 52R, a right side collision determination comparison unit 54R, a first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation unit 56R, and a second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation. Means 58R, safing judgment comparing means 60R and right side collision ignition signal output means 62R. The left side collision determination unit 50L includes a left side collision determination value calculation unit 52L, a left side collision determination comparison unit 54L, a first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation unit 56L, and a second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation. Means 58L, safing judgment comparing means 60L and left side collision ignition signal output means 62L. Since the right side collision determination unit 50R and the left side collision determination unit 50L are substantially the same, the following description will be made without distinguishing the left and right by omitting the symbols L and R indicating the left and right.

FIG. 5 is a detailed block diagram of the side collision determination means 50 in FIG. Collision determination value calculating means 52, as shown in the following formula (1), the collision of the side impact sensors 18FR, output from 18FL, the acceleration G _SIS0 which noise has been removed while being converted into a digital signal, the current Integration is performed in a predetermined time interval [tn−Δt, tn] from time tn to a predetermined time Δt, and a speed change component ΔV _SIS0 is calculated as a collision determination calculation value.

ΔV _SIS0 = ∫G _SIS0 dt (1)
The integration interval is [tn−Δt, tn].

  Depending on the type of collision, such as high-speed side collision and medium-low speed side collision, the integration interval is set to short, medium or long, and integration is performed separately to calculate the high-speed side collision determination value and medium-low speed side collision determination. A value may be calculated.

The collision determination comparison means 54 compares the collision determination calculation value ΔV _SIS0 output from the collision determination value calculation means 52 with the collision determination threshold, and when the collision determination calculation value ΔV _SIS0 is greater than or _equal to the collision determination threshold, the collision determination When the signal is turned ON and the collision determination calculation value _ΔVSIS0 is smaller than the collision determination threshold, the collision determination signal is turned OFF. When the high-speed side collision determination calculation value and the medium / low-speed side collision determination value are calculated separately, the high-speed side collision determination threshold and the medium / low-speed side collision determination threshold are separately compared.

As shown in the following equation (2), the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation means 56 is a non-collision side left front impact sensor 18FL (in the case of a right side collision) or a right front side impact sensor 18FR (left side). Acceleration _GSIS1 output from the case of a surface collision and converted into a digital signal and from which noise has been removed is integrated in a predetermined time interval [tn−Δt, tn] from the current time tn to a predetermined time Δt. Then, the change speed component ΔV _SIS1 is calculated as the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value.

ΔV _SIS1 = ∫G _SIS1 dt (2)
The integration interval is [tn−Δt, tn].

The non-collision side impact sensor 18FL or 18FR is disposed on the opposite side of the collision side impact sensor 18FR, 18FL, and the positive direction of acceleration is reversed, and the sign of the acceleration of the collision side impact sensor 18FR, 18FL is reversed. Therefore, the sign of the acceleration G _SIS1 or speed change component ΔV _SIS1 of the side impact sensors 18FL and 18FR on the non-collision side is reversed.

The second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation means 58 is a non-collision side left rear side impact sensor 18RL (in the case of a right side collision) or right rear side impact sensor 18RR as shown in the following equation (3). The acceleration _GSIS2 output from (in the case of a left side collision), converted into a digital signal and noise-removed, is converted into a predetermined time interval [tn−Δt, tn] from the current time tn to a predetermined time Δt. The change speed component ΔV _SIS2 is calculated as the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value.

ΔV _SIS2 = ∫G _SIS2 dt (3)
The integration interval is [tn−Δt, tn].

The non-collision side impact sensor 18RL or 18RR is disposed on the opposite side of the collision side impact sensor 18FR, 18FL, and the positive direction of acceleration is reversed, and the sign of the acceleration of the collision side impact sensor 18FR, 18FL is reversed. Therefore, the sign of the acceleration G _SIS2 or the change speed component ΔV _SIS2 of the side impact sensors 18RL and 18RR on the non-collision side is reversed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the safing determination area, where the horizontal axis represents the first non-collision safing determination calculation value, and the vertical axis represents the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value. As shown in FIG. 6, the safing ON determination area includes: (a) a first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is a first non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold (first safing determination threshold) LOW ( 1) or higher, and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is equal to or higher than the second non-collision safing determination HI threshold (third safing determination threshold) Hi (2), (b) first The first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is equal to or _greater than the first non-collision safing determination HI threshold (fourth safing determination threshold) Hi (1), and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is The second non-collision safing determination LOW threshold (second safing determination threshold) LOW (2) or more.

If the _{signs of} the accelerations G _SIS1 and G _SIS2 and the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 are not inverted, the first non-collision safing determination LOW The threshold LOW (1), the first non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi (1), the second non-collision safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2), and the second non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi (2) are made negative. To make a safing determination.

  The first non-collision safing determination LOW threshold value LOW (1) and the second non-collision safing determination LOW threshold value LOW (2) are determined so that safing is ON by the time when the side airbags 12R and 12L need to be deployed. The value is relatively low.

  The first non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi (2) and the second non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi (2) are determined to be safing ON in rough roads such as gravel roads and depressed roads and in cornering normal driving. It is a relatively high value so as not to.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the state of the vehicle and the safing determination area. As shown in FIG. 7, the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is equal to or _lower than the first non-collision safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1), and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is The first OFF region OFF1 equal to or greater than the second non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2) is the vicinity of where the side impact sensors 18RL and 18RR are disposed, by hammering or kicking in the vicinity where the side impact sensors 18RL and 18RR are disposed. In the case of the door slam of this type, there is a case in which vibration or roll due to local hitting in the vicinity where the side impact sensors 18RL and 18RR are arranged is caused by bellows, bottoms or stepping stones.

The first non-collision SIS fing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is equal to or greater than the first non-collision safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1), and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is the second non-collision SIS safing determination. In the second OFF region OFF2 that is equal to or lower than the LOW threshold LOW (2), in the case of a door slam of a nearby door where the side impact sensors 18FL and 18FR are disposed, the side impact sensors 18FL and 18FR are disposed due to bellows, bottom strikes, and stepping stones. This applies to the case of vibration or roll due to local impact in the vicinity.

In hammering, kicking and door slam, the first or second non-collision SIS safing judgment calculation values ΔV _SIS1 and ΔV _SIS2 for the side impact sensors 18FR, 18FL or 18RR, 18RL that are physically close to the occurrence location are physically far. It becomes relatively larger than the second or first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation values ΔV _SIS2 and ΔV _{SIS1 for the} side impact sensors 18RR, 18RL or 18FR, 18FL.

The first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is equal to or greater than the first non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1) and equal to or less than the first non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold Hi (1). 2 The third OFF region OFF3 in which the non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is equal to or greater than the second non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2) and equal to or less than the second non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold Hi (2) is: The non-collision side impact sensors 18FL, 18RL or 18FR, 18RR are used when a lateral vibration occurs due to a bad road such as a gravel road or a depressed road, or when a normal road such as cornering or a side slip such as a wheel impact occurs. Although the acceleration in the vicinity of the side sills 24L and 24R that are arranged is both at a substantially equivalent level, By and it is smaller than the acceleration of about safing ON or not.

Even when a side collision occurs from the front or rear of the passenger compartment and the vehicle rotates at a relatively large acceleration around the center of the vehicle where the control unit 2 is disposed, the first and second non-collision SIS safing determinations Since the calculated values ΔV _SIS1 and ΔV _SIS2 are relatively large values, the safing ON determination is made.

  The first non-collision safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1), the first non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi (1), and the second non-collision SIS safing determination that define the safing ON determination area and the safing OFF determination area LOW threshold value LOW (2) and second non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold value Hi (2) are events based on experiments such as driving on rough roads, normal driving such as cornering and skidding, and collisions that require airbag deployment. , The first non-collision safing judgment calculation value and the second non-collision SIS safe calculated by calculating the acceleration at which the side impact sensors 18FL, 18RL or 18FR, 18RR are arranged according to the same formulas as the formulas (2) and (3). It is set based on the wing determination calculation value.

As shown in FIG. 5, the safing determination comparing means 60 determines _whether the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 are in the safing ON determination region. It has first to fourth comparators 70, 72, 74, 76, AND circuits 78, 80, and an OR circuit 82.

The first comparator 70 compares the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 with the first non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold value LOW (1), and calculates the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value. If ΔV _SIS1 is equal to or greater than the first non-collision safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1), a high level signal is output, and the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is the first non-collision safing determination LOW. If it is smaller than the threshold LOW (1), a low level signal is output.

The second comparator 72 compares the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 with the second non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold Hi (2), and calculates the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value. If ΔV _SIS2 is greater than or equal to the second non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold Hi (2), a high level signal is output, and the second non-collision SIS safing judgment calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is the second non-collision SIS safing If it is smaller than the determination HI threshold value Hi (2), a low level signal is output.

The third comparator 74 compares the first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 with the first non-collision SIS safing determination Hi threshold Hi (1), and compares the first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1. Is equal to or higher than the first non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi (1), a high level signal is output, and the first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is the first non-collision safing determination HI threshold Hi ( If smaller than 1), a low level signal is output.

The fourth comparator 76 calculates the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 and the second non-collision SIS safing determination LOW.
If the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value is greater than or equal to the second non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2) by comparing with the threshold LOW (2), a high level signal is output, 2 If the non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is smaller than the second non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2), a low level signal is output.

  The first AND circuit 78 ANDs the output signals of the first and second comparators 70 and 72. The second AND circuit 80 ANDs the output signals of the third and fourth comparators 74 and 76. The OR circuit 82 ORs the first and second AND circuits 78 and 80. The collision ignition signal output means 62 takes the AND of the outputs of the collision determination comparison means 54 and the safing determination comparison means 60 and outputs an ignition signal.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle side collision determination method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle side collision determination method will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where right side collision is determined will be described. In step S2, as shown in Expression (1), the acceleration _GSIS0 output from the side impact sensor 18FR and converted into a digital signal and from which noise has been removed is converted into a predetermined time from the current time tn to a predetermined time Δt. The collision determination calculation value ΔV _SIS0 is calculated by integration in the time interval [tn−Δt, tn].

In step S4, the acceleration G _{SIS 1} which noise has been removed while being converted into a digital signal output from the side impact sensor 18FL, a predetermined time interval from the current time tn before the predetermined time Δt [tn-Δt, tn] _{Is integrated} to calculate a first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 . In step S6, the acceleration G _sis2 which noise has been removed while being converted into a digital signal output from the side impact sensor 18RL, a predetermined time interval from the current time tn before the predetermined time Δt [tn-Δt, tn] The second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is calculated.

In step S8, it is determined whether or not the collision determination calculation value ΔV _SIS0 is equal to or greater than the collision determination threshold value. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S10. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S2. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is greater than or _equal to the first non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1). If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S12. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S2.

In step S12, it is determined whether or not the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is greater than or _equal to the non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold Hi (2). If a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S14. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S18. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is greater than or _equal to the first safing determination HI threshold Hi (1). If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S16. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S2. In step S16, it is determined whether or not the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value _ΔVSIS2 is greater than or _equal to the second non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2). If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S18. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S2. In step S18, an airbag ignition request signal is output to the airbags 12R and 12L.

  According to the present embodiment described above, since the safing determination is performed using the accelerations of the two non-collision side impact sensors 18FR, 18RR or 18FL, 18RL, the vehicle side hammering, door slam, In the case of kicking or the like, in the case of belly hitting or bottom hitting, if either one of the left and right side sills 24R, 24L vibrates or rolls, the safing determination becomes OFF determination.

  Also, the safing determination is OFF determination in the case of a rough road traveling such as a gravel road or a depressed road, a normal traveling such as cornering, or a side slip. Furthermore, when a side collision occurs from the front or rear of the passenger compartment and the vehicle rotates at a predetermined acceleration or more around the position where the control unit 2 is disposed, the first and second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation values are relative to each other. Therefore, the safing ON determination is made. Therefore, the safing is determined to be ON by the time when the airbag needs to be deployed, and it is not determined to be ON during normal travel. Further, since the unit sensor for detecting the lateral acceleration is omitted, the cost can be reduced.

Second Embodiment FIGS. 9 and 10 are functional block diagrams relating to a vehicle side collision determination of a control unit 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which are substantially the same as the components in FIGS. Components are given the same reference numerals. In the side collision determination of the vehicle according to the second embodiment, the safing determination threshold value that is a boundary region between the safing ON determination region and the safing OFF determination region is used as the first non-collision safing determination calculation value and the second non-collision SIS safing. The determination calculation value is different from the side collision determination of the first embodiment in that the determination calculation value is not set by four thresholds but is set by a straight line and a curve. Similarly to the first embodiment, the description will be made without distinguishing the left and right side surfaces by omitting the symbols R and L.

  The safing determination comparison unit 102 in the side collision determination unit 100 refers to the safing determination Map 104 shown in FIG. 11 and calculates the first non-collision SIS calculated by the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation unit 56. It is determined whether the safing determination calculation value and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation means 58 calculated by the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value 58 enter the safing ON determination region.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the safing determination Map 104. The safing determination Map 104 is a map indicating whether the first non-collision safing determination calculation value and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value enter the safing ON determination region or the safing OFF determination region. In the safing determination Map 104, a part of the boundary region (safing determination threshold) between the safing ON determination region and the safing OFF determination region is defined by the curve C1, for example, the line L1, the curve C1, and the line L2 Defined by

  In the line L1, the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value is equal to the first non-collision SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (1), and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value is the second non-collision SIS safing. This is an area that is equal to or higher than the determination HI threshold Hi (2). For the line L2, for example, the first non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value is greater than or equal to the first non-collision SIS safing determination HI threshold Hi (1), and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value is the second non-collision. This is the region that is the SIS safing determination LOW threshold LOW (2). The first and second OFF regions OFF1 and OFF2 are the same as in FIG. The boundary between the third OFF area OFF3 and the safing ON determination area is a curve C1.

  The third OFF area OFF3 is an area in which safing is determined to be off, such as a rough road running such as a gravel road or a depressed road, a normal running such as cornering, or a skid due to wheel impact. The acceleration output from the side impact sensors 18FR, 18RR or 18FL, 18RL in such normal running or wheel impact is determined by the position where the sensors 18FR, 18RR or 18FL, 18RL are arranged, the body structure, and the like. From the above, the acceleration at the position where the side impact sensor 18FR, 18RR or 18FL, 18RL is arranged was calculated according to the same formula as the formulas (2) and (3) in an experimental event such as cornering and normal running and side slip. A curve C1 is defined based on the first and second non-collision safing determination calculation values.

  In this way, by using the safing determination Map 104, the third OFF region OFF3 is set in accordance with the vehicle body structure and the acceleration during normal running or the like at the position where the unit sensor 16 or the side impact sensors 18FR and 18FL are disposed. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the safing ON determination during normal driving or the like.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle side collision determination method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle side collision determination method will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where right side collision is determined will be described. In step S50, as shown in Expression (1), the acceleration GSIS0 output from the side impact sensors 18FR and 18FL, converted into a digital signal and noise-removed is _obtained from the current time tn to a predetermined time Δt. The collision determination calculation value ΔV _SIS0 is calculated by integration in a predetermined time interval [tn−Δt, tn].

In step S52, as shown in Expression (2), the acceleration _GSIS1 output from the side impact sensor 18FL, converted into a digital signal and noise-removed, is converted into a predetermined time from the current time tn to a predetermined time Δt. The first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 is calculated by integration in the time interval [tn−Δt, tn]. In step S54, as shown in Expression (3), the acceleration _GSIS2 output from the side impact sensor 18FL, converted into a digital signal and noise-removed is determined from a current time tn to a predetermined time Δt. The second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 is calculated by integration in the time interval [tn−Δt, tn].

In step S56, it is determined whether or not the collision determination calculation value _ΔVSIS0 is greater than or _equal to the collision determination threshold value. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S58. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S50. In step S58, referring to the safing determination Map 104, it is determined whether or not the first non-collision safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS1 and the second non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value ΔV _SIS2 enter the safing determination ON region. judge. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S60. If a negative determination is made, the process returns to step S50. In step S60, an airbag ignition request signal is output to the airbag 12R.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained, and on the basis of the acceleration output according to the arrangement of the side impact sensors 18FR, 18RL or 18FL, 18RL and the body structure of the vehicle. Since the safing determination threshold is partially defined by a curve, it is possible to more effectively prevent the safing ON determination from being made during normal driving.

It is a schematic structure figure of a crew member protection device of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of a control unit and a side impact sensor. 1 is a functional block diagram of a side collision determination device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the sensor used for safing determination. 1 is a functional block diagram of a side collision determination device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows a safing determination area | region. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the state of a vehicle, and a safing determination area | region. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle side collision determination method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of the side collision judging device for vehicles by a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of the side collision judging device for vehicles by a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows safing determination Map. It is a flowchart which shows the side collision determination method of the vehicle by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Control unit 18FR, 18FL, 18RR, 18RL Side impact sensor 52R, 52L Collision determination value calculation means 54R, 54L Collision determination comparison means 56L, 56R First non-collision SIS safing determination calculation value calculation means 58L, 58R Second non-collision SIS safing judgment calculation value calculation means 60R, 60L, 102R, 102L safing judgment comparison means 104 safing judgment Map

Claims (2)

A vehicle side collision determination device,
A first side impact sensor for detecting lateral acceleration disposed on either one of the right side and the left side of the vehicle;
Second and third side impact sensors arranged on the other side portion different from the one side portion of the vehicle to detect lateral acceleration;
Side collision determination value calculating means for calculating a side collision determination calculation value based on the acceleration detected by the first side impact sensor;
A side collision determination comparison means for comparing the side collision determination calculation value with a collision determination threshold value and determining whether or not a collision ON determination is made;
First safing determination calculation value calculating means for calculating a first safing determination calculation value based on the acceleration detected by the second side impact sensor;
Second safing determination calculation value calculating means for calculating a second safing determination calculation value based on the acceleration detected by the third side impact sensor;
In a two-dimensional space in which the first safing determination calculation value is the first axis and the second safing determination calculation value is the second axis, the safing ON determination area and the safing OFF determination area are two-dimensionally set. Divided by the determined safing determination threshold value, and calculated by the first safing determination calculation value calculated by the first safing determination calculation value calculation unit and the second safing determination calculation value calculation unit. A safing determination comparing means for determining safing ON when an intersection with the second safing determination calculation value enters the safing ON determination region ;
A collision ignition signal output means for determining whether to deploy an airbag based on the determination results by the collision determination comparison means and the safing determination comparison means, and outputting a collision ignition signal;
A side collision determination apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: The vehicle side collision determination device according to claim 1 , wherein a part of the safing determination threshold is defined by a curve .

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