JP5363147B2 - Crew protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device, and more particularly, to an occupant protection device that protects an occupant that protects the occupant during an emergency of a vehicle.

  As an occupant protection device, an occupant protection device that protects the occupant in an appropriate posture by predicting a dangerous situation around the vehicle and adjusting the angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat and various states of the vehicle seat Has been proposed.

  For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a dangerous situation is identified based on a sensor signal, a trigger signal is generated, and a seat adjustment device having at least one actuator for adjusting a seat is operated. Proposed. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the first speed for adjusting the comfort of the seat and the second speed for adapting the seat in the control by the trigger signal are provided. It has been proposed to operate the seat adjustment device at a higher speed.

Special table 2007-500650 gazette

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is proposed that the seat operation in an emergency is operated at a higher speed than when comfort adjustment is performed, but the state of the seat after the emergency operation is not considered. Therefore, there is room for improvement in order to further improve safety.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object thereof is to ensure safety according to the collision mode.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is based on a change means for changing the inclination angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat, a detection means for detecting a collision, and a detection result of the detection means. A determination unit that determines a collision mode including a collision direction of the vehicle; and when a collision is detected by the detection unit , based on a determination result of the determination unit , a predetermined angle for each of the collision modes Control means for controlling the changing means so that the seat back tilts backward with respect to a predetermined appropriate state of the seat.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the changing means changes the inclination angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat.

  A collision is detected by the detection means. For example, as a detection means, the acceleration applied to the vehicle may be detected by an acceleration sensor, and the collision may be detected when the acceleration is equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration, or the collision may be detected by various contact sensors such as a bumper sensor.

The determination unit determines a collision mode including the collision direction of the vehicle based on the detection result of the detection unit. In the control means, when a collision is detected by the detection means , the seat back with respect to a predetermined appropriate state of the vehicle seat for each angle of collision is determined based on the determination result of the determination means. The changing means is controlled to tilt backward.

  That is, at the time of a collision, the inclination angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat is inclined backward according to the collision mode, so that the rescue and escape performance of the occupant can be improved, and safety can be ensured according to the collision mode. it can.

At this time, as in the invention described in claim 2, the determination means and the control means determine the front collision or the rear collision as the collision mode, and the control means is determined to be the front collision by the determination means. In this case, the changing means is controlled so that the seat back is inclined backward with respect to the appropriate state by a predetermined first angle , and the second angle smaller than the first angle is determined when the judging means judges that the rear collision occurs. The change means may be controlled so that the seat back is inclined backward with respect to the appropriate state, and as in the invention according to claim 3, the judgment means has a front collision, side as a collision form. When the control means determines the front or rear collision, the control means controls the changing means so that the seat back is tilted backward with respect to the appropriate state by a predetermined first angle. And when it is judged as a side collision by the judging means The first angle is smaller than the second angle component, when controlling the changing means so that the seat back is tilted backward relative to the proper state, it is determined that the rear collision by determining means, the second angle is less than the third angle amount It may be controlled to change means so that the sheet back tilted backward relative to the proper state, in either case, improved because thereby Ko傾the seat back in response to the collision type, the occupant救脱out performance Therefore, safety can be ensured according to the collision mode.

In addition, as in the invention described in claim 4, when the collision is predicted by the prediction unit that predicts the collision, the changing unit is configured so that the state of the vehicle seat becomes a predetermined appropriate state. And a predictive control means for controlling, and when the collision is not detected by the detecting means after the control by the predictive control means, the changing means is configured to return to the state of the vehicle seat before the control by the predictive control means. And when the collision is detected by the detection unit after the control by the prediction control unit , the seat back is tilted backward with respect to the appropriate state by an angle predetermined for each collision mode based on the determination result of the determination unit. In this way, the changing means may be controlled.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the collision mode is determined, and the inclination angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat is controlled to be tilted backward according to the collision mode, so that the rescue and escape performance of the occupant is improved. The safety can be ensured according to the collision mode.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a figure which shows an example of arrangement | positioning of a sheet operation switch, (B) is a figure which shows an example of a sheet operation switch. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the structure for determining collision and ECU which is connected to the passenger | crew protection apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention, and a collision. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process performed by the collision judgment ECU connected to the passenger | crew protection apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process performed by seat control ECU of the passenger | crew apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  An occupant protection device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a seat control ECU 12 for performing drive control of a seat back of a vehicle seat, and a reclining actuator 14 for adjusting an angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat. ing.

  The seat control ECU 12 includes a microcomputer 16 having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an input / output interface. The reclining actuator 14 includes a motor 18 and a sensor 20 for detecting a seat back inclination angle (reclining angle). It has. For example, the sensor 20 may detect the angle of the seat back by detecting the rotation speed or rotation position of the motor 18 using a Hall element or the like, or may detect the inclination angle by a rotary encoder or the like. Also good.

  A power supply circuit 22, a vehicle information input circuit 24, a switch input circuit 26, a motor drive circuit 28, a current monitor circuit 30, and a sensor input circuit 32 are connected to the microcomputer 16.

  The power supply circuit 22 is connected to the battery 36 via the switch 34 and supplies the power of the battery 36 to the microcomputer 16 and the like.

  The vehicle information input circuit 24 is connected to various ECUs 38 for performing various controls of the vehicle, and can communicate with the various ECUs 38.

  The switch input circuit 26 is connected to a seat operation switch 40 for instructing adjustment of a seat back or a seat slide of the vehicle seat. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the seat operation switch 40 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle seat 42, and as shown in FIG. 2B, the reclining adjustment of the seat back 44, the adjustment of the seat slide, etc. A switch 40A is provided.

  A motor 18 for driving the reclining actuator 14 is connected to the motor drive circuit 28, and the motor 18 is driven by the motor drive circuit 28. The motor 18 drives a mechanism for adjusting the inclination angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat. The motor 18 is variable in speed according to the current supplied from the motor drive circuit 28.

  The current monitor circuit 30 detects the current supplied from the motor drive circuit 28 to the motor 18 and outputs the detection result to the microcomputer 16. The microcomputer 16 controls the rotation speed of the motor 18 using the detection result of the current monitor circuit 30.

  The sensor input circuit 32 is connected to the sensor 20 of the reclining actuator 14 and outputs the detection result of the sensor 20 to the microcomputer 16.

  In the present embodiment, a collision determination ECU 46 (FIG. 3) that predicts a dangerous situation such as a collision is connected as various ECUs 38 connected to the vehicle information input circuit 24.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the collision determination ECU 46 includes a front millimeter wave radar 48 for detecting the distance to the front obstacle, a front side millimeter wave radar 50 for detecting the distance to the front side obstacle, Stereo camera 52 for photographing the front, rear millimeter wave radar 54 for detecting the distance to the rear obstacle, rear side millimeter wave radar 56 for detecting the distance to the rear obstacle, and collision It is connected to a bus 58 to which an acceleration sensor 60 for detecting a direction and a collision is connected.

  The front millimeter wave radar 48, the front side millimeter wave radar 50, the stereo camera 52, the rear side millimeter wave radar 54, and the rear side millimeter wave radar 56 monitor the vehicle periphery and output the monitoring result to the collision determination ECU 46.

  The front millimeter wave radar 48 is provided, for example, near the center of the front grille, and the front side millimeter wave radar 50 is provided near both ends in the vehicle width direction in the bumper, and emits millimeter waves to the front and front sides of the vehicle, respectively. Thus, it is provided to receive the radio wave reflected from the object and measure the distance to the object, the relative speed with the own vehicle, and the like based on the propagation time and the frequency difference caused by the Doppler effect. The rear millimeter wave radar 54 and the rear side millimeter wave radar 56 are provided in a rear bumper or the like, and receive the radio waves reflected from the object by emitting millimeter waves to the rear and rear sides of the vehicle, It is provided to measure the distance to the object, the relative speed with the host vehicle, and the like based on the propagation time and the frequency difference caused by the Doppler effect.

  The stereo camera 52 is provided, for example, in the vehicle interior near the center above the front windshield glass, and is provided for photographing the front of the vehicle to detect surrounding obstacles and to measure the distance to the obstacles. . Since the stereo camera 52 can detect the distance to the obstacle by the front millimeter wave radar 48, the front side millimeter wave radar 50, and the like, the stereo camera 52 may be omitted.

  Then, the collision determination ECU 46 acquires detection results of the front millimeter wave radar 48, the front side millimeter wave radar 50, the stereo camera 52, the rear side millimeter wave radar 54, and the rear side millimeter wave radar 56 to detect a dangerous situation such as a collision. Make predictions. Since various known techniques can be applied to predicting a dangerous situation such as a collision, detailed description is omitted. In the present embodiment, the collision determination ECU 46 determines the obstacle based on the detection results of the front millimeter wave radar 48, the front side millimeter wave radar 50, the stereo camera 52, the rear millimeter wave radar 54, and the rear side millimeter wave radar 56. The relative speed is obtained from the change in the distance until the time until the collision is calculated, and the danger is detected when the calculated predicted collision time t is within a predetermined time.

  The acceleration sensor 60 detects the acceleration applied to the vehicle and the direction of the acceleration, and outputs the detection result to the collision determination ECU 46. As a result, the collision determination ECU 46 determines a collision from the detection result of the acceleration sensor 60 and also determines the collision mode. The collision can be determined as a collision when, for example, the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 60 is equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration. Further, the collision mode is determined by, for example, determining the collision direction from the direction of acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 60, and determining whether the collision is a front collision, a side collision, or a rear collision.

  In the occupant protection device 10 configured as described above, the microcomputer 16 controls the motor drive circuit 28 when the seat operation switch 40 is operated by the occupant and an instruction to adjust the inclination angle of the seat back 44 is given. As a result, the motor 18 is driven in the direction instructed by the sheet operation switch 40. As a result, the inclination angle of the seat back 44 is adjusted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when danger is detected by the collision determination ECU 46, adjustment is performed so that the inclination angle of the seat back becomes a predetermined target inclination angle (or a target inclination angle range). As a result, the occupant can be in an appropriate posture in the event of an emergency such as a collision, and the occupant can be accurately protected by an occupant protection device such as a seat belt or an airbag device.

  Specifically, the collision determination ECU 46 determines the relative distance from the distance to the obstacle obtained from each of the front millimeter wave radar 48, the front side millimeter wave radar 50, the rear millimeter wave radar 54, the rear side millimeter wave radar 56, and the like. The speed t is calculated to calculate the time t until the collision. Then, when the calculated time t until the collision is less than the predetermined time t1, a request for high-speed operation of the motor 18 is output to the seat control ECU 12 as detection of the dangerous situation. When a high speed operation request is output from the collision determination ECU 46, the seat control ECU 12 controls the motor drive circuit 28 to drive at a higher speed than during normal seat adjustment (when adjusting the seat by operating the seat operation switch 40). Thus, the motor 18 is driven to adjust the inclination angle of the seat back 44 so that the seat back 44 has a predetermined target inclination angle.

  Further, the collision determination ECU 46 outputs the determination result of the collision and the collision mode to the seat control ECU 12, and the seat control ECU 12 performs control so as to further change the inclination angle of the seat back. More specifically, if a collision is not detected after a dangerous situation is detected and the inclination angle of the seat back 44 is adjusted, adjustment is made so that the inclination angle of the seat back 44 before adjustment is adjusted, When the collision type detected after the adjustment is a forward collision, the seat back 44 is adjusted to tilt backward by a predetermined A degree, and when the collision type is a side collision, the seat back 44 is inclined backward by a predetermined B degree. The seat back 44 is adjusted as described above, and when the collision mode is a rear collision, the seat back 44 is adjusted so as to tilt backward by a predetermined C degrees. In addition, each angle of A, B, and C is an angle determined in consideration of the rescue and escape performance at the time of the front collision, and B degree is an angle determined in consideration of the rescue and escape performance at the time of the side collision. Yes, C degree is an angle determined in consideration of the separation of the seat belt and the rescue and escape performance at the time of rear collision, and can be determined as A> B> C, for example.

  Next, processing performed by the collision determination ECU 46 connected to the occupant protection device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of processing performed by the collision determination ECU 46. Note that the processing in FIG. 4 will be described as starting when an unillustrated ignition switch or the like is turned on.

  In step 100, the distance to the obstacle is input, and the process proceeds to step 102. That is, detection results of the front millimeter wave radar 48, the front side millimeter wave radar 50, the stereo camera 52, the rear side millimeter wave radar 54, the rear side millimeter wave radar 56, and the like are input.

  In step 202, the relative speed is calculated, and the routine proceeds to step 104. For example, the relative speed from the distance to the obstacle detected every predetermined time by a millimeter wave radar (front millimeter wave radar 48, front side millimeter wave radar 50, rear millimeter wave radar 54, rear side millimeter wave radar 56, etc.). Is calculated. Note that the relative speed may be calculated by obtaining the distance by performing image processing on the photographing result of the stereo camera 52.

  In step 104, the detection result of the millimeter wave radar is newly input, and the process proceeds to step 106.

  In step 106, the time t until the collision is calculated, and the routine proceeds to step 108. That is, the time t until the collision is calculated from the distance to the obstacle and the relative speed.

  In step 108, it is determined whether or not the time t until the collision is less than a predetermined time t1, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 110. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 100 and returns to the above-described step. The process is repeated.

  In step 110, a signal indicating a dangerous situation (high speed operation request) is output to the seat control ECU 12, and the process proceeds to step 112.

  In step 112, the detection result of the acceleration sensor 60 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step 114.

  In step 114, it is determined whether or not a collision has occurred. In this determination, it is determined whether or not the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 60 is equal to or higher than a predetermined collision detection acceleration. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 100 and the above processing is repeated. If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 116.

  In step 116, the collision mode is determined based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 60, and the determination result is output to the seat control ECU 12, and the series of processes is terminated.

  Next, processing performed by the seat control ECU 12 of the occupant protection device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing performed by the seat control ECU 12 of the occupant protection device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Note that the processing in FIG. 5 will be described as starting when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on.

  In step 200, it is determined by the microcomputer 16 whether or not a high speed operation request has been output from the collision determination ECU 46. That is, it is determined whether or not a signal indicating a dangerous situation has been output in step 110 described above, and the process waits until the determination is affirmed and proceeds to step 202.

  In step 202, the microcomputer 16 determines whether or not the seat back angle needs to be adjusted. The determination is based on the detection result of the sensor 20 to determine whether the inclination angle of the seat back 44 is within a predetermined target angle range. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 204, and when the determination is negative The process ends.

  In step 204, the current seat back inclination angle is detected from the detection result of the sensor 20 and stored, and the process proceeds to step 206.

  In step 206, the high speed operation of the motor 18 is started, and the routine proceeds to step 208. That is, the microcomputer 16 drives the motor 18 at a high speed by controlling the motor drive circuit 28. For example, when seat adjustment is performed by operating the seat operation switch 40, a current value larger than the current value applied to the motor 18 is applied to the motor 18 and driven, so that the seat back 44 is adjusted according to the operation instruction of the occupant. Operate faster than the speed of the hour.

  In step 208, the microcomputer 16 determines whether or not a predetermined stop condition is satisfied. For example, the microcomputer 16 obtains the detection result of the sensor 20 via the sensor input circuit 32 and determines whether or not the angle of the seat back 44 has reached a predetermined angle, or performs high-speed operation. It is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start, whether or not the motor load has become equal to or greater than a predetermined load due to pinching or the like, and waits until the determination is affirmed (step 210). Migrate to

  In step 210, the operation of the motor 18 is stopped and the routine proceeds to step 212. That is, the microcomputer 16 stops the drive of the motor 18 by controlling the motor drive circuit 28.

  In step 212, the microcomputer 16 determines whether there is collision information. That is, it is determined whether or not a collision has been detected by the collision determination ECU 46 in step 114 described above. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 214. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 216.

  In step 214, the seat back 44 is tilted backward to the inclination angle stored in step 204, and the process is terminated. In other words, the microcomputer 18 controls the motor drive circuit 28 to drive the motor 18 so that the seatback 44 tilts backward until the stored tilt angle is reached.

  In step 216, the microcomputer 16 determines whether or not the collision type determination result output from the collision determination ECU 46 is a front collision. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 218. If the determination is negative, the microcomputer 16 determines. Control goes to step 220.

  In step 218, the angle of the seat back 44 is tilted backward by A degrees, and the process ends. That is, the microcomputer 16 controls the motor drive circuit 28 to drive the motor 18 in a direction in which the seat back 44 tilts backward by A degrees. Therefore, at the time of the front collision, even if the space on the front side of the occupant becomes narrow due to the collision, the seat back 44 is moved in a direction inclined backward by A considering the rescue and escape performance at the time of the front collision. Escape performance can be improved.

  In step 220, the microcomputer 16 determines whether or not the collision type determination result output from the collision determination ECU 46 is a side collision. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 222. To step 224. In this embodiment, in order to determine whether the collision mode is a front collision, a side collision, or a rear collision, the determination in step 220 is negative, that is, if it is not a front collision or a side collision, a rear collision is determined. Judgment is made, but if there are other types of collisions, a determination may be added according to the type of collision type.

  In step 222, the angle of the seat back 44 is tilted backward by B degrees, and the process ends. That is, the microcomputer 16 controls the motor drive circuit 28 to drive the motor 18 in a direction in which the seat back 44 tilts backward by B degrees. Therefore, at the time of a side collision, even if the side surface of the vehicle body is deformed by the collision and the space on the front side of the occupant is narrowed, the seat back 44 is moved in a direction inclined backward by B degrees considering the rescue and escape performance at the time of the side collision. The rescue and escape performance of the occupant after the collision can be improved.

  In step 224, the angle of the seat back 44 is tilted backward by C degrees, and the process ends. That is, the microcomputer 16 controls the motor drive circuit 28 to drive the motor 18 in a direction in which the seat back 44 tilts backward by C degrees. Therefore, at the time of a rear collision, even if the rear side of the occupant is deformed due to the collision and the space for the rear tilt of the seat back 44 is reduced, the seat back 44 is C degrees after considering the separation of the seat belt and the rescue and escape performance at the time of the rear collision. Since the vehicle is moved in a tilting direction, the rescue and escape performance of the occupant after the rear impact can be improved.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, after a collision is predicted and the inclination angle of the seat back 44 is adjusted to a predetermined appropriate range, and no collision is detected, the inclination angle before the adjustment is returned to the occupant. There is no need to return the seat back 44 to the original angle, and comfort can be ensured. Further, when a collision is detected after the seat back 44 is adjusted, the seat back 44 is tilted backward according to the collision mode, so that a space according to the collision mode can be secured and safety is ensured. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, in order to return the seat back 44 to the pre-adjustment angle after avoiding the collision, the motor 18 is operated at high speed after the current inclination angle of the seat back 44 is detected by the sensor 20. However, the amount of high speed operation of the motor 18 after adjusting the seat back 44 may be detected by the sensor 20 and stored.

  In the above embodiment, the collision and the collision type are determined based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a bumper sensor, various contact sensors, or the like is used. You may make it judge a collision and a collision form.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a front collision, a side collision, or a rear collision is determined as a collision mode has been described. However, only a front collision or a rear collision is determined and an angle determined according to the collision mode is set. The seat back 44 may be tilted backward, or three or more types of collision modes may be determined, and the seat back 44 may be tilted backward by an angle determined according to the collision mode.

  In the above embodiment, as an example of changing the state of the vehicle seat 42, the case where the inclination angle of the seat back 44 is changed is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The position of the front and rear direction of the seat 42 may be changed, the state of the portion corresponding to the occupant waist of the seat back 44 may be changed, or the state of the other vehicle seat 42 may be changed. May be.

10 occupant protection device 12 seat control ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Reclining actuator 16 Microcomputer 18 Motor 20 Sensor 24 Vehicle information input circuit 28 Motor drive circuit 42 Vehicle seat 44 Seat back 46 Collision judgment ECU
60 Accelerometer

Claims (4)

Changing means for changing the inclination angle of the seat back of the vehicle seat;
Detection means for detecting a collision;
A determination unit that determines a collision mode including a collision direction of the vehicle based on a detection result of the detection unit;
When a collision is detected by the detection means, the seat back is moved back to a predetermined appropriate state of the vehicle seat by a predetermined angle for each collision mode based on the determination result of the determination means. Control means for controlling the changing means to tilt;
An occupant protection device. The determination means determines a front collision or a rear collision as the collision mode, and the control means determines a predetermined first angle for the appropriate state when the determination means determines a front collision . The changing means is controlled so that the seat back tilts backward, and when the judging means judges that the rear collision occurs, the seat back is moved relative to the appropriate state by a second angle smaller than the first angle. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means is controlled to tilt backward. Said determination means, as the collision type, front collision, to determine a side collision or rear collision, wherein, when it is judged that the collision by said determining means, the first angle fraction a predetermined, wherein The changing means is controlled so that the seat back tilts backward with respect to the proper state, and when the side means is judged to be a side collision by the judging means, the second angle smaller than the first angle is set to the proper state. The changing means is controlled so that the seat back is tilted backward, and when the judging means judges that the rear collision occurs, the seat back with respect to the appropriate state by a third angle smaller than the second angle. There occupant protection device according to claim 1 for controlling the changing means to tilted backward. Prediction means for predicting a collision, when the collision is predicted by the prediction means further comprises a predictive control means for the state of the vehicle seat to control the changing means such that the proper state, and
The control means controls the change means to return to the state of the vehicle seat before the control by the prediction control means when no collision is detected by the detection means after the control by the prediction control means, and the prediction control When a collision is detected by the detection means after the control by the means, the seat back is inclined backward with respect to the appropriate state by an angle predetermined for each collision mode based on the determination result of the determination means. The occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the changing means is controlled as described above.

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