JP5527608B2 - Vehicle collision energy absorbing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a collision energy absorbing device that absorbs collision energy at the time of a collision with another vehicle.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-274300 discloses a front under which is disposed in the lower front portion of a vehicle such as a large truck and prevents other vehicles from getting caught under a chassis when a frontal collision with another vehicle such as a normal passenger car occurs. The mounting structure of the run protector is described. In this structure, the mounting stay is fixed to the main frame of the vehicle, and the front underrun protector is fixed to the lower front side of the mounting stay. An elevating step is fixed to the lower rear side of the mounting stay, and the rear portion of the elevating step is located at a predetermined interval in front of the front tire. When another vehicle collides with the front underrun protector and the mounting stay is greatly deformed rearward, the rear part of the lifting step collides with the front tire, and the impact of the other vehicle is absorbed by the elastic force of the front tire.

JP 2002-274300 A

  However, in the structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-274300, if the front tire rotates without stopping completely when contacting the lifting step, a dynamic frictional force is generated between the rear portion of the lifting step and the front tire. Acts, and the rear part of the lifting step may be deformed downward by receiving a force in the rotational direction of the front tire. If the rear part of the lifting step is deformed downward, the rear part of the lifting step is not supported by the front tire, and there is a possibility that collision energy is not absorbed using the front tire.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a collision energy absorbing device that can reliably absorb collision energy using a front tire.

  In order to achieve the above object, a collision energy absorbing device of the present invention includes a front under-run protector, an energy absorber, a collision detection unit, and a lubricating liquid supply unit. The front underrun protector is supported by a lower front end of the vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction. The energy absorber is supported on the side of the vehicle behind the front underrun protector, and has a front surface close to the front underrun protector and a rear surface facing the front surface of the front tire. The collision detection means detects a collision between the vehicle and another vehicle. The lubricating liquid supply means supplies lubricating liquid between the rear surface of the energy absorber and the front surface of the front tire when the collision detection means detects a collision.

  When another vehicle collides with the front surface of the vehicle equipped with the collision energy absorbing device having the above configuration, the collision detection means detects the collision, and the lubricating liquid supply means lubricates between the rear surface of the energy absorber and the front surface of the front tire. Supply liquid. Moreover, when the end of the front underrun protector is deformed rearward of the vehicle by the collision and presses the front surface of the energy absorber, and the energy absorber moves rearward, the rear surface of the energy absorber contacts the front surface of the front tire. To do. If the front tire rotates without stopping completely during this contact, a dynamic frictional force acts between the rear surface of the energy absorber and the front surface of the front tire, but the rear surface of the energy absorber and the front surface of the front tire. Since the lubricant is supplied from the lubricant supply means between the two, this lubricant reduces the frictional resistance between them and keeps the dynamic friction force between them low and acts on the rear surface of the energy absorber. Reduce the force in the rotational direction (downward) of the front tire. For this reason, the deformation | transformation to the downward direction of the rear part of an energy absorber is suppressed, the rear part of an energy absorber is reliably supported by the front surface of a front tire, and the movement to the vehicle rear of an energy absorber is controlled by a front tire. Therefore, the collision energy input to the front underrun protector can be reliably absorbed by the deformation of the energy absorber. Further, since the energy absorber is reliably supported by the front surface of the front tire, the collision energy can be absorbed by the elastic force of the front tire.

  Thus, since the rear surface of the energy absorber that moves rearward in the event of a collision is reliably supported by the front surface of the front tire, it is possible to reliably absorb the collision energy using the front tire, The impact applied to the vehicle can be efficiently reduced.

  Further, the lubricating liquid may be a window washer liquid.

  In the above configuration, since the window washer liquid stored in the vehicle for cleaning the front window panel is used as the lubricating liquid, it is not necessary to separately store the lubricating liquid used in the event of a collision in the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, in the event of a collision with another vehicle, the generated collision energy can be reliably absorbed using the front tire, and the impact applied to the other vehicle can be reduced.

It is a side view of the front lower part of the vehicle provided with the collision energy absorption device of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1. It is a side view which shows the state at the time of the collision of the vehicle of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state of the supply circuit of the window washer liquid at the normal time functionally. It is a schematic diagram which shows functionally the state of the supply circuit of the window washer liquid at the time of a collision.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figure, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, UP indicates the upper side, and IN indicates the inner side in the vehicle width direction. In the following description, the front-rear direction means the front-rear direction of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction means the left-right direction in the state where the vehicle is directed forward.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cab overtrack (vehicle) 1 on which the collision energy absorbing device of this embodiment is mounted includes a cab 2, a main frame 3, and a front underrun protector (hereinafter referred to as FUP). ) 4, a front underrun bracket 5, a front tire 11 and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a washer tank 24, an air tank 25, an acceleration sensor 32, an air bag controller 30, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main frame 3 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1, and the front end portions of the left and right main frames 3 are connected by a cross member. The FUP 4 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape and extends in the vehicle width direction. The FUP 4 is supported in parallel below the cross member by a pair of left and right front underrun brackets 5 fixed to the front end of the frame. A front bumper 12 that covers the front end of the FUP 4 is provided at the front of the vehicle. The fender 16 is fixed to the lower part of the cab 2 and covers the upper front half of the front tire 11.

  A cab mount 20 for supporting the cab 2 is fixed to the upper front portion of the frame 3, and a spring bracket 21 for supporting the axle of the front tire 11 is fixed to the lower front portion of the frame 3. . A steering unit 22 for steering is fixed to the upper part of the front part of the frame 3 on the right side in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a drag link 23 is connected to the steering unit 22.

  The washer tank 24 (see FIG. 4) is disposed, for example, in an engine room (not shown) defined in the lower part of the cab 2, and stores window washer fluid supplied to the outer surface of the front window panel (not shown). The air tank 25 (see FIG. 4) is disposed, for example, at the center in the front-rear direction of the frame 3 and stores air having a predetermined pressure used for an air brake or the like of the vehicle 1.

  The acceleration sensor 32 (see FIG. 4) detects the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle 1 and outputs it to the airbag controller 30 (see FIG. 4). The air bag controller 30 sequentially determines whether or not the acceleration input from the acceleration sensor 32 has suddenly decreased. When the acceleration has rapidly decreased, the air bag controller 30 determines that the traveling vehicle 1 has collided. An airbag deployment instruction signal is output to a back module (not shown). In the airbag module that has received the airbag deployment instruction activation signal from the airbag controller 30, the inflator is activated to instantly deploy the airbag. Further, the airbag controller 30 outputs a collision detection signal to the collision detection controller 31 described later simultaneously with the output of the airbag deployment instruction signal. That is, the acceleration sensor 32 and the airbag controller 30 function as a collision detection unit that detects a collision between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle.

  The collision energy absorbing device includes the front underrun protector 4, the energy absorber 6, the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29, the acceleration sensor 32, the airbag controller 30, and the collision detection controller 25 (see FIG. 4). And a window washer fluid supply circuit 40 (see FIG. 4). The energy absorber 6 and the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the lower front end of the vehicle 1. Since the energy absorber 6 and the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 have the same configuration on the right side and the left side, only one (right side) will be described below, and the other (left side) will not be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the energy absorber 6 is disposed between the FUP 4 and the front tire 11, and is supported on the vehicle body side by a tubular bracket 13. The bracket 13 integrally has a flange-shaped one end 13a fixed to the outer portion of the main frame 3 and a flange-shaped other end 13b to which the upper portion of the energy absorber 6 is fixed. It extends outward in the vehicle width direction toward 13b and bends downward.

  The energy absorber 6 includes a main body 7, a catcher 8, and a stopper 9. The main body 7 integrally includes a rectangular cylindrical outer peripheral plate 14 opening in front and rear and a plurality of partition plates 10, and the other end 13 b of the bracket 13 is fixed to the upper surface of the outer peripheral plate 14. The plurality of partition plates 10 are arranged inside the outer peripheral plate 14 and are arranged in the vehicle width direction at a predetermined interval. Each partition plate 10 extends in the front-rear direction in a standing state, and the upper end edge and the lower end edge of each partition plate 10 are joined to the inner upper surface 14 a and the inner lower surface 14 b of the outer peripheral plate 14, respectively.

  The catcher 8 is fixed to the front end surface of the main body 7 and closes the front opening of the main body 7. The front surface 8 a of the catcher 8 (the front surface of the energy absorber 6) is located close to the rear surface of the end portion of the FUP 4. The catcher 8 has a plate shape whose length in the vehicle width direction is substantially equal to that of the main body 7 and whose length in the vertical direction is longer than that of the front end portion of the main body 7. The upper end portion and the lower end portion of the catcher 8 protrude upward and downward from the front end portion of the main body 7 and curve forward (FUP 4 side). Due to this curvature, when the end of the FUP 4 is deformed rearward and comes into contact with the front surface 8a of the catcher 8, the movement of the end of the FUP 4 in the vertical direction is restricted.

  The stopper 9 is fixed to the rear end portion of the main body 7 and closes the rear opening of the main body 7. The rear surface 9 a of the stopper 9 (the rear surface of the energy absorber 6) is positioned below the fender 16 and faces the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11. The stopper 9 has a plate shape whose length in the vehicle width direction is substantially equal to the width of the main body 7 and whose vertical length is longer than the rear end portion of the main body 7. The upper end portion and the lower end portion of the stopper 9 protrude vertically from the rear end portion of the energy absorber body 7. The rear surface 9a of the stopper 9 is curved in an arc shape along the outer periphery of the front tire 11, and comes into surface contact with the front surface 11a of the front tire 11 in a wide range when the energy absorber 6 shifts rearward due to the occurrence of a collision.

  When a collision load from the front is input to the energy absorber 6 and the rearward movement of the energy absorber 6 is restricted when the vehicle 1 collides forward, the outer peripheral plate 14 and the plurality of partition plates 10 are respectively Causes crushing deformation. Due to the crushing deformation of the main body 7, the collision energy input to the energy absorber 6 is efficiently absorbed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 is fixed to the upper end portion of the stopper 9, and a window washer liquid supply pipe 27 is connected to the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29. The window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 is disposed so as to face the center of the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11 in the vehicle width direction, and directs the window washer liquid supplied from the window washer liquid supply pipe 27 toward the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11. Spray. The injected window washer fluid is supplied between the rear surface 9 a of the stopper 9 and the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flat first step 17 is fixed on the upper surface of the main body 7 of the energy absorber 6, and a second step 19 is provided above the first step 17. The first step 17 is disposed outside the bracket 13 in the vehicle width direction, and the second step 19 is disposed above the bracket 13. These steps 17 and 19 function as a scaffold when the occupant gets on and off the cab 2. The second step 19 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the step panel 18 extending downward from the bottom of the cab 2 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The step panel 18 is a substantially U-shaped panel that opens outward in the vehicle width direction. The upper part of the rear surface of the step panel 18 is curved along the fender 16, and the lower end of the step panel 18 is close to the first step 17. .

  2, the illustration of the cab 2, the front bumper 12, the front underrun protector 4, the front underrun protector bracket 5, the catcher 8, the step panel 18 and the second step 19 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the window washer liquid supply circuit 40 includes a washer tank pipe 33, an air tank pipe 34, a switching control valve 26, window washer liquid control valves 28L and 28R, and a window washer liquid supply pipe 27 (27L and 27R). ), 35, 36L, 36R, and a window washer between the rear surface 9a of the energy absorber 6 and the front surface 11a of the front tire 11 together with the collision detection controller 31 and the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 (shown in FIG. 1). It functions as a lubricating liquid supply means for supplying a liquid (lubricating liquid).

  The switching control valve 26 is a solenoid valve for flow path switching control having first and second input ports and one output port. The first input port is connected to the downstream end of the washer tank pipe 33, and the upstream end of the washer tank pipe 33 is connected to the washer tank 24. A downstream end of the air tank pipe 34 is connected to the second input port, and an upstream end of the air tank pipe 34 is connected to the air tank 25. The switching control valve 26 communicates the first input port and the output port in the non-excited state, and communicates the second input port and the output port in the excited state.

  The upstream end of the window washer liquid supply pipe 35 is connected to the output port of the switching control valve 26. The downstream end of the window washer liquid supply pipe 35 is connected to the left window washer liquid supply pipe 36L and the right window washer liquid supply. Branches to the pipe 36R.

  The window washer fluid control valves 28L and 28R are electromagnetic valves for open / close control having one input port and one output port. The downstream end of the left window washer fluid supply piping 36L is connected to the input port of the left window washer fluid control valve 28L, and the upstream end of the left window washer fluid supply piping 27L is connected to the output port. . Similarly, the downstream end of the right window washer fluid supply piping 36R is connected to the input port of the right window washer fluid control valve 28R, and the upstream end of the right window washer fluid supply piping 27R is connected to the output port. The ends are connected. Left and right window washer liquid injection nozzles 29 are connected to the downstream ends of the left and right window washer liquid supply pipes 27L and 27R, respectively.

  The switching control valve 26 communicates the first input port and the output port in the non-excited state, and communicates the second input port and the output port in the excited state. The window washer fluid control valves 28L and 28R shut off the input port and the output port in the non-excited state and communicate the input port and the output port in the excited state. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the switching control valve 26 and the window washer fluid control valves 28L and 28R are set in a non-excited state, the pipe line (washer) from the washer tank 24 to the window washer fluid control valves 28L and 28R. The tank pipe 33 and the window washer liquid supply pipes 35, 36L, 36R) communicate with each other, and the window washer liquid is supplied from the washer tank 24 to the window washer liquid supply pipes 35, 36L, 36R and stays there. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the switching control valve 26 and the window washer liquid control valves 28L and 28R are changed from the non-excited state to the excited state, a pipe line (air tank) from the air tank 25 to the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 is used. The pipe 34 and the window washer liquid supply pipes 35, 36 L, 36 R, 27 L, and 27 R) communicate with each other. Injected from the nozzle 29. 4 and 5 are different in connection positions of the washer tank pipe 33, the air tank pipe 34 and the window washer liquid supply pipe 35 with respect to the switching control valve 26, and the window washer liquid with respect to the window washer liquid control valves 28L and 28R. Although the connection positions of the supply pipes 36L, 36R, 27L, and 27R are different, FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically illustrate the states of the switching control valve 26 before and after switching the flow path, The window washer fluid control valves 28L and 28R are schematically shown both before and after the opening of the flow path. The switching control valve 26 and the window washer fluid control valves 28L and 28R change the connection position. It is not a structure to do.

  Normally, the airbag controller 30 does not output a collision detection signal, and the collision detection controller 31 does not output an excitation signal to the switching control valve 26 and the window washer fluid control valve 28. For this reason, the switching control valve 26 and the window washer liquid control valve 28 are maintained in a non-excited state, and the window washer liquid from the washer tank 24 stays in the window washer liquid supply pipes 35, 36L, 36R.

  When the vehicle 1 collides and the airbag controller 30 detects the collision and outputs a collision detection signal, the collision detection controller 31 outputs an excitation signal to the switching control valve 26 and the window washer fluid control valve 28, and the switching control valve. 26 and the window washer fluid control valve 28 are switched from the non-excited state to the excited state. Thereby, the window washer liquid staying in the window washer liquid supply pipes 35, 36 </ b> L, 36 </ b> R is instantaneously injected from the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29.

  In the present embodiment, when another vehicle collides with the front surface of the vehicle 1 and the airbag controller 30 detects the collision, the collision detection controller 31 outputs an excitation signal to the switching control valve 26 and the window washer fluid control valve 28. The window washer liquid is instantaneously injected from the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 toward the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11.

  Further, when the end portion of the front underrun protector 4 is deformed rearward due to the collision and presses the catcher 8 of the energy absorber 6, and the energy absorber 6 moves rearward of the vehicle 1, as shown in FIG. The stopper 9 of the absorber 6 contacts the front surface 11a of the front tire 11. When the front tire 11 rotates without stopping completely, a dynamic frictional force acts between the rear surface 9 a of the stopper 9 and the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11. However, since the window washer liquid is supplied from the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 between them, the dynamic friction force between the two is kept low by the lubricating action of the window washer liquid, and the front tire acting on the stopper 9 The force in the rotation direction (downward) of 11 is reduced. Therefore, the downward deformation of the stopper 9 is suppressed, the rear part of the energy absorber 6 is reliably supported by the front surface 11a of the front tire 11, and the rearward movement of the energy absorber 6 is restricted by the front tire 11. . Therefore, the collision energy input to the front underrun protector 4 can be reliably absorbed by the deformation of the energy absorber 6. Further, since the energy absorber 6 is reliably supported by the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11, the collision energy can be absorbed by the elastic force of the front tire 11.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the stopper 9 of the energy absorber 6 that moves rearward in the event of a collision is reliably supported by the front surface 11a of the front tire 11, so that the collision energy is absorbed using the front tire 11. This can be performed reliably, and the impact applied to other vehicles at the time of a collision can be efficiently reduced.

  Further, since the window washer liquid is used as the lubricating liquid and the window washer liquid is injected from the window washer liquid injection nozzle 29 by the compressed air of the air tank 25 equipped in the vehicle 1, a tank or an injection for storing the lubricating liquid is used. It is not necessary to separately provide an air tank or the like for the vehicle 1 and the structure can be simplified.

  The lubricating liquid is not limited to the window washer liquid, and may be, for example, a lubricating oil. Further, the lubricating liquid may be supplied to the front surface 11a of the front tire 11 by an electric pump or the like.

  Further, the collision detection controller may be provided with a collision detection function similar to that of the airbag controller 30 so that the collision detection controller acquires the acceleration of the vehicle 1 from the acceleration sensor 32 and detects the collision.

  Further, the window washer liquid may be supplied at any location between the rear surface 9 a of the stopper 9 and the front surface 11 a of the front tire 11. For example, an injection nozzle may be inserted from the front surface of the stopper 9 to the rear surface 9a, and the window washer liquid may be injected from the rear surface 9a of the stopper 9. A plurality of window washer liquid injection nozzles 29 may be provided.

  Moreover, the energy absorber 6 should just be supported by the vehicle body side, for example, may be supported by the front under-run protector 4. FIG.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment to which the invention made by the present inventor is applied has been described, the present invention is not limited by the discussion and the drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. That is, it is needless to say that other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are all included in the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is widely applicable as a collision energy absorbing device for large vehicles such as cargo vehicles.

1: Cab over truck (vehicle)
3: Main frame 4: Front underrun protector 5: Front underrun protector bracket 6: Energy absorber 7: Body of energy absorber 8: Catcher 8a: Front of catcher (front of energy absorber)
9: Stopper 9a: Rear surface of the stopper (rear surface of the energy absorber)
11: front tire 11a: front surface of front tire 13: bracket 24: washer tank 25: air tank 26: switching control valve 27: window washer liquid supply pipe 28: window washer liquid supply control valve 29: window washer liquid injection nozzle (lubricating liquid Supply means)
30: Airbag controller (collision detection means)
31: Collision detection controller (lubricant supply means)
40: Window washer fluid supply circuit (lubricating fluid supply means)

Claims (2)

A front underrun protector supported in the lower front end of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction;
An energy absorber that is supported on the side of the vehicle behind the front underrun protector and has a front surface close to the front underrun protector and a rear surface facing the front surface of the front tire;
Collision detection means for detecting a collision between the vehicle and another vehicle;
A vehicle collision energy comprising: a lubricant supply means for supplying a lubricant between a rear surface of the energy absorber and a front surface of the front tire when the collision detection unit detects a collision. Absorber. The vehicle collision energy absorbing device according to claim 1,
The vehicle collision energy absorbing device, wherein the lubricating liquid is a window washer liquid.

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