JP6327109B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device that inflates and deploys a plurality of airbags provided at a front portion of a vehicle toward the front of the vehicle.

  In Patent Document 1, when it is determined that the vehicle collides with a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle occupant (referred to as a pedestrian or the like), the height of the center of gravity of the pedestrian or the like is symmetrical with the height of the collision position of the vehicle and the pedestrian or the like. At the height, the deployed airbag is brought into contact with a pedestrian or the like. Thus, when the vehicle collides with a pedestrian or the like, the pedestrian or the like is prevented from being flipped up or pushed down.

JP 2011-218857 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-226211 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-04391 JP 2009-160985 A JP 2009-190604 A JP 2006-035892 A

  When a vehicle collides with a pedestrian moving in the vehicle width direction, the pedestrian may move in the vehicle width direction due to inertia. Even if the deployed airbag is brought into contact with a pedestrian or the like as in Patent Document 1, the pedestrian or the like may not be supported by the airbag depending on the moving speed of the pedestrian or the like in the vehicle width direction. In particular, when the occupant is traveling a two-wheeled vehicle, the traveling speed of the two-wheeled vehicle in the vehicle width direction tends to be high, and the occupant may not be supported by the airbag.

  If the pedestrian or the like cannot be supported by the airbag, the head of the pedestrian or the like may slide on the upper surface of the hood of the vehicle and move to the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, thereby falling to the road surface.

A first invention of the present application is an airbag device housed in a front portion of a vehicle, and is disposed at a central portion of the vehicle in a vehicle width direction, and faces the front of the vehicle when viewed from above the vehicle. a plurality of airbags inflated and deployed radially Te, based on a drive signal input when the vehicle is determined to collide with the multiply-membered motorcycle, an inflator for inflating and deploying the plural air bags, Have. Each of the plurality of airbags is inflated and deployed from the road surface to a predetermined position corresponding to the chest of the occupant. Alternatively, each of the plurality of airbags is inflated and deployed from a predetermined position corresponding to the occupant's waist to a predetermined position corresponding to the occupant's chest.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle collides with the occupant of the two-wheeled vehicle, the inflator is activated to inflate and deploy the plurality of airbags radially toward the front of the vehicle. As a result, a two- wheeled vehicle occupant can enter between two adjacent airbags, and the two-wheeled vehicle occupant can be supported by these airbags. Here, by inflating and deploying a plurality of airbags radially, each airbag is supported by another airbag or the front part of the vehicle. For this reason, even if a two- wheeled vehicle occupant enters between two adjacent airbags, these airbags are less likely to fall down and can support the two-wheeled vehicle occupant .

When the two-wheeled vehicle occupant tries to move in the vehicle width direction, the moving speed of the two-wheeled vehicle occupant in the vehicle width direction can be reduced by supporting the two-wheeled vehicle occupant with two adjacent airbags. As a result, the head of the occupant of the motorcycle can be moved in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle and guided to the upper surface of the hood of the vehicle. At this time, the head of the passenger of the two-wheeled vehicle becomes difficult to move toward the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, so that the head can be prevented from falling on the road surface.

A second invention of the present application is an airbag device housed in a front portion of a vehicle, which is disposed at a center portion of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, and faces the front of the vehicle when viewed from above the vehicle. an inflator and an air bag having a plurality of chambers, on the basis of the drive signal the vehicle occupant of the two-wheeled vehicle is entered when it is determined that the collision, is inflated deploy the air bag inflates radially Te, Have Each of the plurality of chambers expands and develops between a road surface and a predetermined position corresponding to the chest of the occupant. Alternatively, each of the plurality of chambers is inflated and deployed from a predetermined position corresponding to the occupant's waist to a predetermined position corresponding to the occupant's chest.

  According to the second invention of the present application, the same effect as that of the first invention of the present application can be obtained. According to the second invention of the present application, an airbag including a plurality of chambers may be used, and there is no need to use a plurality of airbags. Accordingly, the number of inflators for inflating and deploying the airbag can be reduced.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the front part of the vehicle provided with the airbag apparatus. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure which drives an airbag apparatus and a pedestrian protection active device. It is a figure which shows the structure of an airbag apparatus. It is a top view which shows the front part of a vehicle when an airbag is inflated and deployed. It is a figure which shows the direction where the passenger | crew of a two-wheeled vehicle moves with respect to a vehicle. It is a top view which shows a state when the passenger | crew of a two-wheeled vehicle contacts an airbag. It is a top view which shows the state from which the passenger | crew of the two-wheeled vehicle was pinched with the airbag. It is a side view explaining the position where the airbag which inflate-deployed contacts the passenger | crew of a two-wheeled vehicle. In a modification, it is a side view explaining the position where the inflated airbag contacts the passenger of a two-wheeled vehicle. It is a top view which shows the airbag which is a modification.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag device 1 of the present embodiment is housed in the front portion of the engine compartment 110 of the vehicle 100. The airbag device 1 is disposed at the center of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1).

  A hood 120 is disposed above the engine compartment 110, and a part of the hood 120 is omitted in FIG. A front part 130 of the vehicle 100 such as a front grill or a bumper is disposed in front of the airbag device 1 relative to the airbag device 1.

A vehicle 100 is equipped with a stereo camera 210 and a radar sensor 220. The stereo camera 210 is attached to the upper portion of the front windshield 140, imaging an object in the front of the vehicle 100. An object (specifically, a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle occupant) positioned in front of the vehicle 100 can be recognized based on an image captured by the stereo camera 210.

  The radar sensor 220 outputs a radio wave having a predetermined wavelength toward the front of the vehicle 100. When an object (specifically, a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle occupant) is present in front of the vehicle 100, the radar sensor 220 receives radio waves reflected by the object. Thereby, the distance between the vehicle 100 and the object can be grasped. Here, the direction in which the object exists with respect to the vehicle 100 can be specified by scanning radio waves of a predetermined wavelength in the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, information acquired by the stereo camera 210 and the radar sensor 220 is input to the controller 230. Based on the information acquired from the stereo camera 210 and the radar sensor 220 and the traveling state of the vehicle 100, the controller 230 moves the vehicle to an object (specifically, a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle occupant) located in front of the vehicle 100. It is determined whether 100 collides. Examples of the running state of the vehicle 100 include a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate detected by a yaw rate sensor, and a steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor.

  Only one of the stereo camera 210 and the radar sensor 220 can be used. That is, based on information acquired from one of the stereo camera 210 and the radar sensor 220 and the traveling state of the vehicle 100, the controller 230 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 collides with an object in front of the vehicle 100. Can do.

  When the controller 230 determines that the vehicle 100 collides with an object in front of the vehicle 100, the controller 230 outputs a drive signal to the airbag device 1 or the pedestrian protection active device 2, so that the airbag device 1 or the pedestrian protection active device is output. 2 is activated. In addition, after the vehicle 100 collides with an object, the pedestrian protection active device 2 can also be operated. For example, an acceleration sensor is provided in the front bumper of the vehicle 100, and the pedestrian protection active device 2 can be activated when it is determined that the vehicle 100 has collided with an object based on the output of the acceleration sensor.

  The airbag device 1 includes an inflator 10 and six airbags 11A to 11F. The controller 230 inflates and deploys the airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F by operating the inflator 10. The pedestrian protection active device 2 is a device for protecting a pedestrian or the like when a pedestrian or the like that collides with the vehicle 100 moves to the upper surface of the hood 120. For example, for a vehicle described in Patent Document 2 A protection device (see, for example, paragraphs [0015] to [0024]) or a collision protection device described in Patent Document 3 (see, for example, paragraph [0008]) can be employed.

  The pedestrian protection active device 2 can push up the hood 120 above the vehicle 100 so as to form a gap between a part (engine or the like) housed in the engine compartment 110 and the hood 120. For example, the rear end portion of the hood 120 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 can be pushed up, or the front end portion and the rear end portion of the hood 120 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 can be pushed up.

  If the hood 120 is pushed up above the vehicle 100, when an impact is applied to the hood 120, the hood 120 can be moved below the vehicle 100 to absorb the impact. That is, by pushing up the hood 120 above the vehicle 100, it is possible to secure a stroke for absorbing the impact. Thereby, when a pedestrian etc. collide with the upper surface of the food | hood 120, the impact at the time of a collision can be absorbed and a pedestrian etc. can be protected.

Moreover, an airbag apparatus can also be used as the pedestrian protection active device 2. Specifically, by inflating and deploying the airbag toward the rear of the vehicle 100 from a gap formed between the rear end portion of the hood 120 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and the front windshield 140 , the front The lower end of the windshield 140 and the front surface of the A pillar can be covered with an airbag. Thereby, when a pedestrian etc. move to the upper surface of the hood 120, a pedestrian etc. can be made to contact the inflated and deployed airbag, and a pedestrian etc. can be protected.

  On the other hand, even if the pedestrian protection active device 2 is not mounted on the vehicle 100, the hood 120, the cowl, and the fender can be protected from pedestrians and the like that have moved to the top surface of the hood 120 by providing a structure that absorbs impact. can do. That is, when a pedestrian or the like moves to the upper surface of the hood 120 and collides with the hood 120, a cowl or a fender, the hood 120, the cowl or the fender is plastically deformed to absorb the impact at the time of the collision and Can be protected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag device 1 includes six inflators 10 and six airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F connected to these inflators 10. The number of inflators and airbags can be set as appropriate.

  By operating each inflator 10, each airbag 11A-11F can be inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle 100. Here, if spaces for allowing the airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F to pass through are formed in the front portion of the vehicle 100, the airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F can be inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle 100.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed from above the vehicle 100, the airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F are inflated and deployed radially toward the front of the vehicle 100 with reference to the position S in which the airbag device 1 is stored. In addition, the airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F are also inflated and deployed in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100.

  The position S is the center of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction. The directions in which the airbags 11A to 11F are inflated and deployed are different from each other. The airbags 11A and 11F are inflated and deployed mainly in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4), and a part of the airbags 11A and 11F is a front portion of the vehicle 100 (for example, a front grill or a front bumper cover). To touch.

  The airbags 11B and 11E are inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle 100 with respect to the airbags 11A and 11F. A part of the airbag 11B is in contact with a part of the airbag 11A and is one of the airbags 11E. The part comes into contact with a part of the airbag 11F. The airbags 11C and 11D are inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle 100 more than the airbags 11B and 11E, and are in contact with each other. A part of the airbag 11C comes into contact with a part of the airbag 11B, and a part of the airbag 11D comes into contact with a part of the airbag 11E.

  As described above, the airbags 11A and 11F are in contact with the front portion of the vehicle 100, and two airbags adjacent to each other among the airbags 11A to 11F are in contact with each other. The state shown in FIG.

  The operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  A case where the vehicle 100 collides with an occupant P of a motorcycle (bicycle or motorcycle) will be described. When the vehicle 100 collides with the occupant P, it is conceivable that the occupant P is moving in any direction of arrows D1 to D5 shown in FIG. Here, when it is determined that the vehicle 100 collides with the occupant P when the occupant P is moving in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. 5, the airbag device 1 is activated, and as shown in FIG. The bags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F are inflated and deployed radially toward the front of the vehicle 100.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the occupant P moving in the direction of the arrow D5 contacts the inflated airbag 11E. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the occupant P enters between two adjacent airbags 11E and 11F and is sandwiched between the two airbags 11E and 11F. Since the airbags 11A to 11F are configured as separate bodies, the occupant P can enter between two adjacent airbags among the airbags 11A to 11F.

  Since the airbag 11F is supported by the front portion of the vehicle 100, the airbag 11F in contact with the occupant P can support the occupant P without falling down. Moreover, since the airbag 11E is supported by the airbags 11D to 11A, the airbag 11E in contact with the occupant P can support the occupant P without falling down. In this way, by supporting the occupant P with the airbags 11E and 11F not falling over, the moving speed of the occupant P moving in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. 6 can be reduced.

  If the moving speed of the occupant P in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. 6 is reduced, as shown in FIG. 7, the head PH of the occupant P that has collided with the vehicle 100 moving in the direction of the arrow M1 is It moves in the direction opposite to the direction (that is, the direction of the arrow M2).

  Since the occupant P is supported by the airbags 11E and 11F positioned in front of the vehicle 100, the head PH is guided to the upper surface of the hood 120 when the head PH moves in the direction of the arrow M2. At this time, by operating the pedestrian protection active device 2, the head PH of the occupant P guided to the upper surface of the hood 120 can be protected. Further, as described above, the head PH of the occupant P guided to the upper surface of the hood 120 can be protected even if the hood 120 or the like has a structure for absorbing an impact.

  If the overall width of the airbags 11A to 11F in the vehicle width direction is made equal to the entire width of the vehicle 100, the head PH of the passenger P sandwiched between the airbags 11E and 11F can be easily guided to the upper surface of the hood 120. be able to.

  If the movement speed of the occupant P in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. 6 is not reduced, the head PH of the occupant P moves in the direction of the arrow M3 shown in FIG. That is, the occupant P also moves in the vehicle width direction, and as a result, moves in the direction of the arrow M3 shown in FIG. When the head PH moves in the direction of the arrow M3, the head PH may come off the hood 120 and fall on the road surface. In the present embodiment, as described above, the head PH can be moved to the upper surface of the hood 120 in the direction of the arrow M2 shown in FIG. It can suppress that it falls off and falls on the road surface.

  Each of the airbags 11A to 11F is inflated and deployed also in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100, but in order to support the passenger P moving in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 11E is inflated as shown in FIG. Can be deployed. In FIG. 8, only the airbag 11E is shown.

  If the airbag 11E is inflated and deployed from the road surface R to a position H1 corresponding to the chest of the occupant P, the occupant P can be easily supported by the airbag 11E, and the moving speed of the occupant P in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. It becomes easy to lower. If the distance from the road surface R to the position H1 (the distance in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100) is determined in advance, the airbags 11A to 11F can be inflated and deployed in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100 by this distance.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the airbag 11E can be inflated and deployed. FIG. 9 shows only the airbag 11E. In FIG. 9, the airbag 11 </ b> E contacts the occupant P between a position H <b> 1 corresponding to the chest of the occupant P and a position H <b> 2 corresponding to the waist of the occupant P. If the occupant P is pressed in the range from the chest to the waist of the occupant P, the movement of the occupant P can be easily stopped.

  For this reason, in order to reduce the movement speed of the passenger | crew P in the direction of arrow D5 shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 11E can be made to contact the passenger | crew P between the positions H1 and H2 shown in FIG. If the distance from the road surface R to each of the positions H1 and H2 (the distance in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100) is determined in advance and the direction in which the airbags 11A to 11E are inflated and deployed is set in advance, the space between the positions H1 and H2 The airbags 11A to 11E can be inflated and deployed toward the vehicle.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the airbags 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F can be downsized compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 8. If the airbags 11A to 11F can be miniaturized, the material cost of the airbags 11A to 11F can be reduced, and the cost of the airbag device 1 can be reduced.

  In the above description, the case where the occupant P is moving in the direction of the arrow D5 shown in FIG. 5 has been described, but even if the occupant P is moving in any of the directions of the arrows D1 to D4 shown in FIG. The occupant P can be sandwiched and supported by the inflated airbags 11A to 11F.

  Specifically, when the occupant P moving in the direction of the arrow D1 (vehicle width direction) shown in FIG. 5 collides with the vehicle 100, the occupant P can be sandwiched between the airbags 11A and 11B, and in the direction of the arrow D1. The moving speed of the occupant P can be reduced. When the occupant P moving in the direction of the arrow D2 shown in FIG. 5 collides with the vehicle 100, the occupant P can be sandwiched between the airbags 11B and 11C, and the moving speed of the occupant P in the direction of the arrow D2 (in particular, The speed of the moving component in the vehicle width direction) can be reduced.

  When the occupant P moving in the direction of the arrow D3 shown in FIG. 5 (the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle 100) collides with the vehicle 100, the occupant P can be sandwiched between the airbags 11C and 11D. When the occupant P is moving in the direction of the arrow D3, the head PH of the occupant P is easily guided to the upper surface of the hood 120. When the occupant P moving in the direction of the arrow D4 shown in FIG. 5 collides with the vehicle 100, the occupant P can be sandwiched by the airbags 11D and 11E, and the moving speed of the occupant P in the direction of the arrow D4 (in particular, the vehicle width) Speed of moving component in the direction) can be reduced.

  As described above, if the movement speed of the occupant P in the vehicle width direction is reduced, the head PH of the occupant P can be guided to the upper surface of the hood 120, and the head PH is detached from the hood 120 and falls onto the road surface. This can be suppressed.

  In the above description, the case where the vehicle 100 collides with the occupant P of the two-wheeled vehicle has been described. However, the present invention can be applied even when the vehicle 100 collides with a pedestrian. That is, when the vehicle 100 collides with a pedestrian moving in the vehicle width direction (running pedestrian), the pedestrian's head may move in the direction of the arrow M3 shown in FIG.

  Therefore, similarly to the present embodiment, by supporting the pedestrian with two adjacent airbags among the airbags 11A to 11F, the moving speed of the pedestrian in the vehicle width direction can be reduced. And a pedestrian's head can be guided to the upper surface of hood 120, and it can control that it removes from hood 120 from a pedestrian's head, and falls on a road surface.

  In the present embodiment, the airbags 11A to 11F are configured as separate bodies, but the airbags 11A to 11F can also be configured integrally. As shown in FIG. 10, the airbag 11 has a plurality of chambers 11a to 11f, and base ends of the chambers 11a to 11f are connected to each other. One inflator 10 is connected to the airbag 11, and the airbag 11 can be inflated and deployed as shown in FIG. 10 by operating the inflator 10. The inflator 10 is disposed at the center of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width direction.

  When the airbag 11 is inflated and deployed, the chambers 11 a to 11 f are inflated and deployed radially toward the front of the vehicle 100. The chambers 11 a to 11 f also expand and deploy in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100. The front ends of the chambers 11a to 11f are separated from each other, and the two adjacent chambers among the chambers 11a to 11f can sandwich the occupant P as in the present embodiment. Thereby, the same effect as this embodiment can be acquired.

  Further, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 10, it is sufficient to provide one inflator 10, and it is not necessary to provide the inflator 10 in each of the airbags 11A to 11F as in this embodiment. Thereby, the number of inflators 10 can be reduced and the cost reduction accompanying reduction of a number of parts can be aimed at. Furthermore, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 10, it is only necessary to operate one inflator 10, and the control when operating the inflator 10 is simplified as compared with the case where a plurality of inflators 10 are operated.

1: airbag device, 10: inflator, 11, 11A to 11F: airbag
2: Pedestrian protection active device, 100: vehicle,
110: Engine compartment, 120: Hood, 130: Front part,
210: Stereo camera, 220: Radar sensor

Claims (6)

An airbag device housed in the front of the vehicle,
A plurality of airbags that are arranged in the center of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and that inflate and deploy radially toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from above the vehicle;
Based on the drive signal input when it is determined that the vehicle occupant of the two-wheeled vehicle collides, the inflator for inflating and deploying the plurality of airbags,
I have a,
Each of the plurality of airbags is inflated and deployed between a road surface and a predetermined position corresponding to the chest of the occupant . An airbag device housed in the front of the vehicle,
A plurality of airbags that are arranged in the center of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and that inflate and deploy radially toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from above the vehicle;
An inflator for inflating and deploying the plurality of airbags based on a drive signal input when it is determined that the vehicle collides with an occupant of a motorcycle;
Have
Each of the plurality of airbags is inflated and deployed between a predetermined position corresponding to the waist of the occupant and a predetermined position corresponding to the chest of the occupant. An airbag device housed in the front of the vehicle,
An airbag having a plurality of chambers that are disposed in a center portion of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and that radially inflate and deploy toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from above the vehicle;
Based on the drive signal input when it is determined that the vehicle occupant of the two-wheeled vehicle collides, the inflator for inflating and deploying the air bag,
I have a,
Each of the plurality of chambers is inflated and deployed between a road surface and a predetermined position corresponding to a chest of the occupant . An airbag device housed in the front of the vehicle,
An airbag having a plurality of chambers that are disposed in a center portion of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and that radially inflate and deploy toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from above the vehicle;
An inflator for inflating and deploying the airbag based on a drive signal input when it is determined that the vehicle collides with a passenger of a motorcycle;
Have
Each of the plurality of chambers is inflated and deployed between a predetermined position corresponding to the waist of the occupant and a predetermined position corresponding to the chest of the occupant. The plurality of airbags are stored in the central portion of the vehicle, which is a front portion of the engine compartment of the vehicle, and are inflated and deployed radially from the storage position toward the front of the vehicle. The airbag device according to claim 1 or 2. The plurality of chambers are front portions of the engine compartment of the vehicle, and are housed in the central portion of the vehicle, and expand and deploy radially from the housing position toward the front of the vehicle. The airbag device according to claim 3 or 4.

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