JP7213229B2 - pedestrian protection - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device having a collision load absorbing member that absorbs a collision load input from the front of a vehicle.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a pedestrian protection device capable of changing the height of a collision load absorbing member (energy absorbing member) so as to avoid the grill portion of the bumper face.

The collision load absorbing member (energy absorbing member) is composed of a front wall, an upper wall, and a lower wall, and has a U-shaped cross section with an opening at the rear of the vehicle. When a pedestrian's leg inputs a collision load, the upper wall and the lower wall are crushed so as to approach each other to absorb the collision load.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,480,143

By the way, in the pedestrian protection device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a collision load is input, the upper wall and the lower wall become a crushed mass at the rear of the vehicle, and the front wall bottoms out against the crushed mass. , the amount of deformation stroke to the rear of the vehicle is reduced (see FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian protection device capable of increasing the amount of deformation stroke to the rear of the vehicle when a collision load is input.

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a pedestrian protection device having a collision load absorbing member disposed in front of a bumper beam of a vehicle and absorbing a collision load input from the front of the vehicle, the collision load absorbing member comprising: The member has a projecting portion positioned in front of the vehicle and having a substantially V-shaped apex when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction, and an upwardly convex bent portion extending from the upper end of the projecting portion toward the rear of the vehicle. An upper wall and a lower wall extending from the lower end of the protrusion toward the rear of the vehicle and having a downwardly convex lower bent portion are provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a pedestrian protection device capable of increasing the amount of deformation stroke to the rear of the vehicle when a collision load is input.

1 is a perspective view of a front portion of a vehicle to which a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the invention is applied; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the collision load absorbing member as viewed from the front side of the vehicle; FIG. 2 is a front view of the collision load absorbing member as seen from the front of the vehicle; FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the left curved portion of the collision load absorbing member; FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a central hole, an upper hole, and a lower hole provided between adjacent energy absorbing parts; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the collision load absorbing member shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle; FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view along line VII-VII of FIG. 6; FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6; FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view along line IX-IX of FIG. 6; (a) is an explanatory view showing the state before the pedestrian's leg contacts the collision load absorbing member, and (b) shows the upper wall and the lower wall after the pedestrian's leg contacts the collision load absorbing member. is an explanatory diagram showing a deformed state.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In each figure, "front and back" indicates the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, "left and right" indicates the width direction of the vehicle (horizontal direction), and "up and down" indicates the vertical direction of the vehicle (vertical direction).

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle front portion 10 includes, from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle, a bumper face 12, a collision load absorbing member 14, a bumper beam (front bumper beam) 16, and a bumper beam extension 18 in this order. placed respectively.

The bumper face 12 is located furthest forward of the vehicle in the front portion of the vehicle body, and is provided so as to cover the collision load absorbing member 14 and the bumper beam 16 .

The collision load absorbing member 14 is arranged in front of the bumper beam 16 and absorbs a collision load (including an offset collision load) input from the front of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the collision load absorbing member 14 includes a protrusion 20, an upper wall 22, and a lower wall 24. As shown in FIG. A hollow portion 25 is formed between the collision load absorbing member 14 and the bumper beam 16 (see FIG. 10(a) described later). As shown in FIG. 7, the projecting portion 20 is positioned in front of the vehicle and has a substantially V-shaped apex 26 when viewed sideways from the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the upper wall 22 extends from the upper end of the protrusion 20 toward the vehicle rearward and upward direction, and has an upwardly convex upper curved portion 28 at an intermediate position. In addition, the upper wall 22 has an upper inclined portion 30 which is positioned in front of the vehicle relative to the upper bent portion 28 and which inclines so as to rise upward from the vertex 26, and is positioned to the rear of the vehicle relative to the upper bent portion 28, and an upper extending portion 32 extending substantially horizontally toward the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower wall 24 is provided so as to face the upper wall 22 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 7 , the lower wall 24 extends from the lower end of the projection 20 toward the vehicle rearward and downward direction, and has a downwardly convex lower bent portion 34 . In addition, the lower wall 24 has a lower inclined portion 36 which is located forward of the vehicle relative to the lower curved portion 34 and which slopes downward from the vertex 26 toward the vehicle downward direction, and is located rearward of the vehicle relative to the lower curved portion 34 . , and a downward extending portion 38 extending substantially horizontally toward the rear of the vehicle.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the collision load absorbing member 14 is divided into a plurality of energy absorbing portions 40 arranged side by side at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the vehicle. Each energy absorbing portion 40 is composed of a projecting portion 20 having a vertex 26, an upper wall 22, a lower wall 24, and mounting flanges 46, which will be described later, which are continuous with the upper end of the upper wall 22 and the lower end of the lower wall 24, respectively. ing.

Between the adjacent energy absorbing portions 40, a band portion connecting the energy absorbing portions 40 is arranged. A plurality of band portions are arranged along the vertical direction. That is, the band portion includes an upper band portion 42a that connects the adjacent upper walls 22 (the upper inclined portions 30) along the vehicle width direction, and the lower walls 24 that are adjacent to each other. It has a lower band portion 42b that connects (the lower inclined portions 36) along the vehicle width direction (see FIGS. 3 and 9).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a central hole portion 44 is located in the center of the collision load absorbing member 14 in the vertical direction and between the plurality of band portions (the upper band portion 42a and the lower band portion 42b). is provided. The central hole portion 44 has a vertically long rectangular shape when viewed from the front of the vehicle (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 7 , the crash load absorbing member 14 includes a mounting flange 46 that mounts the crash load absorbing member 14 to the bumper beam 16 . The mounting flange 46 is composed of an upper mounting flange 48a and a lower mounting flange 48b.

The upper attachment flange 48 a attaches the upper portion of the collision load absorbing member 14 to the bumper beam 16 . The lower end of the upper mounting flange 48a is continuous with the upper end of the upper wall 22 (upper extending portion 32) (see FIG. 7). The lower attachment flange 48 b attaches the lower portion of the collision load absorbing member 14 to the bumper beam 16 . Further, the upper end of the lower mounting flange 48b is continuous with the lower wall 24 (lower extending portion 38) (see FIG. 7).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the upper mounting flange 48a and the lower mounting flange 48b are a plurality of vertical flanges extending in the vertical direction and spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. They are connected by the plate portion 50 . As shown in FIG. 6, a fixing point 52 for fixing the bumper beam 16 and the collision load absorbing member 14 is provided adjacent to the vertical plate portion 50 along the vehicle width direction. Some of the fixing points 52 are arranged at intermediate positions between the vertical plate portion 50a and the vertical plate portion 50c that are adjacent along the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 6). A plurality of fixing points 52 are arranged along the width direction of the vehicle, and are provided as mounting holes to which projections (not shown) of the bumper beam 16 are mounted.

As shown in FIG. 5, upper holes 54 are provided between adjacent upper walls 22 . The upper end of the upper hole portion 54 extends to the upper mounting flange 48a (mounting flange 46). The lower end of the upper hole portion 54 extends to the upper band portion 42a. A lower hole portion 56 is provided between adjacent lower walls 24 . The lower end of the lower hole portion 56 extends to the lower mounting flange 48b (mounting flange 46). The upper end of the lower hole portion 56 extends to the lower band portion 42b. A central hole portion 44 is arranged between the upper hole portion 54 and the lower hole portion 56 along the vertical direction. Each upper hole portion 54, each lower hole portion 56, and each central hole portion 44 are arranged linearly along the vertical direction (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 2 , the collision load absorbing member 14 includes a central flat portion 58 and a pair of left and right curved portions that are continuous with both left and right ends of the flat portion 58 and curve toward the rear of the vehicle when viewed from above. It is composed of parts 60a and 60b. As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of vertical plate portions 50 includes a vertical plate portion 50a positioned in the center of the flat portion and a pair of vertical plate portions positioned near the boundaries between the left and right curved portions 60a and 60b and the flat portion 58. It is composed of plate portions 50b and 50c.

As shown in FIG. 8, each of the vertical plate portions 50a (50b, 50c) is made of a plate-like plate, and has its upper end connected to the bottom surface of the upper extension portion 32 of the upper wall 22 and its lower end connected to the bottom surface. It is connected to the upper surface of the downwardly extending portion 38 of the wall 24 .

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, clip fixing portions 62 are provided at both ends along the vehicle width direction of the collision load absorbing member 14 to be fixed to the bumper beam 16 via clips (not shown). It is The clip fixing portion 62 is composed of a pair of small holes spaced apart in the vertical direction.

The vehicle front portion 10 to which the pedestrian protection device according to the present embodiment is applied is basically configured as described above, and the effects thereof will be described below.

FIG. 10(a) is an explanatory diagram showing a state before the pedestrian's legs come into contact with the collision load absorbing member, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the wall and the lower wall deform|transformed.

In this embodiment, the collision load absorbing member 14 includes a projecting portion 20 positioned in front of the vehicle and having a substantially V-shaped apex 26 when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction. and a lower wall 24 extending toward the rear of the vehicle from the lower end of the protrusion 20 and having a downwardly convex lower bent portion 34. It is

In this embodiment, the leg of the pedestrian abuts on the apex 26 of the protrusion 20, and the upper bent portion 28 of the upper wall 22 and the lower bent portion 34 of the lower wall 24 are deformed so as to separate in the vertical direction. (see the arrow in FIG. 10(b)). Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is no residual crushing, and a sufficient amount of deformation stroke to the rear of the vehicle can be obtained. As a result, in the present embodiment, the collision load F generated when the vehicle comes into contact with the legs of the pedestrian can be favorably absorbed by the collision load absorbing member 14, and pedestrian protection can be improved.

In this embodiment, the collision load absorbing member 14 is divided into a plurality of energy absorbing portions 40 that are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals along the vehicle width direction. The energy absorbing portion 40 is provided with a band portion that connects adjacent energy absorbing portions 40 . In the present embodiment, this band portion is located above and is adjacent to an upper band portion 42a that connects adjacent upper walls 22 (each upper inclined portion 30) along the vehicle width direction. It has a lower band portion 42b that connects the lower walls 24 together (the lower inclined portions 36 together) along the vehicle width direction.

For example, when the energy absorbing portion is configured integrally (continuously) along the vehicle width direction, the energy absorbing portion becomes too strong. A gap is generated between the adjacent energy absorbing portions 40 by dividing the plurality of energy absorbing portions 40 . When the legs of the pedestrian come into contact with this gap, the upper bent portion 28 and the lower bent portion 34 are less likely to deform.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in a plurality of divided energy absorbing portions 40, adjacent energy absorbing portions 40 are connected by band portions (upper band portion 42a, lower band portion 42b) along the vehicle width direction. , the deformation at the upper bend 28 and the lower bend 34 can be facilitated. As a result, in this embodiment, the collision load can be absorbed even in the gaps connected by the band portions (the upper band portion 42a and the lower band portion 42b).

In this embodiment, a plurality of band portions including an upper band portion 42a and a lower band portion 42b are provided between adjacent energy absorbing portions 40. As shown in FIG. A central hole portion 44 is provided between the upper band portion 42a and the lower band portion 42b and positioned at the center of the collision load absorbing member 14 in the vertical direction.

In the present embodiment, a center hole 44 is provided between an upper band portion 42a and a lower band portion 42b, which are a plurality of band portions, located in the center of the collision load absorbing member 14 in the vertical direction. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the upper band portion 42a is arranged close to (closer to) the upper bent portion 28 on the upper wall 22 side, and the lower band portion 42b is arranged closer to the lower bent portion 34 on the lower wall 24 side. are placed close to (close to) the Therefore, in the present embodiment, the collision load input from the apex 26 of the protrusion 20 can be more easily concentrated on the upper bent portion 28 and the lower bent portion 34 . As a result, in the present embodiment, the upper bent portion 28 and the lower bent portion 34 are easily separated from each other in the vertical direction, which can contribute to an increase in deformation stroke amount.

In this embodiment, the collision load absorbing member 14 has mounting flanges 46 (upper mounting flange 48 a and lower mounting flange 48 b ) for mounting the collision load absorbing member 14 to the bumper beam 16 . Further, an upper hole portion 54 is provided between the upper walls 22 of the plurality of energy absorbing portions 40 respectively. The upper hole portion 54 extends from the upper band portion 42a to the upper mounting flange 48a.

In this embodiment, since the upper hole portion 54 extends from the upper band portion 42a to the portion of the upper mounting flange 48a, the connecting portion (upper hole portion) between the upper mounting flange 48a and the upper wall 22 (energy absorbing portion 40) The upper end portion of the portion 54) is cut out. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, when a collision load is input to the collision load absorbing member 14, the energy absorbing portion 40 is more easily crushed. Regarding this point, since the lower hole portion 56 extends from the lower band portion 42b to the portion of the lower mounting flange 48b, the collision load is applied to the collision load absorbing member 14 similarly to the upper hole portion 54. When input, the energy absorbing portion 40 is more easily crushed.

In this embodiment, the upper mounting flange 48a and the lower mounting flange 48b are connected by a vertical plate portion 50 extending along the vertical direction. In this embodiment, by connecting the upper mounting flange 48a and the lower mounting flange 48b with the vertical plate portion 50, when a collision load is input to the collision load absorbing member 14, the upper mounting flange 48a and the lower mounting flange 48b are separated from each other. It becomes difficult to deform in the direction in which the ends are opened (the direction in which they are separated vertically). Therefore, in this embodiment, a deformation mode in which the cross section of the protrusion 20 is stably crushed can be achieved.

In this embodiment, the fixing point 52 for fixing the bumper beam 16 and the collision load absorbing member 14 is provided adjacent to the vertical plate portion 50 along the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the collision load is input to the collision load absorbing member 14 by providing the fixing point 52 between the collision load absorbing member 14 and the bumper beam 16 adjacent to the vertical plate portion 50 along the vehicle width direction. At this time, the upper mounting flange 48a and the lower mounting flange 48b in the vicinity of the fixing point 52 are less likely to be deformed in the opening direction (vertical separation direction). Therefore, in this embodiment, when a collision load is input to the collision load absorbing member 14, it is possible to preferably prevent the collision load absorbing member 14 from falling off from the bumper beam 16. FIG.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 vehicle front part 12 bumper face 14 collision load absorbing member 16 bumper beam 20 projection 22 upper wall 24 lower wall 26 apex 28 upper bent part 34 lower bent part 40 energy absorbing part 42a upper band part (band part)
42b lower band part (band part)
44 central hole portion 46 mounting flange 48a upper mounting flange 48b lower mounting flange 50, 50a, 50b, 50c vertical plate portion 52 fixing point 54 upper hole portion

Claims (7)

A pedestrian protection device having a collision load absorbing member disposed in front of a bumper beam and absorbing a collision load input from the front of the vehicle,
The collision load absorbing member is
a projecting portion positioned in front of the vehicle and having a substantially V-shaped apex when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction;
an upper inclined portion extending toward the rear of the vehicle from the upper end of the protrusion;
an upper extending portion extending substantially horizontally toward the rear of the vehicle from an end portion of the upper inclined portion;
an upwardly convex upper bent portion provided between the upper inclined portion and the upwardly extending portion;
a downwardly inclined portion extending toward the rear of the vehicle from the lower end of the protrusion;
a downward extending portion extending substantially horizontally toward the rear of the vehicle from an end portion of the downward inclined portion;
a downwardly convex lower bent portion provided between the downwardly inclined portion and the downwardly extending portion;
A pedestrian protection device comprising: A pedestrian protection device having a collision load absorbing member disposed in front of a bumper beam and absorbing a collision load input from the front of the vehicle,
The collision load absorbing member includes a protrusion positioned in front of the vehicle and having a substantially V-shaped apex when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction, and an upper end of the protrusion extending toward the rear of the vehicle and upwardly convex. an upper wall having a bent portion; and a lower wall extending from the lower end of the projection toward the rear of the vehicle and having a downwardly convex lower bent portion;
an energy absorbing portion configured by the projecting portion, the upper wall, and the lower wall;
The collision load absorbing member is divided into a plurality of energy absorbing portions arranged side by side at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the vehicle,
A pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein each of the energy absorbing portions is provided with a band portion that connects the adjacent energy absorbing portions. A pedestrian protection device according to claim 2 , wherein
A plurality of the band portions are provided between the adjacent energy absorbing portions,
A pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that a center hole is provided at the center of the collision load absorbing member in the vertical direction and between the plurality of band portions. A pedestrian protection device according to claim 2 , wherein
the collision load absorbing member includes a mounting flange for mounting the collision load absorbing member to the bumper beam;
An upper hole is provided between the upper walls of each of the plurality of energy absorbing parts,
A pedestrian protection device, wherein said upper hole extends from said band portion to said mounting flange. A pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein
The collision load absorbing member has an upper mounting flange and a lower mounting flange for mounting the collision load absorbing member to the bumper beam,
A pedestrian protection device, wherein the upper mounting flange and the lower mounting flange are connected by a plurality of vertical plate portions spaced apart along the vehicle width direction. A pedestrian protection device according to claim 5 , wherein
A pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein a fixing point for fixing the bumper beam and the collision load absorbing member is provided adjacent to the vertical plate portion along the vehicle width direction. A pedestrian protection device having a collision load absorbing member disposed in front of a bumper beam and absorbing a collision load input from the front of the vehicle,
The collision load absorbing member includes a protrusion positioned in front of the vehicle and having a substantially V-shaped apex when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction, and an upper end of the protrusion extending toward the rear of the vehicle and upwardly convex. an upper wall having a bent portion; and a lower wall extending from the lower end of the projection toward the rear of the vehicle and having a downwardly convex lower bent portion;
The collision load absorbing member has an upper mounting flange and a lower mounting flange for mounting the collision load absorbing member to the bumper beam,
The upper mounting flange and the lower mounting flange are connected by a vertical plate portion extending along the vertical direction,
A pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein a fixing point for fixing the bumper beam and the collision load absorbing member is provided adjacent to the vertical plate portion along the vehicle width direction.

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