JPH02133262A - Shock absorbing movable bumper - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a vehicle from increasing its length, when the vehicle is in stopping, while ensuring sufficient absorbing power of shock energy by enabling a bumper to be extended and contracted in accordance with a vehicle speed. CONSTITUTION:A bumper main unit 1 is mounted to a piston 3 in a hydraulic cylinder 4 through a rod 2. A vehicle speed detecting means 9 detects a vehicle speed, when it exceeds a predetermined speed, a control means 7 controls a hydraulic system holding the bumper main unit 1 in an extending condition. And in case of the vehicle speed in not more than the predetermined speed, the bumper main unit 1 is returned to a contracting condition. When a vehicle 8 collides during running at the predetermined speed or more, shock energy is sufficiently absorbed by viscous resistance of oil passing through a fine hole 15 in the piston 3. On the contrary, at the predetermined speed or less, because the bumper main unit 1 is placed in a contracting condition, the bumper main unit is prevented from interfering with operation of the vehicle performing garaging, longitudinal line parking, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A1.Object of the invention (industrial application field) The present invention relates to a bumper device installed at the front and rear of an automobile, for example.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, bumper devices having a configuration as shown in FIG. 3 have been attached to the front and rear parts of automobiles, etc., in order to prevent damage in the event of a vehicle collision and to protect occupants.

The bumper device shown in FIG. 3 consists of a shock absorbing means 22 attached to a vehicle body 21 and a bumper body 23. This absorbs impact energy at the time of a vehicle collision into the bumper body 23.
The purpose is to minimize damage to the vehicle body 21 by absorbing the shock through the deformation of the shock absorbing means 22 and the contraction of the shock absorbing means 22, thereby making riding safer.

In such a bumper device, it is desirable to increase the rigidity of the vehicle body 21 and the bumper main body 23, and to make the operating stroke (retracted length) 1 of the shock absorbing means 22 as long as possible. However, increasing the operating stroke l means increasing the distance ML between the vehicle body 21 and the bumper body 23, and increasing the distance 111tL shortens the passenger space length for the limited overall vehicle length. This is inconvenient.

Therefore, in reality, it is not possible to secure a sufficiently long operating stroke l, and the vehicle body 21 is either equipped with a shock absorbing means 22 that is sufficient to cope with a light collision, or is not equipped with any such means at all. The bumper body 23 is often directly attached. In this case, a part of the vehicle body is made into a shock absorbing structure, and the collision energy is absorbed by the deformation of the bumper body and the vehicle body near the bumper.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, in the conventional bumper device described above, since the bumper device can hardly absorb the collision energy, deformation of the vehicle body has to be allowed.

By the way, for three-box type cars,
While the engine room and trunk room of the vehicle body have a shock absorbing structure, the passenger space area (hereinafter referred to as ``vehicle room''
'There is a thing called '. ) is done to increase the rigidity. In this case, the collision energy at the time of the collision is absorbed and consumed by the deformation of the bumper and engine room (trunk room), and does not lead to deformation of the passenger compartment, and the safety of the occupants wearing seat belts in the passenger compartment is sufficient. Secured.

However, in the one-box type cars that have become popular in recent years, the passenger space is located immediately behind the front bumper, so in the event of a collision, the collision energy that cannot be absorbed by the bumper is directly transferred to the passenger compartment. This causes deformation of the passenger compartment. In this case, even if the occupant is wearing a seat belt, there is a problem in that the occupant may be crushed and injured due to the deformation of the entire vehicle interior. In solving these problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 411-41434, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model No. 6
Special bumper systems have been proposed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2-137852 and Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-88658, but they are still only ideas and cannot be expected to be sufficiently effective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a movable impact-absorbing bumper that has sufficient impact energy-absorbing force and does not increase the length of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped.

1. Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving Problems) The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is that, in a vehicle bumper device, a bumper extension/contraction means, a shock absorption means, a vehicle speed detection means, and the like are provided. and a control means for bringing the elongating and retracting means into an extended state when the vehicle is at a predetermined speed or higher, and for bringing the elongating and retracting means into a retracted state when the vehicle is at a predetermined speed or less. Further, the bumper extension/contraction means may use a fluid drive device.

(Function) The function of the present invention having the above configuration is that the bumper is in an extended state at a speed higher than a predetermined speed, and in the event of a vehicle collision, the length from the extended state to the contracted state is used as a shock absorption operation stroke. It absorbs and consumes energy and does not affect the vehicle body or the passengers6.In addition, since the bumper is in a contracted state below a specified speed, the overall length of the vehicle does not increase when driving at low speeds or when stopped, making it easier to park in a garage or in tandem. Problems with parking, etc. (Can be driven and operated like a conventional vehicle.)

(Example) The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.7 Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a shock absorbing movable bumper as an example, Figure 2 (a) is a schematic diagram showing its extended state, Figure 2(b)
is a schematic diagram showing its contracted state. In the figure, a hydraulic cylinder 4 is fixed to a vehicle body 8, and a bumper body 1 is attached via a piston 3 and a rod 2 inside the hydraulic cylinder 4. Also, inside the vehicle body 8, a hydraulic pump 5, a four-way switching valve 6,
A control means 7, a vehicle speed detection means 9, and an oil tank 10 are provided.

Here, the bumper extension/contraction means mainly includes a rod 2, a piston 3, a cylinder 4, a pump 5, a four-way switching valve 6, an oil tank lO1 flow path 11, 12, 13, 14, etc.
Further, the shock absorbing means is mainly composed of the piston 3 and the pores 15.

In the shock-absorbing movable bumper described above, when the vehicle 8 is in a running state and exceeds a predetermined speed, the vehicle speed detection means 9 detects the vehicle speed, the pump 5 is activated by a signal from the control means 7, and the four-way switching valve is activated. 6 is activated, and the channels 11 and 12 and channels 13 and 14 are connected and opened, respectively. The oil in the oil tank 10 enters the cylinder 4 via the flow path 11, the four-way switching valve 6, and the flow path 12 by the pump 5, and then enters the cylinder 4.
is pressed to move the piston 3 to the left in the figure, bringing the bumper body 1 into the extended state, that is, the state shown in FIG. 2(a).

At this time, a small amount of oil leaks from the pore 15 to the left side of the piston 3 in the figure, but this does not pose a problem because the amount of oil fed by the pump 5 is overwhelmingly greater than the amount of oil leaked. Piston 3 Left cylinder 4
The oil in the tank returns to the oil tank IO via the flow path 13, the four-way switching valve 6, and the flow path 14.Next, when the vehicle 8 decelerates to below a predetermined speed, the vehicle speed detection means 9 detects the vehicle speed. death,
A signal is again sent from the control means 7 to the pump 5 and the four-way switching valve 6, and the four-way switching valve 6 is operated to connect and open channels II and 13 and channels 12 and 14, respectively, and the pump 5 is operated. Ru. Then, the oil in the oil tank 10 is transferred to the cylinder 4 via the flow path 11, the four-way switching valve 6, and the flow path 13 by the pump 5.
The piston 3 is pushed to the right in the figure, and the bumper body 1 is returned to the contracted state, that is, the state shown in FIG. 2(b).

In addition, the oil in the cylinder 4 on the right side of the piston returns to the oil tank 10 via the flow path 12, the four-way switching valve 6, and the flow path 14, so that the bumper 1 can expand and contract in response to the speed of the vehicle 8. It is. Next, a case will be described in which a collision occurs when the vehicle is running at a speed higher than a predetermined speed (the state shown in FIG. 2(a)).

When a sudden impact is applied to bumper 1 due to a collision,
Bumper 1, rod 2, and piston 3 try to rapidly move to the right in the figure 6 However, their movement is restricted by oil on the right side of piston 3 in cylinder 4, and the oil in cylinder 4 fills the right side of piston 3. The collision energy is absorbed by the viscous resistance of the oil passing through the pores 15. Therefore, the bumper 1 is pushed by the impact of the collision, and most of the collision energy is absorbed by the time the bumper 1 reaches the state shown in FIG. 2(b), thereby achieving the protection of the vehicle body 8 and, ultimately, the safety of the occupants. This is similar to a known hydraulic shock absorber. Although hydraulic means is used as the bumper extension/contraction means in the above embodiments, this is not limited to hydraulic means, and other known means may be used within the scope of the present invention. The same applies to the shock absorbing means.

Furthermore, a deceleration detection means (not shown) is added, and when a predetermined deceleration device is applied, that is, when the deceleration exceeds emergency braking, a signal is sent from the deceleration detection means to the control means 7, and the control means 7 is disabled. It is also possible to configure the structure so that the above-mentioned contraction operation does not occur.

C1. Effects of the invention According to the invention described in detail above, the following effects are achieved.

1) Safety can be improved in the event of a vehicle collision. This is particularly useful for one-box type vehicles. Further, in the case of three-box type automobiles, a dramatic improvement in safety is expected by combining the present invention with a vehicle body having a shock absorbing structure.

2) When stopped or running at low speed, the total length of the vehicle is equal to the total length of a conventional vehicle, so the garage space, parking space, etc. can remain the same as before, and there is no inconvenience in turning around on narrow roads.

3) It is possible to secure the same cabin space as the conventional technology.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a shock-absorbing movable bumper as an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a schematic diagram showing its extended state, and FIG. 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing its contracted state. , FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional bumper device. ...Bumper body cylinder, four-way switching valve, control means, vehicle speed detection means

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A bumper extension/contraction means, a shock absorbing means, a vehicle speed detection means, and the extension/contraction means is in an extended state when the vehicle is at a predetermined speed or higher, and when the vehicle is at a predetermined speed or less, the elongation/contraction means is in an extended state. A shock-absorbing movable bumper for a vehicle, comprising a control means for bringing the bumper into a contracted state. (2) The impact-absorbing movable bumper for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the bumper extension/contraction means uses a fluid drive device.