JPH07156729A - Air bag device for floating - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an automobile from sinking, and facilitate the escape from a window by providing a gas generating means and a gas igniting means in a housing having a gas discharge port in a gas generator, and providing a working means to work the igniting means when the automobile falls into the water. CONSTITUTION:A gas generator is provided with a gas generating means, i.e., a gas generating agent 15 in a housing 20. A diffuser shell 1 of a housing 20 is provided with a plurality of openings 9 (gas discharge port) to communicate a filter chamber 19 with an air bag. When an automobile falls into the water, wheels are idled and the torque signal of a detecting means 21 in a working means becomes zero, and a control means 24 makes a judgement that the automobile falls into the water, and outputs the working signal to a slive 10 of an igniting means 30. This constitution ignites an enhancer 6 to break the wall of a canistor container through an opening 7, and ignites the gas generating agent 15 inside. The gas passes through the openings 9 and flows into the air bag.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a levitation airbag device for preventing a vehicle from being submerged in water when the vehicle accidentally falls on the water surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air bag is mounted on, for example, a steering wheel of an automobile, and is deployed by gas supplied from a gas generator at the time of a collision, thereby forming a cushion to protect an occupant from an impact. To be done.

[0003]

By the way, there is an accident in which an automobile accidentally falls on the water surface. At this time, the occupant must quickly escape from the vehicle before the vehicle is submerged in water. If the car is submerged in water, the water pressure will prevent the doors and windows from opening, and the occupant will be trapped inside the car.
When the car door cannot be opened, the occupants try to escape from the window.

However, in recent automobiles, a power window system in which windows are opened and closed electrically is mainly used, and when the electric system fails due to water immersion and cannot work, an occupant may open the window and escape. It will be difficult. Further, even in the case of a manual knob-type opening / closing window, the knob mechanism may be damaged by the impact of dropping, and in such a case, it is difficult to escape.

Therefore, the present invention provides an air bag device for levitation, which makes an automobile unsinkable, thereby facilitating the escape of the occupant from the window and allowing the occupant to rest on the automobile. To aim.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An air bag apparatus for levitation according to the present invention is an air bag arranged to bulge outside a vehicle body to give a buoyancy force to an automobile, and a gas for supplying gas to the air bag. A gas generator, the gas generator having a housing having a gas outlet, gas generating means disposed in the housing, and igniting means for igniting the gas generating means. The means are characterized in that they comprise actuating means for actuating the ignition means when the vehicle falls on the water surface.

It is preferable that the actuating means comprises a detecting means for detecting when an automobile falls on the water surface, and a control means for outputting an operating signal to the ignition means based on a signal from the detecting means. .

Further, the actuating means may be composed of a push button or a switch which is manually operated.

The airbag is arranged so as to bulge outside the vehicle body and give buoyancy to the vehicle so that the vehicle can be held on the water. Preferably, the airbags are arranged in pairs at opposite positions of the vehicle, for example, on both sides, so as to keep the vehicle in good balance. The volume of the airbag can be determined in consideration of the weight of the automobile (including an occupant), the volume (related to buoyancy), and the like.

As the gas generator, a gas generator used for an airbag for shock absorption can be used. This gas generator has a housing having a gas outlet, gas generating means arranged in the housing, and ignition means for igniting the gas generating means.

The ignition means comprises actuating means, which actuate the ignition means when the vehicle falls on the water surface. The actuating means can output a signal to actuate the ignition means and can be configured to generate this signal manually or automatically. In the case of manual operation, the actuating means can be constituted by push buttons or switches. When the vehicle falls on the water surface, the occupant turns on the push button or switch to activate the ignition means. In the case of automatic operation, the actuating means can be composed of the detecting means and the control means. The detection means detects when the vehicle falls on the water surface and outputs a detection signal to the control means. The control means judges the situation based on the input signal and outputs an operation signal to the ignition means.

The detecting means may be composed of, for example, a torque sensor. This torque sensor is attached to the propulsion shaft (propeller shaft) of the automobile. When the vehicle falls on the surface of the water, the wheels run idle, so the torque of the propulsion shaft becomes zero or a value close to it, and this can be detected by the torque sensor. In order to distinguish between idling of wheels on the surface of water and a state where the wheels do not slip and proceed on the ground, these can be distinguished by the duration of idling or the like.
As the torque sensor, for example, a strain gauge type torque sensor, a magnetostrictive type torque sensor utilizing the magnetostrictive effect of the rotating shaft, or a phase difference type torque sensor for detecting the phase difference of the twist angle generated on the rotating shaft can be cited.

The detecting means may be composed of a solution sensor, that is, a pH sensor for measuring the hydrogen ion concentration. This pH sensor is attached to the lower part of the seat, for example.
When the vehicle falls on the surface of the water, the pH sensor responds to measure the pH of fresh water or seawater and outputs the signal to the control means. The control means judges the situation based on the input signal and outputs an operation signal to the ignition means.

In addition, the detecting means may be composed of a displacement meter installed at a portion for detecting the weight of the vehicle. When the vehicle falls on the surface of the water, a change occurs in a portion of the vehicle that senses the weight, and this change can be detected by a displacement gauge.

The operation of the ignition means causes the gas generating means to ignite, thereby generating gas to supply the gas into the airbag through the gas discharge port of the housing, and receiving the gas causes the airbag to inflate. The inflated airbag imparts buoyancy to the vehicle to hold the vehicle on the water. At this time, the passenger opens the window and escapes. If the window does not open, the passenger destroys the window and escapes.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an airbag device of the present invention mounted on a vehicle is operated, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the airbag device mounted on a side portion of the vehicle.

The airbag 17 is made of a material that does not penetrate water.
Or, it is made by coating or impregnating such a material,
It is mounted inside the side of the car in a folded state.
The airbag 17 can be provided on the front door, the rear door, or a portion between the door and the wheel. The airbags 17 are arranged in pairs on both sides of the side portions in order to maintain the floating balance of the automobile. These airbags 17
Is designed so that, when gas is supplied, it pops out of the vehicle body in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 2 and then spreads laterally. For example, the gas outlet of the gas generator housing 20 is provided in the ceiling portion 1a of the housing 20 so that the gas is ejected in the direction indicated by the arrow A and the airbag 17 is ejected to the outside of the vehicle body. A sleeve member (not shown) may be provided around the airbag 17 to prevent the airbag 17 from expanding inside the vehicle body when supplied with gas.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a gas generator for supplying gas to the airbag. The gas generator includes a housing 20, a gas generating means, that is, a gas generating agent 15 accommodated in the housing 20, and an igniting means 30 for igniting the gas generating agent 15.

The housing 20 includes the diffuser shell 1
And a closure shell 3, which have flange portions 1c and 3c at the tips of the respective peripheral wall portions, and these flange portions are joined by welding. Further, the closure shell 3 has a central tubular body 16 integrated in the central portion thereof, and the central tubular body 16 is caulked at its front end, and the diffuser shell 1 and the closure shell 3 are joined to each other at the central portion of the housing. is doing.

The gas generating agent 15 is filled in a canister container 23, which is a thin container made of aluminum, and the canister container 23 has an annular combustion chamber 5 formed between the central cylindrical body 16 and the peripheral wall of the housing. It is housed inside.

The ignition means 30 is an enhancer (transfer charge) 6
And a squib (igniter) 10, which are arranged in an ignition means accommodating chamber 4 formed inside a central tubular body 16. The central tubular body 16 is provided with an opening 7 for transmitting the flame of the enhancer 6 to the combustion chamber 5. The igniting means 30 includes an activating means, which will be described later, and the activating means activates the igniting means when the vehicle falls on the water surface.

A partition member 14 is disposed in the housing 20, and the partition member 14 has an annular portion 14a having a hole 11 into which the central cylindrical body 16 can be fitted, and an outer peripheral portion of the annular portion. It is composed of a peripheral wall portion 14b integrally formed with the annular portion. The peripheral wall portion 14b is the peripheral wall portion 1 of the diffuser shell.
Together with b, it forms an annular space. The annular space forms a filter chamber 19, and the cooling filter 12 is arranged in the filter chamber 19. Cooling filter 12
The slag filter 13 is disposed between the canister container 23 and the canister container 23, and the slag filter 13 is arranged in parallel with the cushion 22.
Is provided.

The diffuser shell 1 includes a filter chamber 19
The circular portion 1a has an opening 9 (gas discharge port) that communicates with the airbag 17. A plurality of the openings 9 are arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the circular portion 1a.

The operating means are the detecting means 21 and the control means 24.
It consists of The detection means 21 is composed of a magnetostrictive torque sensor attached to a propulsion shaft (propeller shaft) of an automobile. As shown in FIG. 4, this torque sensor includes an exciting coil 41 and a detection coil 42, which are arranged in a non-contact state with the propulsion shaft 40, and a detection circuit 43 thereof. The exciting coil 41 is excited via the AC oscillator 44 and the power amplifier 45. In addition, the detection coil 4
2 detects a change in magnetic flux density excited by torque, and outputs it via a synchronous detection 46 and a voltage amplifier 47. When torque is applied to the shaft, distortion occurs on the shaft surface,
The magnetic flux density changes due to this distortion, and a voltage is induced in the detection coil 42. Then, the torque is measured from the change in the voltage.

The control means 24 is a detection circuit 43 of the detection means.
Signal is input, the situation is judged based on this input signal, and an operation signal is output to the squib 10 of the ignition means. When the vehicle falls on the surface of the water, the wheels run idle, so the torque signal from the detection circuit 43 becomes zero or a value close thereto. Therefore, when the engine is operating and the wheels are rotating (to distinguish from the time of idling), the control means 24 determines that the zero-state torque signal is continuously output by the detection circuit 43 for a predetermined period of time. It is determined that the squib 10 has fallen, and an operation signal is output to the squib 10.

A squib 1 is generated by a signal from the control means 24.
0 is activated, whereby the enhancer 6 is ignited. The high-temperature, high-pressure flame generated thereby passes through the opening 7 and penetrates the wall of the canister container 23 filled with the gas generating agent,
The gas generating agent 15 inside is ignited. Canister container 2
The gas generated in 3 penetrates the wall of the canister container 23 and passes through the slag filter 13, during which solids are removed to purify the combustion gas, and the purified gas further flows into the filter chamber 19. And here the cooling filter 12
Is cooled while passing through and flows into the airbag 17 through the opening 9. Upon receiving the gas supply, the airbag 17 breaks the cover 8, swells in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, and then spreads laterally (FIG. 1). The gas-inflated airbag imparts buoyancy to the vehicle and keeps it above water to prevent it from sinking. At this time, the occupant can open the window and escape, or if the window does not open, the passenger can destroy it and escape.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the detecting means. In this embodiment, the detection means is composed of a solution sensor, that is, a pH sensor 50, a reference electrode 51, and a potentiometer 52. The pH sensor 50 is composed of a thin film of special glass fixed to the tip, that is, an ion selective film 53, an internal electrode 54, and an internal liquid 55. The pH sensor 50 can be arranged together with the reference electrode 51, for example, under the seat. When the automobile falls on the water surface and invades the interior of the automobile, the ion selective membrane 53 is sensitive to hydrogen ions in the water and a potential difference is generated between the internal electrode 54 and the reference electrode 51. The potential difference is measured by the potentiometer 52, and the signal is output to the control means 24.

The actuating means can also be composed of a manually operated switch 2 (FIG. 1). This switch 2 is installed under the windshield in front of the driver's seat of the automobile, and when the automobile falls on the water surface, it is manually operated by an occupant and outputs an operation signal for activating the ignition means when turned on. It has become.

[0029]

Since the levitation airbag device of the present invention is constructed as described above, if the vehicle accidentally falls on the water surface, it will be buoyant to prevent the vehicle from sinking on the water. Can be held.

Thus, the occupant can escape from the window with sufficient time, and even if the window does not open, the occupant can rupture the window and escape. The occupant can sit on the car and wait for rescue.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing how an airbag device of the present invention mounted on an automobile operates.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the airbag device mounted on a side portion of an automobile.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a gas generator used in the airbag device.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of detection means provided in the airbag device.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of another detection unit that can be provided in the airbag device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Diffuser shell 2 Switch 3 Closure shell 5 Combustion chamber 6 Enhancer (transfer charge) 9 Opening (gas discharge port) 10 Squib (igniter) 15 Gas generating agent (gas generating means) 17 Airbag 21 Detecting means 24 Controlling means 30 Ignition Means 40 Propulsion shaft 41 Excitation coil 42 Detection coil 43 Detection circuit 50 pH sensor 51 Reference electrode 52 Potentiometer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An airbag, which is arranged so as to bulge outside a vehicle body to give buoyancy to an automobile, and a gas generator which supplies gas to the airbag, wherein the gas generator is a gas generator. It has a housing having an exhaust port, a gas generating means arranged in the housing, and an ignition means for igniting the gas generating means, wherein the ignition means is the ignition means when the vehicle falls on the water surface. An air bag device for levitation, comprising an actuating means for actuating the air bag. 2. The actuating means comprises a detecting means for detecting when an automobile falls on the water surface, and a control means for outputting an operating signal to the ignition means based on a signal from the detecting means. The air bag device for levitating described. 3. The levitation airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating means is constituted by a push button or a switch which is manually operated.