JPH07277114A - Entry preventing device for impacting object - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely prevent an impacting object from entering under a vehicle by storing an air bag, which expands between a rear wheel and a rear bumper when a shock is applied to a vehicle rear part, inside a storage case installed in the vicinity of the rear bumper in a vehicle frame. CONSTITUTION:A principal part of an entry preventing device 10 is constructed by storing an air bag 22, which expands between a rear wheel 16 and a rear bumper 18 when a shock is applied to the rear part, of a vehicle, inside a storage case 20 installed in the vicinity of the rear bumper 18 in a vehicle frame 14. In this case, a shock applied to the rear part of the vehicle is detected by means of a shock sensor 24, and on the basis of the detected output, inflating gas is supplied to the air bag 22 from a gas supply source 26. The storage case 20 is provided with an air bag holding member 46 which stores the air bag 22 in its inside in the unexpanded condition and is led toward between the air bag 22 and the rear wheel 16 so as to receive the air bag 22 in the expanded condition.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an impact object slip-in prevention device for preventing an impact object, which is the cause of the impact, from going under the vehicle when an impact is applied to the rear part of the vehicle. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a vehicle is equipped with a rear bumper made of metal or resin. Conventionally, when an impact is applied to the rear part of the vehicle, the impact is mitigated only by the rear bumper, and an impact object that is the cause of the impact is prevented from sneaking under the vehicle.

In this case, particularly in a large vehicle such as a truck, since the vehicle height is generally high, as shown in FIG.
The rear bumper 18 is attached so as to be positioned below the frame 14, reliably receives the impacting object and absorbs the impact, and at the same time, prevents the impacting object from getting into the space below the vehicle.

[0004]

However, if the impact applied to the vehicle by the impact object is extremely large, in some cases, the rear bumper alone cannot absorb the impact and cannot receive the impact object. In addition, even if it is possible to prevent the impact object from slipping in due to the deformation of the rear bumper due to a collision,
There is a risk that an impact object will sneak into the space that is not shielded by the rear bumper. In this way, when an impacting body sneaks under the vehicle, the damage to the vehicle and the impacting body increases.

In this case, it is conceivable to fill the space below the vehicle with some kind of filler, but if this filler is always present below the vehicle, it will affect the air resistance and increase the weight of the vehicle. For example, there are restrictions on vehicle design. Therefore, it is conceivable to use a device that fills the space below the vehicle only when a shock is applied to the rear part of the vehicle, specifically, a device such as an airbag device that has been receiving attention recently.

However, unlike the inside of the vehicle, there are an axle shaft, a vehicle suspension, and the like below the vehicle. Therefore, if an airbag is simply used, the airbag comes into contact with the rear wheels and becomes entangled. However, there is a problem in that gas leakage and rupture of the airbag may not be able to fully exert the effect of absorbing the impact of the collision, and that the performance of the axle shaft and the vehicle suspension system may be affected.

An object of the present invention is to reinforce the strength of the bumper and surely prevent an impacting object from diving below the vehicle without affecting other parts of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for preventing an impact object from slipping in, which can prevent a large damage and further improve safety.

[0008]

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a storage case mounted near a rear bumper of a vehicle frame and an impact on a rear portion of the vehicle which is stored in the storage case. Airbag that inflates between the rear wheel of the vehicle and the rear bumper when an impact is applied, an impact sensor that senses that an impact is applied to the rear part of the vehicle, and a gas that supplies inflation gas to the airbag by this impact sensor. The storage case has a supply source and holds the airbag in the storage case when the airbag is not inflated, and is guided between the airbag and the rear wheel by the inflation pressure of the airbag when the airbag is inflated. (EN) A device for preventing an impact object from slipping in, which has an airbag holding member that receives it.

[0009]

As described above, when an airbag which is inflated between the rear wheel of the vehicle and the rear bumper when an impact is applied to the rear portion of the vehicle is provided, the space below the vehicle is filled by the airbag, and at the same time, The airbag is pressed against the rear bumper from the front side of the rear bumper to sufficiently absorb the impact applied to the rear bumper, and the strength of the rear bumper can be reinforced. Further, since the space below the vehicle is filled with this airbag, the impact object does not sneak in due to the deformation of the rear bumper due to a collision, that is, the impact object sneak in from a space not covered by the rear bumper. Can be reliably prevented, the vehicle and the impact object can be prevented from being greatly damaged, and the safety can be further improved.

Further, if an airbag holding member for holding the airbag in the storage case when the airbag is not inflated is provided, the sneaking-in prevention device can be mounted on the vehicle without requiring an extra space. Is less affected, and it is not necessary to narrow the constraints on the vehicle design.

On the other hand, when the air bag is inflated, the air bag holding member is guided between the air bag and the rear wheel to receive the air bag. It is possible to prevent contact with other parts such as wheels, and to absorb shock securely without causing unnecessary gas leakage or rupture before the airbag exerts its shock absorbing effect. While you can
The airbag does not get entangled with other parts and affect the performance of the parts.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 2 shows a vehicle 12 having an impact object diving prevention device 10 according to the present invention. Is provided near the rear of the frame 14 of the vehicle 12, more specifically, between the rear wheel 16 and the rear bumper 18.

FIG. 2 shows a device 10 for preventing an impact object from slipping in.
As shown in FIG. 4, a shock is applied to the storage case 20 mounted near the rear bumper 18 of the frame 14 of the vehicle 12, the airbag 22 stored in the storage case 20, and the rear portion of the vehicle 12. An impact sensor 24 for detecting the above is provided, and a gas supply source 26 for supplying gas to the airbag 22 by the impact sensor 24.

The storage case 20 is mounted between the left and right frames 14 as shown in FIGS. After the storage case 20 is formed separately from the frame 14,
It can be attached to the frame 14 by appropriate means such as bolts / nuts, screws, rivets and the like. The storage case 20 is preferably made of a material having a certain level of strength, and specifically, can be formed of metal or resin. The storage case 20 may be formed of a material substantially similar to that of the frame 14 and welded, or may be formed integrally with the frame 14 as long as there is no hindrance to the assembly work of the vehicle 12.

Further, the storage case 20 is within a range in which the air bag 22 and the gas supply source 26 can be stored.
It is preferable to make it as small as possible. The reason is that the storage case 20 becomes light in weight and a mounting space for other components can be secured. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the storage case 20 needs to be substantially the same as the width between the frames 14 because it is mounted between the frames 14, but especially regarding the thickness of the storage case 20. Is preferably set to be substantially the same as the thickness of the frame 14, that is, the frame size in the vertical direction, or thinner than the thickness of the frame 14 so as not to project downward from the frame 14. That is, since the impact object slip-in prevention device 10 can be attached without requiring an extra space when the airbag is not inflated, it has little influence on air resistance and weight, and also prevents the impact object slip-in. By providing the device 10, the influence on the attachment of other components is small, and the degree of freedom in designing the vehicle 12 can be secured.

The signal input from the impact sensor 24 is sent to a control circuit (not shown) for judging whether the airbag 22 is operating or not, and when it is determined that the airbag 22 needs to be inflated, the gas is supplied. It transfers electrical or mechanical power to the igniter 32 of the source 26. In this case, for example, in the case of a light collision, in order to prevent the airbag 22 from inflating even when it is unnecessary to prevent the impact object from slipping into the airbag, only when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied. 22 is set in the control circuit so that it operates.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the gas supply source 26 is housed in the housing case 20 together with the airbag 22, receives the electrical or mechanical output from the impact sensor 24, and the gas is supplied to the inflator 30. And the airbag 22
Supply in. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
The gas supply source 26 is connected to the airbag 22 by a pipe 28, and rapidly supplies inflation gas into the airbag 22 through the pipe 28. The impact sensor 24 and the gas supply source 26 operate as an airbag as follows.
Various types such as an electric type and a mechanical type can be used, like the airbag normally used in the passenger compartment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag 22 is folded and stored in the storage case 20 when it is not inflated, but as shown in FIG.
When a gas is supplied from the gas supply source 26 due to a shock applied to the rear part, the gas expands between the rear wheel 16 and the rear bumper 18 of the vehicle 12. In this case, gas is rapidly supplied into the airbag 22, so that the airbag 22 inflates at the moment when a shock is applied to the rear portion of the vehicle. It should be noted that the impacting object 44 may be, for example, a vehicle running backward.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the airbag 22 fills the space below the vehicle 12 and at the same time,
Outside the range where the rear bumper 18 is pressed from the front side of the vehicle body to sufficiently absorb the impact applied to the rear bumper 18 to reinforce the strength of the rear bumper 18 and to prevent the impact object 44 from slipping in due to the deformation of the rear bumper 18 due to a collision. That is, it is possible to prevent the impact object 44 from sneaking into the space that is not shielded by the rear bumper 18. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 12 and the impact object 44 from being greatly damaged, and further improve the safety. In particular, it is a very effective safety measure for a large vehicle, which is generally higher than a small vehicle.

The airbag 22 must be sized so as to surely fill the space below the vehicle when inflated. Further, the airbag 22 is provided with at least one exhaust hole (not shown). In the event of a collision, the airbag 22 will pass through this exhaust hole.
Since the gas inside is released to the outside, the airbag 22 is
It has elasticity within a predetermined range and can absorb the impact of the impact object 44.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the storage case 20 holds the airbag 22 inside the storage case 20 when the airbag 22 is not inflated, and when the airbag 22 is inflated, Airbag 22 due to inflation
In order to avoid contact with the rear wheel 18, an airbag holding member 46 that receives the airbag 22 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag holding member 46 is attached as a part of the lower portion of the storage case 20. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage case 20 includes a storage case main body 20A and the storage case main body 20A.
And an air bag holding member 46 attached to A.

The storage case body 20A and the airbag holding member 46 are connected by a connecting portion 48, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. This connecting portion 48 is particularly shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a flange 52 formed on the storage case main body 20A, and a head portion 54 protruding from the airbag holding member 46 side and having a tip locked to the flange 52 on the storage case 20 side.
It comprises a bifurcated connecting pin 54 having A and a through hole 55 provided in the flange 52 on the storage case side and through which the connecting pin 54 penetrates. The connecting pin 54 has a vertical groove 5
4B is reduced in diameter at the bifurcated portion and penetrated through the through-hole 55, and after penetration, the diameter is increased by the reaction force of itself, and the head portion 54A is locked to the flange 52 on the storage case side to be prevented from coming off.

When the airbag 22 is not inflated, the connecting portion 48 has the head 54A of the connecting pin 54 locked to the storage case side flange 52 as shown in FIG. 20A and the airbag holding member 46 are connected to each other, and as shown in FIG. 4, the airbag 22 is housed in the housing case 20 and serves as a lid of the housing case 20. Therefore, the connecting pin 54 of the airbag holding member 46 needs to be formed of a material having a strength capable of sufficiently supporting the load due to the weight of the airbag 22.

As already mentioned, the connecting pin 54
As shown in FIG. 6, since it can be contracted inward by the vertical dividing groove 54B, a downward bending load is applied to the airbag holding member 46 due to an increase in the internal pressure of the airbag 22 due to the gas supply. When added, the connecting pin 54 contracts and deforms inward, so that the head portion 54A has the through hole 5
5 to release the connection between the airbag holding member 46 and the storage case body 20A, allowing the airbag 22 to expand to the outside.

It should be noted that the connecting pin 54 is formed from a material that is destroyed by a load larger than a predetermined value, not by the deformation of the connecting pin 54, and the connecting pin 54 is destroyed when the airbag 22 is inflated, so that The bag 22 may be allowed to inflate. In this case, the storage case body 20
As described above, the airbag 22 is made of a material having lower strength than A.
It is preferable to form the connecting pin 54 from a material capable of supporting the load due to its own weight (for example, when the storage case body 20A is made of metal, resin having lower strength than metal). In addition, the connecting portion 48 connects the storage case 20 to the vehicle 12 because the airbag support member 46 needs to pivot toward the front side of the vehicle body as described later.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is provided on the rear side of the storage case 20 so as to open in the rear direction. Also,
The connecting portion 48 may be provided in the vehicle width direction of the storage case 20 as long as the airbag holding member 46 can pivot toward the front side of the vehicle body. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the connecting portions 48 are provided at two places as shown in FIG. 3, but other appropriate numbers may be used if necessary. Further, a sealing member may be set on the mating surface of the airbag holding member 46 and the flange 52 in order to prevent deterioration of quality due to intrusion of dust, water, or the like.

The airbag holding member 46 is pivotally attached to the storage case body 20A as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the airbag holding member 46 has a bearing 56 that is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 58, and the pivot shaft 58 has a housing case body 20A.
Is attached to a pivotal support portion 60 provided in a part of the. As shown in FIG. 4, the pivot shaft 58 is inserted parallel to the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 12, so that the airbag holding member 46 pivots in the front direction of the vehicle 12. Although the pivot shaft 58 does not penetrate the pivot support portion 60 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the pivot support portion is taken into consideration in consideration of convenience in manufacturing and assembly, strength, and the like. It may be attached so as to penetrate through 60.

Further, the impact object slip-in prevention device 10 of the present invention ensures that the airbag 22 is not contacted with the rear wheel 16 or the like when the airbag holding member 46 is opened.
Further, there is further provided a position restricting means 61 for restricting the position so as to be deployed between the rear wheel 16 and the rear bumper 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the position restricting means 61 is provided on the airbag holding member 46, and has a locking portion 62 that projects toward the front side of the vehicle 12 with respect to the bearing 56 and the pivot shaft 58 thereof, and the storage case body. The locking portion 6 is formed by utilizing the wall surface of the pivot support portion 60 of the 20A when the airbag holding member 46 pivotally rotates.
It consists of a stopper 64 for receiving 2. Therefore, the locking portion 62 of the airbag holding member 46 has the pivot support portion 60.
By abutting against the stopper 64, the rotation range of the stopper is regulated and it does not rotate any more. The pivot support 60
The stopper 64 must be set to be slightly higher than the length of the locking portion 62 so that the locking portion 62 can be reliably received.

In this case, the stopper 64 of the pivot support portion 60
The angle with respect to the ground is set to an appropriate value so that the airbag holding member 46 does not come into contact with the rear wheel 16 or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, a device 1 for preventing impact objects from slipping in.
Since 0 is near the rear wheel 16, the angle of the stopper 60A is set to about 90 °. Therefore, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, the locking portion 62 of the airbag holding member 46 abuts against the stopper 64 of the pivot support portion 60 so that the airbag holding member 46 is pivoted about 90 ° or more with respect to the ground. It does not rotate dynamically, and the airbag holding member 46 does not come into contact with other parts such as the rear wheel 16. In addition, the airbag 22
A flange may be set on the vehicle side surface side of the airbag holding member 46 in order to prevent the vehicle from riding over the airbag holding member 46 from the vehicle side surface side and contacting the rear wheels 16 and the like in the process of inflation.

In this way, the airbag holding member 46
When the airbag 22 is inflated, it can be guided between the airbag 22 and the rear wheel 18 by the inflation pressure of the airbag 22 to receive the airbag 22, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the airbag 22 from contacting other components such as the rear wheel 16 by restricting the inflated position of the airbag 22, and before the airbag 22 exerts its impact absorbing action. It is possible to surely absorb the shock without bursting unnecessarily, and the air bag 22 does not get entangled with other parts such as the rear wheel 16 and affect the performance of the parts.

As can be seen from the above, the airbag holding member 46 needs to have a size capable of reliably receiving the airbag 22.
Within the width between the two frames 14 of 2, it is desirable to make it as large as possible. In addition, the depth of the airbag holding member 46 (crossing in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12) is such that, when pivotally rotated, the tip does not come into contact with the ground or the like and the rotation is not regulated before the regulation position. It should be large. Further, the angle of the stopper 64 of the pivotal support portion 60 that receives the locking portion 62 of the airbag holding member 46 with respect to the ground is not limited to about 90 °, and the contact of the airbag 22 with other parts may be prevented. If it can be reliably prevented, another angle can be set depending on the depth of the airbag holding member 46, the distance between the undercarriage prevention device 10 and the rear wheel 16, and the like.

[0032]

According to the present invention, as described above, since the airbag which is inflated is provided between the rear wheel of the vehicle and the rear bumper when an impact is applied to the rear portion of the vehicle, the airbag is provided. At the same time as the space below the vehicle is filled, this airbag can be pressed against the rear bumper from the front of the vehicle to fully absorb the impact applied to the rear bumper and reinforce the strength of the rear bumper. Because the space under the vehicle is filled,
It is possible to prevent the impact object from sneaking in due to the deformation of the rear bumper due to a collision, that is, to prevent the impact object from escaping from the space not shielded by the rear bumper, and the vehicle and the impact object are greatly damaged. There is a real benefit that can be prevented and the safety can be further improved.

When the airbag is not inflated,
With this airbag holding member, the airbag is stored in the storage case, and the storage case is attached so as not to protrude between the frames,
Can be mounted on a vehicle without requiring extra space,
It has little effect on air resistance, and has the practical benefit of not limiting the vehicle design constraints.

Further, since the airbag holding member that receives the airbag by being guided between the airbag and the rear wheel when the airbag is inflated is provided, the inflation position of the airbag is regulated by this airbag holding member. Therefore, before the air bag exerts its shock absorbing effect, it comes into contact with other parts such as the rear wheel, so that the shock with the shock object can be surely absorbed without causing gas leakage or rupture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a general vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an impact object slip-in prevention device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an impact object slip-in prevention device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing an operating state of an impact object slip-in prevention device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connecting portion between the airbag holding member and the storage case body used in the present invention.

7 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Impact Object Sneak Prevention Device 12 Vehicle 14 Frame 16 Rear Wheel 18 Rear Bumper 20 Storage Case 20a Storage Case Body 22 Airbag 24 Impact Sensor 26 Gas Supply Source 28 Piping 30 Inflator 32 Ignition Agent 44 Impact Object 46 Airbag Holding Member 48 Connection Part 54 Connection pin 56 Bearing 58 Pivot shaft 60 Pivot support part of storage case body 61 Position regulation means 62 Locking part 64 Stopper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage case mounted near a rear bumper of a vehicle frame, and expanded between a rear wheel of the vehicle and the rear bumper when a shock is applied to the rear portion of the vehicle which is stored in the storage case. The storage case includes an airbag, an impact sensor that senses that an impact is applied to the rear portion of the vehicle, and a gas supply source that supplies inflation gas to the airbag by the impact sensor. An air bag holding member that holds the air bag in the storage case when not inflated, and is guided between the air bag and the rear wheel by the inflation pressure of the air bag when the air bag is inflated to receive the air bag. An apparatus for preventing an impact object from slipping in, comprising: 2. The impact object slip-in prevention device according to claim 1, wherein the storage case is attached to the frame so as not to project downward from a frame of the vehicle. 3. A position control means is further provided for restricting movement of the airbag holding member so as not to come into contact with the rear wheel when the airbag holding member is opened. The device for preventing the impact object from slipping in according to claim 1.