JPH07277139A - Safety device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To operate a preloader when it is determined that an attitude condition of a vehicle is abnormal so as to further improve a protective function for occupants. CONSTITUTION:In a safety device, which is provided with a preloader for protecting occupants in a vehicle emergency, for a vehicle, a preloader driving circuit 40, which operates the preloader if it is determined that an attitude condition detected by an attitude condition detecting means 3 is abnormal and operation of the preloader is necessary, is provided. Therefore, the preloader is operated when the attitude condition is abnormal, and the occupants are seized by means of seat belts following the operation of the preloader, so that protective performance for occupants can be improved further.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device. In particular, the present invention relates to a vehicle safety device including an airbag system for inflating an airbag provided in a seat in an emergency of a vehicle and a preloader for binding a seat belt.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some vehicle safety devices are provided with an air bag and a pre-loader, which is a seat belt binding device, and detect the collision state of the vehicle to control the operation of the air bag and the pre-loader. There is. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-6395
The vehicle safety device disclosed in No. 4 activates the preloader when a small impact is detected on the vehicle, and activates the airbag and the preloader when a large impact is detected on the vehicle.

The technique of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-63954, which is a conventional technique of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 1
As shown at 0, the circuit 100 of the prior art airbag system is constructed by connecting a squib 110 to a power source 120. The squib 110 is an igniter in the inflator of an electric airbag system. The squib 110 is sandwiched between the circuit 100 and the first G sensor 1
30 and a second G sensor 140 are provided. The first G sensor 130 and the second G sensor 140 are provided with a first contact 130a and a second contact 140a, respectively. A resistor 170 having a large fail-safe resistance value is connected to both ends of the first contact 130a, and a resistor 180 having a large fail-safe resistance value is connected to both ends of the second contact 140a. Therefore, even when the second G sensor 140 fails, the squib 110 can be energized by the impact detected by the first G sensor 130. 1st G sensor 1
The first contact 130a of the second switch 30a is closed when a relatively small impact of about 5G is detected, and the second contact 130a of the second G sensor 140 is closed.
The contact 140a closes when a relatively large impact of about 30 G is detected. The first G sensor 130 is shown in FIG.
1, the engine room 160 of the vehicle 150 as shown in FIG.
The second G sensor 140, which is provided more indoors, is
It is provided between 50 engine rooms 160 and a bumper in the front of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 10, a circuit 190 of the seat belt binding device is branched and connected between the first contact 130 a and the squib 110. First contact 130
A protective resistor 210 having a smaller resistance value than the squib 110 and a binding device 220 are connected in series between a and the squib 110. Further, a ground resistance 200 having a resistance value larger than that of the squib 110 is connected in parallel to the squib 110,
Overcurrent is prevented from flowing to the binding device 220.
By energizing the binding device 220 from the power supply 120, the seat belt 230 is bound.

Next, the operation of the above vehicle safety device will be described. First, a case where a large impact is applied to the vehicle will be described. At this time, the 2nd G sensor 140 provided in the front part from the engine room 160 of the vehicle 150 detects a shock, and the 2nd contact 140a is closed by this detection. Next, the shock is transmitted to the rear part, and the first G sensor 130 detects the shock with a time lag, and the first contact 130a is also closed by this detection. From this, squib 110
Is energized to burn an inflator (not shown) in the airbag system, and the airbag is inflated. Further, the binding device 230 is also energized, the binding device 220 operates, and the seat belt 230 is bound. Next, a case where a small impact is applied to the vehicle will be described. At this time,
The first G sensor 130 detects impact and detects the first contact 130a.
To close. As a result, the binding device 220 is energized from the power source 120, and the binding device 220 operates to operate the seat belt 23
0 is tied up. After that, when the impact applied to the vehicle 150 disappears, the first contact 130a is opened, the power to the binding device is cut off, the operation is stopped, and the seat belt 23
Loosen 0 bondage. Further, in the case of a small impact, since the second contact 140a does not close, the squib 110 is not energized and the airbag does not operate.

In the vehicle safety device configured as described above, the second G sensor 140 is prone to failure, so
The G sensor 130 also serves as a backup when the second G sensor 140 fails, but when a relatively small impact is applied to the vehicle, the first G sensor 13
0 detects an impact, the first contact 130a is closed, and the seat belt binding device 220 is energized.
Since the 30 is tightly bound, the first G sensor 130 can be effectively used. The safety can be further enhanced by linking the seat belt binding device and the airbag system.

[0006]

However, the vehicle safety device for controlling the operation of the preloader and the air bag of the conventional structure operates only the preloader when a small impact is applied to the vehicle, and a large impact is applied to the vehicle. When added, the control is to operate the preloader and the airbag, but only the impact applied to the vehicle is detected. Therefore, when the vehicle is subjected to centrifugal force, such as in a spin state where the vehicle slips in the lateral direction with respect to the traveling direction, or when the vehicle rolls over, such as in a rollover state, the vehicle rotates about the front-rear axis. In such a case, there is a problem that the preloader does not operate and the preloader is not used efficiently. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to operate the preloader even when it is determined that the posture state of the vehicle is abnormal, By holding the seat belt with the seat belt, the protection performance of the occupant is improved.
A further object of the present invention is to further improve the occupant protection performance by adjusting the operating level of the airbag based on the posture state. Further, after adjusting the operation level, if there is nothing for a certain period of time, the operation level is returned to the original operation level to prevent unnecessary operation of the airbag.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention takes the following means. First, the invention according to claim 1 is, in a vehicle safety device having a preloader for protecting an occupant in an emergency of a vehicle, an attitude state detecting means for detecting an attitude state of the vehicle and the attitude state detecting means. And a preloader driving circuit that operates the preloader when it is determined that the posture state is calculated based on the detected value and the calculated posture state is abnormal, and the preloader needs to be driven. To do. Next, the invention according to claim 2 is, in a vehicle safety device for operating a preloader and an airbag to protect an occupant in an emergency of a vehicle, an attitude state detecting means for detecting an attitude state of the vehicle and a collision state of the vehicle. Collision state detection means for detecting, posture state comparison means for comparing the posture state detection value detected by the posture state detection means and a set posture state value, and collision detection value detected by the collision state detection means A collision state comparison means for comparing a set collision state value, a posture state signal by the posture state comparison means, or a preloader operation determination means for outputting an operation signal to a preloader by a collision state signal by the collision state comparison means,
An airbag operation determining means for outputting an operation signal to an airbag according to the collision state signal from the collision state comparing means, a preloader drive circuit for driving the preloader by an operation signal from the preloader operation determining means, and the air An air bag drive circuit for driving the air bag in response to an operation signal from the bag operation determination means. Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the vehicle safety device according to claim 1, further comprising collision state value correction means for receiving the posture state signal from the posture state comparison means and correcting the set collision state value to be low. It is characterized by having. Further, in the invention according to claim 4, in the vehicle safety device according to claim 2, a timer means for measuring an elapsed time after the correction by the collision state value correcting means, and a predetermined time elapsed by the timer means. It is characterized by further comprising canceling means for returning the set collision state value to a normal value later.

[0008]

By adopting the above-mentioned means, in the invention of claim 1, the attitude state detecting means detects the attitude state of the vehicle, and the attitude state comparing means detects the preset attitude state value and attitude state. The posture state detection value detected by the detection means is compared. When the attitude state comparison means determines that the attitude state of the vehicle is abnormal such as a spin state or a rollover state, an attitude state signal is sent to the preloader operation determination means. The preloader operation determination means that has received the attitude state signal outputs an operation signal to the preloader driving circuit. The actuation signal drives the preloader driving circuit to operate the preloader. Therefore, when the vehicle spins or rolls over, motion of the vehicle about the front-rear axis, motion about the vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle, motion about the vehicle left-right axis, etc. are detected, and the posture state is abnormal. At this time, the preloader operates and the occupant is restrained by the seatbelt by the operation of the preloader, so that the protection performance of the occupant can be further improved.

Next, in the second aspect of the present invention, the attitude state detecting means detects the attitude state of the vehicle, and the attitude state comparing means detects the preset attitude state value and the attitude state detecting means. The detected posture state detection value is compared. When the attitude state comparison means determines that the attitude state of the vehicle is abnormal such as a spin state or a rollover state, an attitude state signal is sent to the preloader operation determination means. The preloader operation determination means that has received the attitude state signal outputs an operation signal to the preloader driving circuit. The actuation signal drives the preloader driving circuit to operate the preloader. On the other hand, the collision state detecting means detects the collision state of the vehicle, and the collision state comparing means compares the preset collision state value with the collision state detection value detected by the collision state detecting means. If the preloader is not in operation and the collision state comparison means determines that the preloader needs to be activated because the vehicle is in a collision state,
A collision state signal is sent to the preloader operation determination means. The preloader operation determination means that has received the collision state signal outputs an operation signal to the preloader driving circuit. The actuation signal drives the preloader driving circuit to operate the preloader. Similarly, when it is determined that the airbag is in a collision state and the airbag needs to be activated, a collision state signal is sent to the airbag operation determining means. Upon receiving the collision state signal, the airbag actuation determination means outputs the actuation signal to the airbag drive circuit. The actuation signal drives the airbag drive circuit to activate the airbag. Therefore, even when the vehicle is in an abnormal posture such as a spin state or a rollover, the preloader operates and the occupant is restrained by the seatbelt by the operation of the preloader, which further improves the occupant protection performance. Can be measured.

Next, in the third aspect of the present invention, when the preloader is actuated when it is determined that the posture state is abnormal, the preset collision state value set in the collision state comparison means is corrected to the collision state value. By the means, it is corrected to be lower than the normal value. Then, in the collision state comparison means, the detection value detected by the collision state detection means,
It is determined whether the vehicle is in a collision state by comparing the corrected set collision state value. When it is determined that the vehicle is in a collision state and the airbag operation determination means determines that the airbag needs to be activated, the airbag drive circuit is driven to activate the airbag. Therefore, by detecting an abnormal vehicle posture state such as a spin state or a rollover state, a collision of the vehicle is predicted in advance, and the airbag is activated at a timing faster than the normal airbag operation. The airbag is restrained faster with the aim of further improving safety.

Further, in the invention of claim 4, when the set collision state value becomes lower than the normal value by the collision state value correction means in claim 2, a predetermined time elapses when the timer means measures the time. , By cancellation means
Set the collision judgment value as usual. Therefore, even if the spin state or the like is detected, when there is nothing for a predetermined time, the set collision state value of the collision determination becomes the normal state, so that unnecessary airbag operation can be prevented. As a means for detecting the collision state of the vehicle, there is a means for measuring the deceleration of the vehicle using a G sensor or the like. In this case, the preloader or the airbag operates when the detected deceleration becomes higher than the preset deceleration that is the set collision state value.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle is provided with an airbag 1 and a preloader 2 which is a seat belt binding device as a vehicle safety device for improving the safety of an occupant. The airbag 1 includes a driver airbag 1a, a passenger airbag 1b, and occupant side airbags 1c and 1d (see FIG. 5). The driver airbag 1a is arranged at the center of the steering wheel to restrain the driver in case of a vehicle emergency. The passenger seat airbag 1b is arranged in the instrument panel to restrain the passenger on the passenger seat side.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, side airbags 1c and 1d are provided on the left and right sides inside the vehicle door, respectively. The preloader 2 is provided integrally with the retractor 27 of the seat belt device, and the driver's seat preloader 2a, the passenger's seat preloader 2b, and the rear seat preloaders 2c, 2d are arranged on the left and right of the rear seats in the vehicle. There is.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the seat belt device provided at the portion A shown in FIG. This seat belt device is composed of a preloader 2 and a retractor 27. The preloader 2 includes a drive device 28 including a cylinder 21, a piston 22, and a gas generator (not shown), a wire 23 having one end connected to the piston 22 of the drive device 28, and an intermediate portion of the wire 23. Roller 24 shown in FIG. The other end of the wire 23 is a free end. As shown in FIG. 3, the retractor 27 includes the webbing 26 and the preloader 2 in which the webbing 26 is wound.
It is composed of a rotary drum (not shown) that rotates in conjunction with the roller 24 of FIG.
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the XX direction of FIG. The operation of the preloader 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows a state before the preloader 2 operates, and FIG. 4B shows a state after the preloader 2 operates.

If it is determined that the preloader 2 needs to be operated when the vehicle is in an abnormal posture or is in a collision state, a gas generator (not shown) of the preloader 2 is activated to instantly operate. A large amount of gas is generated. This gas is transferred to the piston 22 in the cylinder 21 shown in FIG.
It jets downward and the piston 22 rapidly moves toward the cylinder tip 21a. With the movement of the piston 22, the wire 23 connected to the piston 22 is pulled upward, and as a result of gas ejection, the preloader 2
Becomes the state shown in FIG. Thus, during the transition from the state of FIG. 4 (a) to the state of FIG. 4 (b),
The wire 23 is tightly wound around the roller 24, and the roller 24 rotates in the Y direction as the wire 23 is pulled upward. At this time, the rotating drum (not shown) that rotates in association with the rotation of the roller 24 also rotates in the Y direction. The rotary drum is one around which the webbing 26 shown in FIG. 3 is wound, and the Y shown in FIG.
Due to the rotation in the direction, the webbing 26 is rapidly wound around the rotating drum, and as a result, the seat belt restraining the occupant further binds the occupant.

FIG. 5 shows a circuit configuration for operating the preloader 2 and the airbag 1, which will be described together with the block diagram of the vehicle safety device shown in FIG. The attitude state detecting means 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 detects the attitude state of the vehicle, and the collision state detecting means 4 detects the vehicle deceleration. The attitude state detecting means 3 includes, for example, yaw angular velocity detecting means, roll angular velocity detecting means, pitch angular velocity detecting means, and the like.
The yaw angular velocity detecting means may be a yaw angular velocity sensor, the roll angular velocity detecting means may be a roll angular velocity sensor, and the pitch angular velocity detecting means may be a pitch angular velocity sensor. The yaw angular velocity sensor detects a vehicle rotation speed around a vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle. The roll angular velocity sensor detects the speed of rotational movement of the vehicle about the front-rear axis. The pitch angular velocity sensor detects the vibration of the vehicle centered on the lateral axis of the vehicle. Also,
The yaw angular velocity detecting means may calculate the yaw angular velocity based on the change amount of the steering wheel turning angle of the vehicle, and the pitch angular velocity detecting means determines the pitch angular velocity based on the moving change amount of the front wheels and the rear wheels of the vehicle, and the roll angular velocity detecting means. May calculate the roll angular velocity based on the amount of change between the left and right sides of the suspension.

Further, the collision state detecting means 4 detects the deceleration of the vehicle by, for example, a G sensor. This G sensor
A G-sensor for a frontal collision, which is arranged on the front side member outside the vehicle and detects a deceleration in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a G-sensor for a side collision, which is arranged on the floor inside the vehicle and detects a deceleration in the left-right direction of the vehicle. Consists of. The collision state of the vehicle and the collision direction of the vehicle are calculated by a microcomputer 6 (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer), which will be described later, based on the detection values of the G sensor for normal collision and the G sensor for side collision. Also, G for head-on collision
The sensor is also arranged in the vehicle compartment. The G sensor for a frontal collision provided in the vehicle compartment detects a relatively small vehicle deceleration, whereas the G sensor provided outside the vehicle detects a relatively large vehicle deceleration.

The detected values from the attitude state detecting means 3 and the collision state detecting means 4 are A / D converter 5 shown in FIG.
Is input to the microcomputer 6 via. The A / D converter 5 converts the analog signal output from the attitude state detecting means 3 and the collision state detecting means 4 into a digital signal and inputs the digital signal to the microcomputer 6. In the microcomputer 6, the attitude state comparing means 14 is based on the outputs from the attitude state detecting means 3 and the collision state detecting means 4 converted into digital signals by the A / D converter 5.
And the collision state comparison means 15 performs a predetermined calculation,
Determine the current state of the vehicle. When the attitude state comparing means 14 in the microcomputer 6 shown in FIG. 1 determines based on the output signal from the attitude state detecting means 3 that the vehicle attitude state such as a spin state or a rollover state is abnormal. A signal is output from the preloader operation determination means 16 in the microcomputer 6. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the switch 7 by the field effect transistor in the preloader driving circuit 40 is turned on, and the preloader 2 operates.

On the other hand, in the collision state comparison means 15 of the microcomputer 6 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle deceleration output signal detected by the collision state detection means 4 and a relatively small collision of the vehicle are discriminated in advance. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is in a comparatively small collision state by comparing the set first deceleration state value of the vehicle deceleration. When it is determined that the vehicle is in a collision state and the preloader drive circuit 40 is not driven, a signal is output from the preloader operation determination means 16 in the microcomputer 6, the switch 7 of the preloader drive circuit 40 is turned on, and the preloader drive circuit 40 is turned on. 2 works.

Further, the vehicle deceleration detected by the collision state comparison means 15 in the microcomputer 6 shown in FIG. 1 is compared with the second set collision state value which is set higher than the first set collision state value. Then, when the operation of the airbag 1 is determined, that is, in the case of a relatively large collision, a signal is output from the airbag operation determination means 17 in the microcomputer 6. As a result, as shown in FIG.
Switch 8, 9, 10 by field effect transistor 1
Is turned on, the airbag squib is ignited, and the airbag 1 is activated.

As shown in FIG. 5, the airbag 1
In the operating circuit of, the safing switches 11, 12, and 13 are attached to the driver airbag 1a, the passenger airbag 1b, and the side collision airbags 1c and 1d, respectively. Prevent operation. Specifically, the safing switches 11, 12, and 13 are
It is normally OFF, but is configured to be mechanically closed and turned ON by G generated when the vehicle suddenly decelerates. When the collision state detecting means 4 electrically detects the deceleration and, as a result, the microcomputer 6 judges the operation of the airbag 1, the signal from the microcomputer 6 is sent to the switches 8, 9, 10 which are field effect transistors. Then, the switches 8, 9, 10 are turned on. However, the microcomputer 6
Even if the airbag 1 is not necessary, the switches 8, 9, 10 may be turned on due to electrical noise from the above. In such a case, safing switch 1
Since G does not act on 1, 12, and 13 and is in the OFF state, the airbag 1 does not operate. Therefore, by providing the safing switches 11, 12 and 13,
It is possible to prevent malfunction of the airbag 1.

Next, the control in the microcomputer 6 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 6 and 7. The main routine of the microcomputer shown in FIG. 6 starts from step 50, initialization is performed in step 51, initial system failure such as ROM and RAM inspection is performed in step 52, and then ignition system power line is performed in step 53. Perform a failure inspection such as short circuit. In step 54, the loop circulation interval is monitored for a fixed time. For example, a fixed time is 5m
When set to s, it determines whether 5 ms has elapsed,
When 5 ms has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 55, and when 5 ms has not elapsed, the process returns to step 55 again and the same control is repeated. In step 55, whether or not there is an abnormality in this control is monitored depending on whether or not a signal arrives at the designated time. When the signal comes to step 55 at the designated time, the watchdog output port is inverted. Therefore, the watchdog output port is inverted from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0 every time the main routine makes one revolution.

In parallel with the main routine shown in FIG. 6, interrupt control is performed at regular intervals of, for example, 0.2 ms. This interrupt control may be performed at point C shown in FIG. 6, for example.
This interrupt control will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, interruption is started in step 60, and in step 61, the yaw angular velocity, roll angular velocity, pitch angular velocity, etc. measured by the posture state detecting means 3 shown in FIG. It is input to the microcomputer 6 as a digital signal via the D converter 5, and a predetermined calculation is performed in step 62, which is the posture state comparing means 14 shown in FIG. 1, to determine the posture state. In step 63,
If it is determined by the determination of the posture state in step 62 that the posture state of the vehicle is an abnormal state such as a spin state or a rollover state, the process proceeds to step 64. In step 64, the preloader operation determination means 1 shown in FIG.
The output signal from 6 drives the preloader driving circuit 40 to operate the preloader 2, and then the step 65
Proceed to. If it is determined that the posture is not abnormal,
The process directly proceeds to step 65 without passing through step 64.

In step 65 which is the collision state comparing means 15 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle deceleration is measured based on the output signal from the G sensor which is the collision state detecting means 4, and in step 66 the detected vehicle is detected. The deceleration is compared with the preset first collision state value and second preset collision state value of the vehicle deceleration to determine the collision state. still,
The second set collision state value is set higher than the first set collision state value. That is, the first set collision state value is
Detecting a relatively small collision, the second set collision state value is
It is set to detect relatively large collisions.

After that, the routine proceeds to step 67, where it is judged whether or not the preloader 2 has already been operated. If the preloader 2 has already been activated in step 64, step 7
In step 0, it is determined whether the airbag 1 needs to be actuated. If the preloader 2 is not in operation, step 68
Proceed to. In step 66, the first set collision state value is compared with the detected vehicle deceleration, and when it is determined that the vehicle is in a collision state, in step 68 which is the preloader operation determination means 16 shown in FIG. , It is determined that the preloader 2 needs to be operated, and the preloader operation determination means 16 outputs a signal to the preloader driving circuit 40. Then, in step 69, the preloader driving circuit 40 is driven and the preloader 2 operates. If it is determined in step 68 that the operation of the preloader 2 is not necessary, step 7
Proceed to 2 to end the interrupt control.

Next, in step 70, which is the airbag actuation determination means 17 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle is decelerated detected in step 66 and the second set collision state value is compared to determine whether or not the air has been detected. If it is determined that the operation of the bag 1 is necessary, the air bag drive circuit 41 is driven by the signal from the air bag operation determination means 17, and the squib is ignited in step 71 to operate the air bag 1. Terminate the interrupt. If it is determined in step 70 that the airbag 1 does not need to be operated, the process proceeds to step 72 to end the interrupt control. With such control, the preloader 2 is operated and the seat belt is bound tightly even when the vehicle is in an emergency other than a collision, for example, when the vehicle attitude is abnormal such as a spin state or a rollover state. Further improvement can be achieved.

Next, the control of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The main routine is the same as that of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. In parallel with the main routine shown in FIG. 6, for example, 0.2 ms
Interrupt control is performed at regular intervals as described above.
In this interrupt control, for example, an interrupt is performed at point C shown in FIG. This interrupt control will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, interrupt is started in step 80, and in step 81, the yaw angular velocity, roll angular velocity, pitch angular velocity, etc. measured by the posture state detecting means 3 shown in FIG. It is input to the microcomputer 6 as a digital signal via the D converter 5, and a predetermined calculation is performed in step 82, which is the posture state comparing means 14 shown in FIG. 1, to determine the posture state. In step 83,
If it is determined by the determination of the posture state in step 82 that the posture state of the vehicle is an abnormal state such as a spin state or a rollover state, the process proceeds to step 84. In step 84, the preloader operation determination means 1 shown in FIG.
The output signal from 6 drives the preloader driving circuit 40 to operate the preloader 2, and then step 85
Proceed to. In step 85, which is the collision state value correction means 19 shown in FIG. 1, the second set collision state value described later is set to
The correction is performed so as to be lower than the normal second set collision state value. Then, it progresses to step 89. When it is determined in step 83 that the posture state is not abnormal, the routine proceeds to step 86, where the second set collision state value for collision state determination that determines whether or not the airbag 1 is required to operate is normal, or It is determined whether the corrected value is equal to or less than the normal second set collision state value. If the second set collision state value is not corrected,
Go to step 89.

In step 86, if the second collision judgment value is corrected and is equal to or less than the normal second collision judgment value, the routine proceeds to step 87, where a fixed time has elapsed after the second collision judgment value is corrected. It is judged whether or not it has passed. This fixed time is measured by the timer 18, for example. When the fixed time has elapsed, the routine proceeds to step 88, where the second set collision state value is set to the normal second set collision state value, and the routine proceeds to step 89. The steps of changing the corrected second set collision state value to the normal second set collision state value in these steps 86, 87 and 88 correspond to the set collision state value canceling means 20 in FIG. . If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step 87, the process proceeds to step 89.

In step 89 which is the collision state comparing means 15 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle deceleration which is an output signal from the G sensor which is the collision state detecting means 4 is measured. In step 90, the detected vehicle deceleration is measured. And the preset first collision state value and second preset collision state value of the vehicle deceleration are respectively compared to determine the collision state. The second set collision state value is set higher than the first set collision state value. That is, the first set collision state value is set to detect a relatively small collision, and the second set collision state value is set to detect a relatively large collision. After that, the routine proceeds to step 91, where it is judged whether or not the preloader 2 has already been operated. Preloader 2 is already step 8
If it is operated in step 4, the process proceeds to step 94, and it is determined whether or not the operation of the airbag 1 is necessary. If the preloader 2 is not in operation, the process proceeds to step 92. In step 90, the first set collision state value is compared with the detected vehicle deceleration, and when it is determined that the vehicle is in the collision state, in step 92 which is the preloader operation determination means 16 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the preloader 2 needs to be actuated, a signal is output to the preloader driving circuit 40 in response to a signal from the preloader actuation determination means 16. Then, in step 93, the preloader 2 is operated by the output signal from the preloader driving circuit 40. When it is determined in step 92 that the operation of the preloader 2 is not necessary, the process proceeds to step 96, and the interrupt control ends.

Next, in step 94, which is the airbag actuation determination means 17 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle deceleration detected in step 90 is compared with the second set collision state value to determine whether the If it is determined that the operation of the bag 1 is necessary, the signal from the airbag operation determination means 17 drives the airbag drive circuit 41 to ignite the squib and operate the airbag 1 in step 95. Terminate the interrupt. In step 94, the airbag 1
If it is determined that the operation of is not required, the process proceeds to step 96 and the interrupt control is ended. When the preloader 2 is actuated because it is determined that the attitude of the vehicle is abnormal, the second value for comparing the detected value by the collision state detection means 4 with the second state for determining whether the vehicle is in the collision state or not. Lower the set collision status value. As a result, the collision of the vehicle is predicted in advance from the abnormality in the posture state, and the airbag 1 is actuated even when the relatively small vehicle deceleration is detected and the occupant is quickly restrained. Further improvement can be achieved. Also, after a certain period of time, the second
By returning the collision determination value of 1 to the normal second collision determination value, unnecessary operation of the airbag 1 can be prevented.

In the first and second embodiments, the interrupt control is performed at the point C of the main routine for the sake of convenience. However, the interrupt control is not limited to this point C, but may be a predetermined time such as 0.2 ms. If this happens, interrupt control is performed anywhere in the main routine. In the first and second embodiments, when the preloader 2 operates, the driver's seat preloader 2a, the passenger seat preloader 2b, and the rear seat preloaders 2c, 2d operate at the same time. Alternatively, only the preloader 2 in the seat where the occupant is present may be operated.

When the airbag 1 is activated, the driver airbag 1a and the passenger airbag 1b are activated at the same time, but the seating sensor is used to activate only the airbag 1 in the seat where the passenger is. May be.

Further, in the present invention, the switches 7, 8, 9 and 10 in FIG. 5 use field effect transistors having a good response, but they are not limited to field effect transistors and may be bipolar transistors or the like.

Further, in this embodiment, the preloader 2 is shown in FIG.
Although the type in which the rotary drum around which the webbing 26 is wound is wound is used, the type in which the inner buckle 30 is pulled in as shown in FIG. 9 may be used. The type in which the inner buckle 30 is retracted is provided in the portion B shown in FIG. 2, and the operation of this preloader will be described below. When an abnormality in the collision state or the posture state of the vehicle is detected by a sensor or the like (not shown), the solenoid 34 shown in FIG. 9 is driven and the locking portion 31 is released. At this time, the spring 32 biased in the D direction shown in FIG. 9 moves in the E direction in FIG. 9, the wire 33 is pulled in the E direction, and the inner buckle 30 is pulled and moved in the F direction. Thereby, the slack of the webbing can be absorbed. First of the present invention
In the second embodiment and the second embodiment, the collision state comparing means 15, the posture state comparing means 14, the airbag operation determining means 17, and the preloader operation determining means 16 are included in the microcomputer 6.
Have. Particularly, in the second embodiment, the microcomputer 6 has a collision state value correction means 19 and a cancellation means 20.

[0036]

According to the vehicle safety device of the present invention, the preloader is operated when the attitude detecting means is provided to detect the attitude of the vehicle and the attitude of the vehicle is judged to be abnormal. Therefore, even when the vehicle posture state is abnormal, such as a rollover state in which the vehicle rolls over, or a spin state in which the vehicle body turns due to skidding in the vehicle traveling direction,
Since the preloader operates, the webbing tightens,
The occupant is fixed to the seat, and the protection performance of the occupant can be further enhanced. Further, when the preloader is actuated because the posture state is determined to be abnormal, the preset collision state value in the collision state comparison means is corrected by the collision state value correction means to be lower than the normal value. To be done. Therefore, by detecting that the vehicle attitude is abnormal, the collision of the vehicle is predicted in advance, the airbag is operated at a timing faster than the normal airbag operation, and the occupant is restrained faster by the airbag. However, the safety is being further improved. Furthermore, since the set collision state value becomes lower than the normal value and becomes normal after a lapse of a certain time, even if the spin state or the like is detected, if there is nothing for a predetermined time, the collision determination setting is made. The collision state value becomes the normal state, and unnecessary operation of the airbag can be prevented. As described above, the operation of the preloader is determined depending on the posture state and the collision state, and when the preloader is activated due to the abnormality in the posture state, the airbag operation level is adjusted based on the vehicle deceleration to activate the airbag. It is possible to obtain a vehicle safety device that is efficient and that further improves occupant protection performance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle safety device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle interior in which an airbag and a preloader, which are safety devices for a vehicle, are mounted.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the entire preloader.

FIG. 4 is a view of the preloader in FIG. 3 taken along line XX.

FIG. 5 is a circuit configuration diagram of a vehicle safety device including an airbag and a preloader.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the microcomputer showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the microcomputer showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the microcomputer showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a preloader having another configuration.

FIG. 10 is a circuit configuration diagram of a vehicle safety device showing a prior art of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a sensor mounting position of a vehicle safety device showing a prior art of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Airbag 2 ... Preloader 3 ... Attitude state detection means 4 ... Collision state detection means 14 ... Attitude state comparison means 15 ... Collision state comparison means 16 ... Preloader operation determination Means 17 ... Airbag operation judging means 18 ... Timer (timer means) 19 ... Collision state value correcting means 20 ... Canceling means 40 ... Preloader driving circuit 41 ... Airbag driving circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle safety device having a preloader for protecting an occupant in case of a vehicle emergency, and an attitude state detecting means for detecting an attitude state of a vehicle, and an attitude state based on a detection value detected by the attitude state detecting means. And a preloader drive circuit that operates the preloader when it is determined that the calculated attitude state is abnormal and it is necessary to drive the preloader. . 2. A vehicle safety device for protecting an occupant by operating a preloader and an airbag in a vehicle emergency, and an attitude state detecting means for detecting an attitude state of the vehicle, and a collision state detecting means for detecting a collision state of the vehicle. An attitude state detection value detected by the attitude state detection means, an attitude state comparison means for comparing a set attitude state value, a collision detection value detected by the collision state detection means,
Collision state comparison means for comparing the set collision state value with the collision state comparison means when the posture state of the vehicle is abnormal, or the collision state comparison means when the vehicle is in the collision state. Preloader operation determination means for receiving a status signal and outputting an operation signal to a preloader, and receiving the collision status signal from the collision status comparison means,
An airbag operation determination means for outputting an operation signal to an airbag, a preloader drive circuit for driving the preloader by an operation signal from the preloader operation determination means, and an operation signal from the airbag operation determination means, A safety device for a vehicle, comprising: an airbag drive circuit for driving an airbag. 3. A collision state value correcting means for receiving a posture state signal from the posture state comparing means and correcting the set collision state value to be low when the posture state of the vehicle is abnormal. 1. The vehicle safety device according to 1. 4. A timer means for measuring an elapsed time after the correction by the collision state value correcting means, and a canceling means for returning the set collision state value to a normal value after the elapse of a predetermined time after being counted by the timer means. The vehicle safety device according to claim 2, wherein: