JPH1059119A - Air bag sensor-setting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve responsiveness and accuracy for shock detection by fixing, on the inside of the door hinge furnishing part of an automobile body, an air bag sensor which detects an impact force produced by side collision to the vehicle body of an automobile so as to actuate an air bag for side collision. SOLUTION: An air bag sensor 1 for the purpose of side collision air bag is attached to the inside of the furnishing part of door hinges 4, 5 to be attached to the center pillar 3 of a body 2 of an automobile. Meanwhile, the door hinges 4, 5 are normally consisting of upper and lower two pieces and the air bag sensor 1 is attached to the inside of the furnishing part of either one of the door hinges 4, 5. Since the door hinges 4, 5 support those heavy components, namely doors, the mounting parts of the door hinges 4, 5 are enhanced in their rigidity by providing hinge reinforces inside as a rule, and an air bag sensor 1 is attached to the furnishing parts of the door hinges 4, 5 with such high rigidity. Accordingly, the detection sensitivity of the air bag sensor 1 can be exhibited sufficiently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a motor vehicle,
An airbag sensor that detects the impact force of a side collision on the vehicle body and activates the side collision airbag is attached to the vehicle body,
The present invention relates to an airbag sensor mounting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the increasing demand for safety measures in automobiles, the development of airbag devices (also referred to simply as airbags) has been promoted and put into practical use. Such an airbag device is designed such that when a vehicle collides, an occupant and a vehicle interior structure (such as a steering wheel, a dash port, and a pillar) are provided.
And attempts to cushion the impact by preventing the occupant from directly hitting the vehicle interior structure.

[0003] Such an airbag device includes a side airbag device (side airbag device) in addition to a front-back airbag device (simply referred to as an airbag device). The airbag body is installed in front of an occupant such as a steering wheel in front of a driver's seat and a dashboard in front of a passenger's seat so as to cope with a collision from the front and rear direction of the vehicle (generally forward). The airbag body is installed on the side of the seat or on the side of the seat so as to cope with a collision from the side of the seat.

[0004] In any of the airbag devices, the airbag body is always stored, and when an airbag sensor detects a front-rear impact or a side impact, the inflator is actuated based on the detection signal to activate the inflated state. The airbag body is inflated to the required position. At this time, unless the impact detection and the inflation of the airbag body to the required position are performed in a very short time, the occupant will not be able to cushion the vehicle interior structure. Cannot be performed reliably.

In order to shorten the time from the impact detection to the inflation of the airbag body, it is of course important to enhance the inflation response of the airbag body, but the impact on the vehicle is detected. Airbag sensors must also respond quickly to impacts. Of course, this airbag sensor must react only when the vehicle actually collides, and must not be erroneously detected.

In the case of a front-rear airbag, a so-called crushable zone is provided in front of the vehicle body and a trunk room or the like is provided behind the vehicle. Since the distance from the vehicle interior structure (steering handle, dashboard, etc.) in front of the vehicle is relatively large, there is enough time for the airbag body to inflate after the collision.

However, in the case of a side airbag, there is no so-called crushable zone or the like on the side of the body of the automobile, and the distance between the occupant and the vehicle interior structure (a pillar or the like) on the side is extremely short. Therefore, the time margin until the airbag body inflates after the collision is extremely small. Therefore, in the side airbag device, it is further desired to improve the inflation response of the airbag body and the detection response of the airbag sensor.

[0008] In particular, the airbag sensor is required not only to have a responsiveness but also to have a detection accuracy such that the airbag sensor responds positively in the event of a side collision affecting the occupant but does not unnecessarily erroneously react. Of course it is. Even if an airbag sensor with good performance is used, if the sensor is not properly installed, the above-described responsiveness and reliable detection of a collision (impact force) cannot be performed. For this reason, it is more important how to install the airbag sensor, while improving the performance of the airbag sensor itself.

Further, when a side collision is detected, it is necessary to provide an airbag sensor near a portion where a side collision of the vehicle body is predicted. It is also an issue in this point whether to install it in a place. Therefore, as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-1035, the transmission member is fixed to the impact bar in the side door, and the impact force at the time of a side collision is transmitted from the impact bar in the side door. There is disclosed a technology for transmitting a signal to a G sensor (airbag sensor) through the G sensor.

That is, as shown in FIG.
The upper end (base end) of the transmission member 133 formed by bending a metal rod is firmly fixed to the impact bar 104 installed in the inside of the side door 101, and the lower end (top end) of the transmission member 133 is fixed to the side sill 120 below the side door 101. To a pressure sensor 132 of a G sensor (air bag sensor) 131 installed inside the door, and in the event of a side collision, the impact force is reduced to the side door 1.
The transmission is performed from the impact bar 104 in the G sensor 131 to the pressure receiving element 132 of the G sensor 131 via the transmission member 133.

In FIG. 8, reference numerals 102 and 103 denote inner and outer panels of the side door 101, respectively.
Is a trim, 106 is an armrest, 109 is a door glass, and the airbag unit 110 is an armrest 10.
6 is installed. Also, the airbag unit 110
Accommodates an inflator 112 and a folded side airbag body 113 in a casing 111.

In addition to the above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-18807
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-107, there has been proposed a technique of attaching an airbag sensor to a floor pan close to a cross member of a vehicle body.

[0013]

However, in the above-mentioned first prior art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-1035), the transmission member for inputting the displacement of the impact bar to the airbag sensor has a problem in that the load is appropriately applied especially in the early stage of the collision. Since it is difficult to transmit and the mounting structure is complicated, it is considered that practical use is difficult.

In addition, since the distal end of the transmission member easily swings during a normal door opening / closing operation, it is difficult to relatively position the pressure receiving element of the airbag sensor and the distal end of the transmission member.
Further, since the distal end side of the transmission member easily swings, the distal end portion of the transmission member may collide with the pressure receiving element of the airbag sensor and cause the airbag sensor to malfunction, even during a collision.

Further, the above-mentioned second prior art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 88077) has a structure in which a collision is detected via a floor pan, so that the sensitivity of detecting the collision is low, and it is difficult to detect the collision efficiently and responsively. In addition, it is necessary to secure the rigidity of the cross member. There is also a problem that the cost increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and enables a simple structure to effectively utilize a space in a vehicle body without increasing weight and cost, and to easily install the vehicle body. It is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag sensor mounting structure capable of improving the practicability of a side airbag device by improving the performance and accuracy.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag sensor mounting structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, which detects an impact force of a side collision with a vehicle body of an automobile and activates a side collision airbag. The airbag sensor to be operated is fixed inside a mounting portion of the door hinge of the vehicle body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag sensor mounting structure according to the first aspect, wherein a hinge reinforcement is provided inside the door hinge mounting portion, and the airbag sensor is mounted on the hinge ring. It is characterized by being fixed to a sensor bracket attached to a force. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the airbag sensor mounting structure according to the second aspect, wherein the door hinge is provided on a center pillar, and the sensor bracket includes:
The upper and lower ends are respectively connected to the hinge reinforcement.

It is preferable that one end of the upper and lower ends of the sensor bracket is connected to the hinge reinforcement and the other end is connected to a component of the center pillar. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the airbag sensor mounting structure according to the third aspect, wherein the sensor bracket has the hinge reinforcement or the center pillar at at least three or more support points at upper and lower ends thereof. Characterized in that it is coupled to the above-mentioned components.

[0019]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIGS. 5 to 7 show an airbag sensor mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this mounting structure, as shown in FIG. 4, an airbag sensor 1 for a side collision airbag is mounted inside a mounting portion of door hinges 4 and 5 mounted on a center pillar 3 of a vehicle body 2 of an automobile. Note that the door hinges are usually provided with two upper and lower parts so as to be denoted by reference numerals 4 and 5, and the airbag sensor 1 is provided with any one of the door hinges 4 and 5.
Attached inside the mounting part.

The door hinges 4 and 5 attached to the center pillar 3 are for rear doors. In addition, although not shown, the front pillar 6 is also provided with two front door door hinges (not shown). In any case, since the door hinge supports the heavy door, the mounting portion of the door hinge is generally provided with a hinge reinforcement described later inside so as to have increased rigidity.In this mounting structure, The airbag sensor 1 is attached to such a highly rigid door hinge attachment portion.

The reason why the air bag sensor 1 is installed in such a door hinge mounting portion is that a highly rigid portion such as the door hinge mounting portion has good mechanical transmission efficiency with respect to input of an impact force, and the air bag sensor 1 is installed in this portion. And the airbag sensor 1
This is because the detection sensitivity can be sufficiently exhibited. In the present embodiment, the airbag sensor 2 is attached to the lower door hinge 4. This is because the lower door hinge 4 is more likely to be directly impacted at the time of a side collision. If the upper door hinge 5 is more likely to receive a direct impact at the time of a side collision, the airbag sensor 2 may be attached to the upper door hinge 5.

In this embodiment, the front pillar 6
Instead, the airbag sensor 1 is attached to the door hinge mounting portion of the center pillar 3. This is because the center pillar 3 at the center in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 substantially corresponds to the seat back position of the driver's seat or the passenger seat. It is considered that a large impact is also applied to the center pillar 3 at the time of a side collision affecting a driver such as a driver's seat or a passenger seat.
This is because by attaching the airbag sensor 1 to the vehicle, a side collision that affects the occupant can be quickly detected.

The mounting structure will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the center pillar 3 includes an outer panel 3A.
And the inner panel 3B, and the door hinge 4 is fixed to the outer surface of the outer panel 3A. 4A is a weld nut for fastening a door hinge fixing bolt (not shown). A hinge reinforcement 7 is welded inside the mounting portion of the door hinge 4, that is, on the inner surface of the outer panel 3A of the center pillar 3, in order to increase the rigidity of the door hinge mounting portion. A sensor bracket 8 is coupled to the hinge reinforcement 7, and the airbag sensor 1
Are fixed to the sensor bracket 8.

That is, flange-like portions 7A and 7B are formed at the upper and lower ends of the hinge reinforcement 7, and two bolt holes 12 and 12 are provided in the upper flange-like portion 7A and in the lower flange-like portion 7B. Are formed with one bolt hole 12, respectively. On the other hand, the sensor bracket 8 is formed with two legs 8A, 8B, and 8C at an upper portion and one leg at a lower portion, and one bolt hole 12 is formed in each of the leg portions 8A, 8B, and 8C. Have been.

The sensor bracket 8 is connected to each leg 8.
A, 8B and 8C are respectively attached to the upper and lower corresponding flange-like portions 7A and 7B of the hinge reinforcement 7 with bolts and nuts 9 respectively.
Are connected by fastening. The airbag sensor 1 is connected so as to send a detection signal to an inflator (not shown) of a side airbag for a front seat (driver's seat or front passenger seat), and is, for example, a G sensor (acceleration sensor). When the configured airbag sensor 1 issues an impact force detection signal in response to a side impact impact force (that is, detects an acceleration equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration and issues a signal to that effect), the inflator operates and responds. The side airbag inflates.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a front door, 10A denotes its outer panel, 10B denotes its inner panel, 11 denotes a rear door, 11A denotes its outer panel, and 11B denotes its inner panel. The airbag sensor mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes:
With the above-described configuration, when a collision from the side of the vehicle body occurs, this impact force is applied to the mounting portion of the door hinge 4 as shown by an arrow in FIG. 3, for example.

That is, the collision object from the side enters the vehicle compartment side while colliding with the outer panels 10A and 11A of the front door 10 and the rear door 11 from the outside of the vehicle body and deforming them. Outer panels 10A, 11A
When a collision object arrives at the door hinge 4, an impact force is applied to the mounting portion of the door hinge 4. Door hinge 4
Is transmitted from the hinge reinforcement 7 provided on the back surface to the sensor bracket 8 via the flange portions 7A and 7B thereof, reaches the airbag sensor 1, and causes the airbag sensor 1 to react.

When the airbag sensor 1 senses an acceleration of, for example, a predetermined acceleration or more due to the impact force,
In response to this, a detection signal is sent to the inflator of the side airbag, so that the inflator operates to inflate the corresponding side airbag. At the time of the reaction of the airbag sensor 1, the input of the impact force to the airbag sensor 1 is transmitted from an extremely rigid door hinge mounting portion where the door hinge 4 and the hinge reinforcement 7 are superimposed, so that the mechanical transmission efficiency is increased. Therefore, the airbag sensor 1 can react in an extremely short time after the input of the impact force. Therefore, the detection sensitivity of the airbag sensor 1 can be sufficiently exerted, and the rapid inflation of the side airbag can be realized.

By attaching the airbag sensor 1 to such a highly rigid portion, a predetermined level of impact force,
In other words, while the airbag sensor 1 reliably reacts to the side impact force at a level that affects the occupants such as the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, other forces on the vehicle, that is, the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, etc. This is extremely advantageous in appropriately reacting the airbag sensor 1 such that the airbag sensor 1 does not react to a level of external force that does not affect the occupant.

In each embodiment, since the sensor bracket 8 is supported at three points, the sensor bracket 8 is firmly supported by the hinge reinforcement 7, and the airbag sensor 1 is not required in this respect. It is less susceptible to external disturbances and contributes to an appropriate reaction of the airbag sensor 1. Furthermore, since there is usually a certain amount of installation space inside the door hinge 4, that is, inside the hinge reinforcement 7, it is convenient to install the airbag sensor 1 and the installation workability of the airbag sensor 1 is also good. There are also advantages.

As described above, according to the present mounting structure, a simple structure allows easy installation by effectively utilizing the space in the vehicle body without increasing the weight and cost, and furthermore, the responsiveness of impact detection and the like. The accuracy can be improved, and the practicality of the side airbag device can be improved. Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the mounting structure of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the installation position and the installation structure of the sensor bracket 8 are different from those of the first embodiment. Descriptions of the same parts as those of the embodiment (these symbols are also described similarly to the first embodiment) are omitted. That is, in the present embodiment, the sensor bracket 18 is connected to the inside of the mounting portion of the door hinge 4, that is, the hinge reinforcement 7 welded to the inner surface of the outer panel 3A of the center pillar 3, and the inner panel 3B of the center pillar 3. ing.

That is, at the upper end of the hinge reinforcement 7, a flange-like portion 7A is formed.
A has two bolt holes 12, 12 formed therein. Also, one bolt hole 12 is formed in the inner panel 3B. On the other hand, the sensor bracket 18 has
Two legs 18A, 18B, 18C are formed below the book, and one bolt hole 12 is formed in each of the legs 18A, 18B, 18C.

The sensor bracket 8 is connected to the leg 8A.
Are connected to the inner panel 3B, and the legs 8B and 8C are connected to the flange-like portion 7A of the hinge reinforcement 7 through the corresponding bolt holes 12 by fastening bolts and nuts 9, respectively. Since the mounting structure of the airbag sensor according to the second embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, similar to the first embodiment, the simple structure does not cause an increase in weight or cost in the vehicle body. This makes it possible to effectively install the side airbag device by effectively utilizing the space, and to improve the responsiveness and accuracy of impact detection, thereby improving the practicality of the side airbag device.

In each of the embodiments, the sensor bracket 8 is supported at three points. However, supporting the sensor bracket 8 at at least three points that are not on the same line is necessary for the airbag sensor 1 to appropriately react. It is effective and is not limited to three-point support as in each embodiment. It is more effective to install the sensor bracket 8 on the door hinge mounting portion of the center pillar as in each embodiment, but it is also possible to mount the sensor bracket 8 on the door hinge mounting portion of another pillar.

[0037]

As described in detail above, according to the airbag sensor mounting structure of the present invention, the responsiveness and accuracy of impact detection are improved while the structure is simple. As a result, the practicality of the side airbag device can be improved, the increase in weight and cost required for installation can be suppressed, and the installation workability is good because the space in the vehicle body can be used effectively. become.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the door hinge is provided on the center pillar, a side airbag device for protecting an occupant in a seat near the center pillar (driver's seat, passenger seat, etc.) is provided. Contributes to improved performance. In addition, by connecting the upper and lower ends of the sensor bracket to the hinge reinforcement as described in the third and fourth aspects, it greatly contributes to the improvement of responsiveness and accuracy of impact detection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a center pillar portion showing a mounting structure of an airbag sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1) of a center pillar portion showing an airbag sensor mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view (a view corresponding to a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 1) of a center pillar portion showing an airbag sensor mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the vehicle body showing a position of an airbag sensor mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a center pillar portion showing an airbag sensor mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5) of a center pillar portion showing an airbag sensor mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a center pillar portion showing a mounting structure of an airbag sensor as a second embodiment of the present invention (a diagram corresponding to a cross section taken along line DD in FIG. 5).

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a conventional air bag sensor mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airbag sensor 2 Body 3 Center pillar 3A Outer panel of center pillar 3 3B Inner panel of center pillar 3 4,5 Door hinge 4A Weld nut 6 Front pillar 7 Hinge reinforcement 7A, 7B Flange-shaped part of hinge reinforcement 7 8,18 Sensor bracket 8A, 8B, 8C, 18A, 18B, 18C Leg of sensor bracket 9 Bolt & nut 10 Front door 10A Outer panel of front door 10B Inner panel of front door 11 Rear door 11A Outer panel of rear door 11B Inner of rear door 11 Panel 12 Bolt Hole

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masane Yamane 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor Susumu Nishimoto 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Automotive Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] An airbag sensor for detecting an impact force of a side impact on a vehicle body of an automobile and activating an airbag for side collision is fixed inside a mounting portion of a door hinge of the vehicle body. The mounting structure of the airbag sensor. 2. The hinge reinforcement according to claim 1, wherein a hinge reinforcement is provided inside the door hinge mounting portion, and the airbag sensor is fixed to a sensor bracket attached to the hinge reinforcement. Of airbag sensor mounting structure. 3. The center pillar is provided with the door hinge, and the sensor bracket has one end of upper and lower ends connected to the hinge reinforcement and the other end connected to a component of the center pillar. 3. The mounting structure for an airbag sensor according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The sensor bracket according to claim 3, wherein the sensor bracket is connected to the hinge reinforcement or the component of the center pillar at at least three support points at both upper and lower ends thereof. Mounting structure of airbag sensor.