JPS61235247A - Submergence preventing device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a passenger to easily extricate himself from a vehicle which submerges in part, by detecting such that the vehicle submerges in part, and by inflating a gas bag in accordance with the direction signal to give a necessary bouyance to the vehicle. CONSTITUTION:When an automobile submerges, a float in a submersion sensor 5 floats up as indicated by the arrow 14 to turn on a switch 15. Due to the operation of the submersion sensor 5 a power is fed from a battery 6 to a valve 4, a heater 9 and an actuator 16. As a result, the actuator 16 opens a gas back cover 18 through an actuating rod 17, and simultaneously, the valve 4 is opened to allow carbon monoxide gas heated by the heater 9 to be led into a gas back 1 through a duct 3 to inflate the gas back 1 so that a necessary bouyancy is given to the automobile which therefore, floats up. Accordingly, when the vehicle falls into a river, etc. it is possible to prevent the vehicle from submerging, thereby it allows a passenger to simply extricate himself from the automobile.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a submergence prevention device for automobiles.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, if a car accidentally plunges into water such as the sea, river, lake, etc., the car will be submerged in water in a short time, and the occupants of the car will have no chance of escaping. There was a danger that.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The object of the present invention is to generate the necessary buoyancy when a car plunges into water to float the car on the water, thereby giving the occupants an opportunity to escape.

[Means for solving problems]

Accordingly, the present invention provides a submersion sensor that detects when a portion of a vehicle is submerged in water, a gas generating means that generates gas based on a signal from the submerged sensor, and a gas generating means that stores the gas generated by the gas generating means and provides a submerged sensor that detects when a portion of a vehicle is submerged in water. It is characterized by having a gas bag that generates buoyancy.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment. Gas bag 1° Gas generator 2. A duct 3 as a gas passage connecting the gas bag 1 and the gas generator 2. Valve 4 for opening and closing duct 3. Submersion sensor, 5. The battery 6 is the main component.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the gas generator 2. FIG. Zinc carbonate (Z-C) is placed in the stainless steel case 7 as a gas generating agent.
There is a necessary amount of powder 8 (o:l), and there is a heater 9 for heating this powder 8.

This zinc carbonate has the property of causing thermal decomposition at temperatures above 150'C and generating carbon dioxide gas (Z, Co, -COf +Z
, O). The heater 9 is a so-called sheathed heater in which a metal wire, chrome wire, etc.) is passed through a stainless steel pipe, and the space between them is insulated with magnesium oxide. The heater 9 and the duct 3 are fixed and sealed to a stainless steel cap 10 by welding to prevent the generated gas from escaping.

Case 7 and cap 10 are made of asbestos gasket 11
It is fixed with a bolt (not shown) through the . Reference numeral 12 in the figure is a porous, breathable metal plate that prevents the powder 8 from scattering and entering the duct 3 when gas is generated.

The submersion sensor 5 shown in FIG. 1 is of a float type, and when water enters the sensor case due to submergence of a car, the float 13 gains buoyancy and moves in the direction of arrow 14 (upward), causing switch 15 is now being passed down. When the submersion sensor 5 detects submergence, electricity is supplied from the battery to the valve 4 , heater 9 , and actuator 16 , and the actuator 16 opens the gas bag cover 18 via the operating rod 17 . At the same time, the valve 4 switches from the closed state to the open state, and carbon dioxide gas, which is a decomposition product of the zinc carbonate powder heated by the heater 9, is guided to the gas bag 1 through the duct 3, thereby causing the gas bag 1 inflates, the car 19 gains the necessary buoyancy and floats on the water, as shown in Figure 3.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, a sheathed heater placed inside the case was used as a heating means, but in addition to electrical heating means, water vapor pressure of engine cooling water is used to heat a high-temperature engine to a heating pipe inside the case. Other methods may also be used, such as introducing cooling water and heating it, or utilizing the high temperature of exhaust gas.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the submersion sensor 5 is of a float type, but it may be of a type that detects a change in resistance due to water filling between two electrode plates.

It may also be used in conjunction with other types of switches or manually operated switches. Furthermore, since it is necessary for these submersion sensors to reliably and promptly detect that a part of the vehicle is submerged in water, it is preferable to provide a plurality of these submersion sensors in the front, rear, left, and right directions of the vehicle. In addition, the water submersion sensor should be placed in a location where it will not malfunction due to splashing water during normal driving of the vehicle, and where it will be activated before most of the vehicle is submerged in water, such as near the battery power source in the engine compartment. It is best to install multiple units on the foot floor of the vehicle interior, between the seat and the floor, in a low part of the trunk, or inside the front and rear bumpers.

In addition to zinc carbonate, gas generating agents include magnesium carbonate (M g C03 = C02 + M g O) and ammonium hydrogen carbonate (NH, HCO3 → NH3 + Co!
+) [, O), and hydrogen storage alloy (LaNis).

L a Nia, q A l O-3 nato) wo use itemora 'v'.

Figure 3 shows an example in which the gas bag 1 is stored inside the front and rear bumpers, but this location can be placed anywhere, such as on the sideboard of the door or on the roof of the vehicle to prevent it from overturning. may be provided. However, if buoyancy is obtained, the moment caused by the buoyancy may cause the car to overturn, so it is necessary to take sufficient measures such as changing the size and amount of gas of the front and rear gas bags, and considering the height of the gas bags. Caution must be taken.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the gas generator when the reaction for generating gas is a neutralization reaction and gas is to be generated by mixing two liquids.

The case 20 made of resin is made by welding an upper case 20a and a lower case 20b, and is divided into two cells 23 and 24 by a partition wall 22 provided with a plurality of openings 21. Normally, the aperture 21 is closed by a valve 25, which is connected via an actuating rod 26 to an actuator 27, not shown in FIG. 4 (but shown in FIG. 5). As gas generating agents, the upper cell 23 contains an aqueous aluminum sulfate solution 28, and the lower cell 22 contains a sodium hydrogen carbonate solution 29.

In addition, at the point where the actuating rod 26 penetrates the cap 31, a resin bellows 30 is attached at both ends to the cap 31 and the valve 25, respectively, so as to provide a gas seal and not interfere with the movement of the actuating rod 26. It is welded. Similarly, the duct 33 is fixed to the cap 31 by welding.

A circuit diagram using such a gas generator is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, when the switch 15 is turned on, the heater 9 is energized, whereas in FIG. 5, the actuator 27 is energized.

When the actuator 27 is energized, the valve 25 is moved in the direction of the arrow 32 via the actuating rod 26, the aperture 21 is opened, and the aqueous aluminum sulfate solution 28 in the upper cell 23 flows through the aperture 21. Then, it flows into the lower cell 24 and is mixed with the aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution 29 . When solutions 28 and 29 are mixed, 2Aj! t (SO4
) 3 + 3-NaHCO3→3 Cot + 3
Nm H3O4+Aj! A neutralization reaction expressed by the chemical formula z Os occurs, and carbon dioxide gas is generated. The generated carbon dioxide gas passes through the opening 21, the upper cell 23, and the duct 33 and is led to the gas bag 34 (FIG. 5).

The differences in the materials of the case and cap of the gas generator shown in Figures 1 and 4 are the result of consideration of the heat resistance and corrosion resistance required in each case, and are the result of consideration of the heat resistance and corrosion resistance required in each case. It is necessary to select a method according to the properties of the system and gas generating agent.

In FIG. 6, sodium hydrogen carbonate powder 35 is used instead of the sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution in FIG. 4, and the other configurations and operations are the same as in the above-described embodiment.

Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to a passenger car, but it may also be applied to large vehicles such as buses and trucks. It goes without saying that, especially when used in large vehicles, it is necessary to provide airbags not only in the front and rear bumpers but also under the windows to generate the necessary buoyancy.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, when a vehicle jumps into a river or the like, the gas generating means stores gas in the gas bag to generate buoyancy, thereby preventing the vehicle from submerging in water. Therefore, the occupants of the vehicle can be given an opportunity to escape. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a gas generator, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vehicle is floating due to the buoyancy provided by the gas bag. , 4th
This figure is a sectional view showing another gas generator, FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram using the gas generator shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another gas generator. 1... Gas bag, 2... Gas generator, 3...
Duct, 4... Valve, 5... Submersion sensor, 6...
·Battery. 7...Case, 8...Powder, 9...Heater. 19...Automobile, 20...Case, 22...Bulkhead. 23.24...Cell, 25...Valve, 27...Actuator

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A submersion sensor that detects when a part of the vehicle is submerged in water, a gas generating means that generates gas based on a signal from the submerged sensor, and a gas generating means that accommodates the gas generated by the gas generating means to maintain buoyancy underwater. A submergence prevention device for a vehicle, characterized in that it has a gas bag that produces a gas bag. (2) The gas generating means is a gas generating means that generates a substance that is a gas at normal temperature by thermally decomposing it by heating a substance that is solid or liquid at normal temperature. Water submersion prevention device for vehicles. (3) The gas generating means is a gas generating means that generates a substance that is a gas at room temperature by mixing at least two types of substances that are liquid or solid at room temperature and causing a chemical reaction. The vehicle submersion prevention device according to item 1. (4) Water submergence prevention for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the gas generating means is a gas generating means that generates hydrogen gas by heating a hydrogen storage alloy in which hydrogen gas has been occluded in advance. Device.