JP2023097578A - Pedestrian protection device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pedestrian protection device for vehicle which can protect a pedestrian from a collision by efficient expansion of a cushioning material.SOLUTION: There is provided a pedestrian protection device for vehicle which is mounted on a vehicle. A pedestrian protection device for vehicle comprises: an impact sensor which is arranged on an exterior panel of the vehicle and can detect which section in the plurality of sections on the exterior panel is applied with an impact; and an expansion device which is arranged on the inner side of the vehicle with respect to the exterior panel and can expand a cushioning material to the inner side of each of the plurality of sections. The expansion device expands the cushioning material to the inner side of the first section when the impact sensor detects that the impact is applied to any first section in the plurality of sections.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device for vehicles.

In recent years, vehicles equipped with pedestrian protection devices have been put to practical use. Patent Literature 1 describes a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that deploys an airbag on the engine hood when a pedestrian collision is detected at the front bumper.

JP-A-10-217903

In the above-mentioned conventional pedestrian protection device, the location where the collision of the pedestrian is detected and the location where the buffer is deployed are different. had to do.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that can protect pedestrians from collisions by deploying efficient cushioning materials.

The present invention
A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle mounted on a vehicle,
an impact sensor arranged on an exterior panel of a vehicle and capable of detecting which of the plurality of segments on the exterior panel receives an impact;
a deployment device disposed inside the vehicle relative to the exterior panel and capable of deploying cushioning material inside the plurality of compartments;
with
The deployment device deploys the cushioning material inside the first section based on the impact sensor detecting that an impact is applied to an arbitrary first section of the plurality of sections. do.

The outer panel of the vehicle and the parts inside the vehicle are sometimes separated from each other with a gap therebetween, and even if a pedestrian hits the outer panel, the gap prevents the pedestrian from receiving a large impact immediately. According to the present invention, by detecting which section on the exterior panel the impact was applied to and deploying the cushioning material inside the section, the pedestrian is covered with the cushioning material before a large impact is applied to the pedestrian. can be protected. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the cushioning material is deployed in the section hit by the pedestrian, the cushioning material can be deployed efficiently and effectively to protect the pedestrian.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the pedestrian protection apparatus for vehicles which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the exterior panel, the impact sensor, and the deployment device separated; 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the movement of the pedestrian protection device of the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing control processing executed by the control mechanism of the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the pedestrian protection device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. 9 is a flow chart showing control processing executed by the control mechanism of the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of movement of the pedestrian protection device of Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of movement of the pedestrian protection device of Embodiment 2;

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the structure under an exterior panel (bonnet) 101 in a see-through manner. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior panel, impact sensor and deployment device separated.

A pedestrian protection device 1 according to the first embodiment is a device mounted on a vehicle 100, and includes an impact sensor 10 attached to the lower surface of an exterior panel (bonnet) 101 of the vehicle 100, and a shock absorber provided below the exterior panel 101. and a material deployment device 20 . The deployment device 20 includes a plurality of bags 21 into which cushioning material is injected, an injection device 22 that injects the cushioning material into the bags 21, and a control mechanism 23 that controls to which of the plurality of bags 21 the cushioning material is sent. .

The impact sensor 10 has a sensor area that extends over the exterior panel 101 . As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor area is divided into a plurality of sections d, and the impact sensor 10 can detect which section d receives the impact. The multiple compartments d can also be regarded as multiple compartments on the exterior panel 101 . The plurality of partitions d may be partitioned into a matrix of multiple rows and multiple columns. The impact sensor 10 is configured by arranging a plurality of sensor elements such as pressure-sensitive elements or vibration sensors in each of the plurality of sections d. The impact sensor 10 may have any configuration as long as it can detect in which of the plurality of sections d an impact has occurred.

The impact sensor 10 may also be configured to detect the magnitude of impact (magnitude of load, etc.). A configuration for detecting the magnitude of impact can be realized by a circuit or the like that determines the magnitude of the detection signal output from the sensor element.

The impact sensor 10 may also be configured to detect the area to which the impact is applied. The configuration for detecting the area to which the impact is applied can be realized by arranging a plurality of sensor elements densely in the vertical and horizontal directions and adding a circuit or the like for determining the number of sensor elements that have detected the impact.

The cushioning material is gel, gas, or the like. The cushioning material may be stored in the tank 22t. If the cushioning material is a gas, the cushioning material may be compressed and stored, or the cushioning material may be generated by a chemical reaction. The cushioning material may be any material as long as it is injected into the bag 21 and exerts a cushioning effect on the impact applied to the bag 21 .

The bag 21 is arranged between the component 111 located inside the exterior panel 101 and the exterior panel 101 . The component 111 is provided in the vehicle 100, and may be various components such as an internal combustion engine, an auxiliary machine, an electric motor, an on-vehicle charger, an inverter, and a battery.

The plurality of bags 21 are arranged in a plurality of regions corresponding to the plurality of sections d in the impact sensor 10, as shown in FIG. The arrangement corresponding to a plurality of compartments d is not limited to a one-to-one correspondence arrangement, and may be an arrangement in which one bag 21 corresponds to a plurality of compartments d in part of the impact sensor 10, or one compartment d. The arrangement may be such that one bag 21 overlaps part of the inside and another bag 21 overlaps the other part. The plurality of bags 21 may be configured separately from each other, may be integrated by connecting the circumference of each bag 21 to the circumference of the adjacent bag 21, or may be partially separated. may be integral with each other.

The injection device 22 is configured to push out the cushioning material by driving an electric pump, to push out the cushioning material by using the expansion energy of the compressed gas, to push out the gas from the inflator (gas generator), or to use the energy generated by the inflator. Any configuration may be adopted as long as the cushioning material can be injected into the bag 21 at high speed, such as a configuration in which a cushioning material different from gas is pushed out.

The injection device 22 may also be configured to be controllable so that the amount of cushioning material injected into the bag 21 at one time can be varied. The control of the amount can be realized, for example, by controlling the driving amount of an electric pump, by preparing a plurality of cylinders or inflators for accumulating compressed gas, and by controlling the number of cylinders or inflators used at one time. . In addition, any configuration may be employed as long as the amount of cushioning material to be injected into the bag 21 can be controlled.

The control mechanism 23 operates the injection device 22 based on the detection result of the impact sensor 10 to inject the cushioning material into the bag 21 corresponding to the section d to which the impact has been applied. A bladder 21 corresponding to compartment d means one or more cushioning bladders 21 under compartment d. As shown in FIG. 2, the control mechanism 23 includes, for example, a branch path 23a positioned between the injection device 22 and the plurality of bags 21, a plurality of valves 23b capable of switching between the paths of the branch path 23a, and the shock sensor 10. and a sequencer 23c for switching the plurality of valves 23b and operating the injection device 22 in response to signals from.

The control mechanism 23 controls the amount of cushioning material to be injected from the injection device 22 into the bag 21 according to whether there is one bag 21 or a plurality of bags 21 corresponding to the section d, or according to the size of the bag 21 corresponding to the section d. (that is, the larger the total capacity of the bag 21 supplying the cushioning material, the smaller the total capacity).

When the impact sensor 10 detects an impact in a plurality of sections d (that is, a large area), the control mechanism 23 controls the flow rate of the bag 21 from the injection device 22 according to the total capacity of the bag 21 corresponding to the plurality of sections d. It may be controlled to change the amount of cushioning material to be injected into.

The control mechanism 23 further changes the amount of cushioning material to be injected from the injection device 22 into the bag 21 according to the magnitude of the impact when the impact sensor 10 is configured to detect the magnitude of the impact. may be controlled.

In addition, the injection device 22 may have a plurality of outlets, and the outlet for leading out the cushioning material may be configured to be selectable. For example, the injection device 22 may include a plurality of injection units, each injection unit having a separate outlet for the cushioning material, and each injection unit being separately operable. In the case of such a configuration, by connecting a plurality of outlets to a plurality of bags, the branch passage 23a and the plurality of valves 23b can be omitted. In the case of this configuration, instead of controlling the opening and closing of the valve 23b, which will be described later, control for selecting the outlet of the injection device 22 from which the cushioning material is led out may be employed. An example having a branch passage 23a and a valve 23b will be described below.

The sequencer 23c may have an electrical configuration or a mechanical configuration. Also, the sequencer 23c may be replaced by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that executes a program. The configuration in which the sequencer 23c operates the injection device 22 may be a configuration in which the injection device 22 (for example, a pump) is electrically started, or the compressed air is electrically or mechanically supplied from the injection device 22 (for example, a cylinder). It may be configured to output. Alternatively, the above configuration may be a configuration that electrically or mechanically ignites the injection device 22 (eg, an inflator).

<Operation example>
3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the movement of the pedestrian protection device of the first embodiment. FIG. When a pedestrian hits any section d1 (corresponding to the first section according to the present invention) of the exterior panel 101, the impact sensor 10 outputs a signal to the control mechanism 23 indicating that the section d1 has been impacted. do.

There is a gap between the exterior panel 101 and the part 111 of the vehicle 100, and immediately after the exterior panel 101 hits the pedestrian, the exterior panel 101 bends and the impact applied to the pedestrian is small. On the other hand, if the exterior panel 101 flexes due to the load from the pedestrian and the exterior panel 101 comes into contact with the part 111 inside the vehicle 100 , the exterior panel 101 causes the part 111 to give a large impact to the pedestrian. I will join.

Therefore, according to the pedestrian protection device 1 of the first embodiment, when a pedestrian hits the exterior panel 101, the detection signal from the impact sensor 10 is output before the exterior panel 101 bends and contacts the part 111. It is sent to the control mechanism 23 . Then, based on the detection signal, the control mechanism 23 controls so that the cushioning material is injected into the bag 21 corresponding to the section d1 to which the impact is applied, and also drives the injection device 22 . Then, the cushioning material is drawn out from the injection device 22, and the cushioning material is injected into the bag 21 corresponding to the section d1 where the collision occurred. Therefore, the cushioning material injected into the bag 21 under the exterior panel 101 absorbs the impact of the pedestrian and prevents the pedestrian from receiving a strong impact from the component 111 through the exterior panel 101 . Therefore, pedestrians can be effectively protected.

Furthermore, according to the pedestrian protection device 1 of the first embodiment, since the cushioning material is deployed in the section d1 hit by the pedestrian, the amount of the cushioning material used can be reduced, so that efficient and effective cushioning can be achieved. The material can be deployed to protect pedestrians.

Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device 1 of Embodiment 1, when a pedestrian collides relatively strongly with the exterior panel 101, the impact sensor 10 sends a detection signal indicating that a large impact has been applied to the control mechanism 23. Then, based on the detection signal, the control mechanism 23 causes the injection device 22 to inject an amount of cushioning material corresponding to the magnitude of the load into the bag 21 corresponding to the section d1 to which the impact is applied. to control. As the amount of cushioning material injected into one bag 21 increases, the pressure from the bag 21 to the object to be protected that exerts a cushioning action increases. On the other hand, the bag 21 can suppress an increase in the amount of displacement of the object to be protected. Therefore, even if the exterior panel 101 is greatly flexed due to a large load from a pedestrian, the bag 21 filled with a large amount of cushioning material absorbs the impact on the pedestrian while the exterior panel 101 is greatly flexed and the parts can be secured. 111 can be suppressed. Therefore, the pedestrian is prevented from receiving a strong impact from the component 111 through the exterior panel 101, and the pedestrian can be effectively protected.

Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device 1 of the first embodiment, when a pedestrian hits the wide surface of the exterior panel 101, the impact sensor 10 provides a signal indicating the plurality of sections d1 to which the impact has been applied (that is, a signal indicating the area). is sent to the control mechanism 23 . Then, based on the detection signal, the control mechanism 23 controls the injection device 22 so that the amount of cushioning material corresponding to the plurality of sections d1 is injected into the bag 21 . Then, the cushioning material is injected into the plurality of bags 21 corresponding to the plurality of sections d1. Therefore, even if a pedestrian hits the exterior panel 101 in a wide range, it is possible to prevent the exterior panel 101 from greatly bending and hitting the component 111 while buffering the impact on the pedestrian. Therefore, the pedestrian is prevented from receiving a strong impact from the component 111 through the exterior panel 101, and the pedestrian can be effectively protected.

<Control processing>
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing control processing executed by the control mechanism of the first embodiment. The control process is, for example, always repeatedly executed. When the control process is started, the control mechanism 23 monitors the signal of the impact sensor 10 (step S1). As a result, when there is a signal indicating that an impact has been applied, the control mechanism 23 outputs one or more sections d1 corresponding to the signal, the strength of the signal, the number (area) of the sections d1, The total capacity of the bag or the injection amount of the cushioning material according to these multiple conditions is determined (step S2). Then, based on the determination result of step S2, the control mechanism 23 performs processing for opening and closing the plurality of valves 23b (step S3). Subsequently, the control mechanism 23 drives the injection device 22 to inject the cushioning material into the bag 21 based on the determination result of the injection amount of the cushioning material in step S2 (step S4). By such processing, the operation of the pedestrian protection device 1 described above is realized.

When the sequencer 23c is replaced by an ECU, the program for the above control processing may be stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executed by the ECU. The ECU may be configured to read a program stored in a portable non-transitory recording medium and execute the program. The portable non-transitory storage medium may store the control processing program.

According to the pedestrian protection device 1 of Embodiment 1, since the plurality of bags 21 are arranged inside the exterior panel 101, there is an advantage that the region where the cushioning material is deployed can be finely controlled.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a pedestrian protection device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. A pedestrian protection device 1A according to the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment mainly in a cushioning material deployment device 20A. Components similar to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

A pedestrian protection device 1A of Embodiment 2 includes an impact sensor 10 attached to the lower surface of an exterior panel 101 and a cushioning material deployment device 20A provided below the exterior panel 101 .

The deployment device 20A includes an injection device 22A for injecting a cushioning material and a bag enclosing the cushioning material. Further, the deployment device 20A includes a valve 24A capable of switching the injection direction of the cushioning material from the injection device 22A, and a control mechanism 23A that controls the valve 24A and the injection device 22A.

The injection device 22A may employ a configuration in which the cushioning material and the bag are ejected by driving an electric pump, or a configuration in which the cushioning material and the bag are ejected using expansion energy of compressed gas. The injection device 22A uses an inflator (gas generator) to inject a gas as a cushioning material and a bag for confining the cushioning material. A configuration for injecting may be employed. In addition, any configuration may be employed as long as the cushioning material and the bag enclosing the cushioning material can be ejected at high speed.

The valve 24A is a two-way valve, a three-way valve, a multi-way valve, or the like. The valve 24A has a plurality of openings m1 and m2 corresponding to a plurality of injection directions, and opens the selected one opening m1 (or opening m2) and closes the other opening m2 (or opening m1). It is possible to switch between

Compared to the deployment device 20 of the first embodiment, it is difficult for the deployment device 20A of the second embodiment to deploy the cushioning material by dividing it into fine regions. Therefore, the deployment device 20A of the second embodiment may have a larger individual deployment area than the first embodiment, and the area in which the cushioning material can be deployed may be narrowed down to a specific area. For example, if there is a possibility of giving a large impact when a pedestrian hits only at the parts 111a and 111b, the deployment device 20A of the second embodiment is arranged so that the two parts 111a and 111b under the exterior panel 101 It may be a configuration in which the cushioning material can be deployed above. In this case, the impact sensor 10 may be configured to detect that only a specific section d of the exterior panel 101 where the deployment device 20A can deploy the cushioning material receives an impact.

Also in the second embodiment, a plurality of deployment devices 20A are provided, and the plurality of deployment devices 20A are distributed inside the exterior panel 101, so that the cushioning material can be spread across the exterior panel 101 as in the first embodiment. It is also possible to develop by dividing the area into fine divisions.

The control mechanism 23A may be a sequencer or ECU that performs control operations electrically, or a sequencer that performs control operations mechanically. The control mechanism 23A executes the following control processing.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing control processing executed by the control mechanism of the second embodiment. The control process is, for example, always repeatedly executed. When the control process is started, the control mechanism 23A monitors the signal of the impact sensor 10 (step S11). As a result, when there is a signal indicating that an impact has been applied, the control mechanism 23A switches the valve 24A so that the opening m1 (or opening m2) associated with the section d corresponding to the signal is opened. (Step S12). Subsequently, the control mechanism 23A operates the injection device 22A (step S13).

7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating first and second examples of movement of the pedestrian protection device of Embodiment 2. FIG. By the above-described control processing, as shown in FIG. 7A, when a pedestrian hits the section da (corresponding to the first section according to the present invention) of the exterior panel 101, the opening m1 of the valve 24A is opened and A cushioning material f1 and a bag f2 are injected between the section da and the part 111a. As a result, the shock absorbing material f1 absorbs the impact of the pedestrian and prevents the component 111a from applying a strong impact to the pedestrian through the exterior panel 101, thereby effectively protecting the pedestrian.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7B, when a pedestrian hits another section db (corresponding to the first section according to the present invention) of the exterior panel 101, the opening m2 of the valve 24A is opened, and the section db is opened from the opening m2. A cushioning material f1 and a bag f2 are injected between the parts 111b. As a result, the shock absorbing material f1 absorbs the impact of the pedestrian and prevents the component 111b from applying a strong impact to the pedestrian through the exterior panel 101, thereby effectively protecting the pedestrian.

Also in the pedestrian protection device 1A of the second embodiment, since the cushioning material is deployed in the section d hit by the pedestrian, the amount of cushioning material used can be reduced, and the cushioning material can be efficiently and effectively deployed. , pedestrians can be protected.

When the control mechanism 23A is configured by an ECU, the program for the above control processing may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium and executed by the ECU. The ECU may be configured to read a program stored in a portable non-transitory recording medium and execute the program. The portable non-transitory storage medium may store the control processing program.

According to the pedestrian protection device 1A of the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to arrange a shock-absorbing part such as a bag in advance in the region where the shock-absorbing material is deployed, even if the deployment device 20A is provided, maintenance of the vehicle 100, etc. has the advantage of being able to proceed smoothly.

Each embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the exterior panel is explained as a bonnet, but if there is a similar environment (if there is a gap between the exterior panel and the internal parts) even if it is an exterior panel other than the bonnet, the exterior panel The pedestrian protection device of the present invention can be similarly applied at the panel location to achieve the same effect. Further, although the impact sensor is described as being attached to the back side of the exterior panel, it may be provided inside the exterior panel, or may be placed near the exterior panel. Other details shown in the embodiments can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A pedestrian protection device 100 vehicle 101 exterior panel 111 part 10 impact sensor d, d1, da, db section 20, 20A deployment device 21 bag 22 injection device 23, 23A control mechanism 23a branch 23b valve 23c sequencer 22A injection device 24A Valve f1 Cushioning material f2 Bag m1, m2 Opening

Claims (5)

A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle mounted on a vehicle,
an impact sensor arranged on an exterior panel of a vehicle and capable of detecting which of the plurality of segments on the exterior panel receives an impact;
a deployment device disposed inside the vehicle relative to the exterior panel and capable of deploying cushioning material inside the plurality of compartments;
with
The deployment device deploys the cushioning material inside the first section based on the impact sensor detecting that an impact is applied to an arbitrary first section of the plurality of sections. pedestrian protection for vehicles that 2. The pedestrian protection system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said exterior panel is a bonnet. the impact sensor is capable of detecting the magnitude of the impact, the extent of the impacted area, or both;
2. The expansion device changes the amount of the cushioning material to be expanded based on the magnitude of the impact detected by the impact sensor, the size of the area to which the impact is applied, or both. Or a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 2. The deployment device includes a plurality of bags capable of injecting the cushioning material, and an injection device capable of injecting the cushioning material into a bag selected from the plurality of bags,
The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of bags are arranged inside the plurality of compartments, respectively. The deployment device includes an injection device that injects the cushioning material and a valve that controls the injection direction of the cushioning material,
3. The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the deployment device changes the ejection direction according to the section to which the impact detected by the impact sensor is applied.

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