JP4775587B2 - Vehicle shock absorption structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a shock absorbing structure for a vehicle. More specifically, assuming a collision mode that is largely offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to an obstacle, the shock is absorbed by letting the input due to the collision through the wheels to the vehicle body structural material. It relates to a shock absorbing structure.

  There are various types of vehicle collisions, including front and rear collisions that are greatly offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to obstacles such as the counterpart vehicle. In this type of collision, since the amount of lap between the vehicle and the obstacle is small, the important side member does not directly collide with the obstacle, and the end of the bumper reinforcement located further outside in the vehicle width direction However, there is room for improvement in terms of shock absorption, because it collides with an obstacle and deforms in a cantilevered manner.

In view of this, as a countermeasure assuming this type of collision, an apparatus that obtains an impact absorbing action by transmitting the input at the time of the front collision to the wheels has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the technique of Patent Document 1, tire load transmission members made of sheet metal are attached to the rear surfaces of both ends of a bumper reinforcement, and an input at the time of a front collision is generated via the tire load transmission member as the bumper reinforcement is deformed rearward. It has escaped to the side and has a shock absorbing effect.
JP 2005-119537 A

However, the impact absorbing structure using the tire load transmitting member of Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
Since the impact absorption action when the input at the time of the front collision is transmitted to the wheel is exhibited by releasing the input from the wheel to the vehicle body structural material such as the side member via the suspension, in order to obtain a high shock absorption action, It is necessary to efficiently transmit the input by colliding the tire load transmitting member with the wheel center, that is, a wheel portion having sufficient rigidity.

  However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, since the tire load transmission member is installed so as to ensure a clearance that does not hinder the steering or vertical movement of the wheel, the tire load transmission member is idled by the amount corresponding to the clearance before the wheel is driven. It will collide. The behavior of the tire load transmission member during idling depends on the rearward deformation state of the bumper reinforcement when an impact is input, and the collision position of the tire load transmission member with respect to the wheel varies depending on the behavior. End up.

  Moreover, in general, the bumper force is installed at a position higher than the wheel center in consideration of a collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian, so that the tire load transmitting member originally tends to collide with a position higher than the wheel center. Due to these factors, it has been difficult to reliably input the tire load transmission member by causing the tire load transmission member to reliably collide with the optimum position of the wheel (for example, the center of the wheel). In addition, since the tire load transmission member made of sheet metal is difficult to deform, the contact area with the wheel is small, and this is also a factor that hinders efficient input transmission to the wheel.

As described above, the shock absorbing structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot efficiently transmit the input at the time of the front collision to the wheel, so that there is a problem in that the input is inevitably released to the vehicle body structure material and sufficient shock absorbing action cannot be obtained. It was.
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and the object of the present invention is to efficiently release the input at the time of a vehicle collision to the vehicle body structural material by using the wheels. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle shock absorbing structure capable of achieving a shock absorbing action.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is provided in a tire house of a vehicle, and an air bag is provided in at least one region between a wheel and an end of a bumper reinforcement or between a wheel and a side sill. The airbag is activated at a timing that precedes the deployment timing of the driver's seat airbag to protect the driver's head when an airbag that can deploy the main body and an impact at the time of a vehicle collision are detected. And an airbag operating means.
In a collision mode in which the vehicle is greatly offset in the vehicle width direction with respect to the obstacle, the impact due to the collision is concentrated on the end of the bumper force, so that the end is cantilevered and deformed toward the wheel. start. The airbag actuating means that detects the impact at the time of the collision activates the airbag and deploys the airbag body. For example, when the airbag body is deployed in the region between the wheel and the end of the bumper force, the input at the time of collision is transmitted to the wheel via the end of the bumper force and the airbag body to support the wheel. It escapes to vehicle body structural materials such as side members via the suspension. When the airbag body is deployed in the region between the wheel and the side sill, the input transmitted to the wheel as the bumper reinforcement is deformed is released to the vehicle body structural material such as the side sill via the airbag body. In either case, an impact absorbing action is exhibited.

And since the airbag body is deployed to transmit the input at the time of collision, it does not depend on the state when the bumper force is deformed toward the wheel or the state when the wheel is deformed toward the side sill, The contact position on the wheel can be arbitrarily set according to the deployed shape of the airbag body. Therefore, in consideration of the height difference between the bumper force and the wheel and the height difference between the wheel and the side sill, the airbag body should come into contact with the optimum position of the wheel, for example, the center of the wheel where the highly rigid wheel portion is located. The deployment shape of the airbag main body is set, so that the input at the time of the vehicle collision can be efficiently transmitted using the wheels. In addition, since the deployed airbag body has flexibility, it abuts against the wheels with a wide area, and this factor also contributes to efficient input transmission.
Moreover, the bumper rinsing force located at the forefront of the vehicle is immediately deformed by the front collision, but the driver's head moves slightly behind due to inertia. The airbag is deployed at a timing preceding the deployment of the airbag.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the airbag is disposed on a surface of the end of the bumper reinforcement facing the wheel, and the airbag main body is deployed in a region between the wheel and the bumper reinforcement. Is.
Accordingly, at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag at the end of the bumper reinforcement is deployed by the airbag actuating means, and the airbag body is deployed in a region between the wheel and the end of the bumper reinforcement.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the airbag is disposed on a surface of the side sill facing the wheel, and the airbag main body is deployed in a region between the wheel and the side sill.
Therefore, when the vehicle collides, the airbag of the side sill is deployed by the airbag actuating means, and the airbag body is deployed in the region between the wheel and the side sill.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the airbag is provided at an upper portion of the tire house, and the airbag main body is disposed in a region between the wheel and the end of the bumper reinforcement and a region between the wheel and the side sill. It is something to deploy.

  Therefore, at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag at the upper part of the tire house is deployed by the airbag actuating means, and the airbag body is deployed in the region between the wheel and the end of the bumper reinforcement and the region between the wheel and the side sill. .

As described above, according to the shock absorbing structure of the vehicle of the present invention, the input at the time of the vehicle collision can be efficiently released to the vehicle body structural material using the wheels, and thus a sufficient shock absorbing action can be achieved . It can Rukoto to deploy the air bag and the driver's seat air bag in response to the timing of deformation of the bumper reinforcement and the forward movement of the driver's head.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a shock absorbing structure for a vehicle embodying the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a front portion of a vehicle to which the shock absorbing structure of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the front portion of the vehicle to which the shock absorbing structure is similarly applied. These drawings mainly show the interrelationships of vehicle body structural materials, and exterior materials such as front fenders, doors, and bonnets are omitted.

  A pair of front side members 1 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) at the front of the vehicle. Both front side members 1 have a closed cross-sectional structure and extend rearward of the vehicle. The rear ends of the front side members 1 are connected to the lower portion of the dash panel 2 and are connected to side members 4 provided on the lower surface of the floor 3. It is continuous. A bumper force 5 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the front ends of both front side members 1, and a front end cross member 6 is fixed between the front side members 1 on the rear side of the bumper force 5. .

  Upper frames 7 are disposed above the left and right front side members 1, and the front ends of both upper frames 7 are connected to the left and right sides of the upper part of the front end cross member 6. Both upper frames 7 extend rearward and are connected to the upper portion of the dash panel 2, and the engine room E 1 and the vehicle compartment E 2 are partitioned by the dash panel 2. In addition, inner panels (not shown) are formed between the left and right upper frames 7 and the front side member 1, and tire houses E3 are defined on the left and right sides of the engine room E1 by the inner panels.

  An engine (not shown) is mounted in the engine room E1, and the engine is fixed on the front side member 1 via an engine mount. In the tire house E3, a front wheel 8 is accommodated by being supported by a suspension (not shown). It is connected to the upper frame 7.

The rear end of the upper frame 7 is connected to the A-pillar upper 10 and the A-pillar lower 11 at the location of the dust panel 2, and the A-pillar upper 10 extends rearward and obliquely upward and continues to the roof. The A pillar lower 11 extends downward along the left and right sides of the dash panel 2 and is connected to the front end of the side sill 12 having a closed cross-sectional structure on both the left and right sides of the floor 3.
Front airbags 15 are provided on the rear surfaces of the left and right ends of the bumper force 5 so as to face the front wheels 8, and rear airbags 16 are also provided on the front surfaces of the left and right side sills 12 so as to face the front wheels 8. Is provided. These airbags 15.16 use the gas pressure injected from the built-in inflator as shown in FIGS. The bag main bodies 15a and 16a are deployed, and the gas pressure is released from the vent hole to be contracted immediately after deployment, and the bag body 15a abuts against the tire outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 8 from the front and the rear during deployment. Further, the material of the airbag main bodies 15a and 16a is selected from the same general material as that of the driver airbag 18.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag body 15 a of the front airbag 15 is set so as to be deployed in a region extending from substantially horizontal to downward. In addition, the airbag body 16a of the rear airbag 16 is deployed in a region extending upward and downward, but is shaped so as to expand largely upward compared to the downward direction.
The front airbag 15, the rear airbag 16, and the driver's seat airbag 18 are connected to an airbag controller 19, and the airbag controller 19 is connected to an acceleration sensor 20 that detects acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the airbag controller 19 and the acceleration sensor 20 constitute an airbag operating means.

The vehicle impact absorbing structure of the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the deployment situation of the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 at the time of a vehicle front collision will be described.
Basically, the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 operate in synchronism with the driver airbag 18 of the steering wheel 17 at the same timing. The front collision of the vehicle is determined by the airbag controller 19 based on the signal from the acceleration sensor 20, and when the front collision is determined, the inflator of the driver airbag 18 is activated by the airbag controller 19 and the driver airbag 18 is moved by the gas pressure. At the same time, the airbag controller 19 operates the inflators of the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 to deploy the airbag bodies 15a and 16a of the airbags 15 and 16, respectively. Let

  At the time when the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 are deployed, the bumper force 5 located at the forefront of the vehicle is in a stage where it has started to deform due to the front collision, and is still sufficiently between the front wheel 8 and the front wheel 8. Clear clearance is secured. Hereinafter, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when the description is continued assuming that the host vehicle has made a large forward offset with respect to the obstacle A (for example, the opponent vehicle), the impact due to the front collision is mainly a bumper force. 5 concentrates on the left end of 5, and the left end begins to be deformed backward in a cantilevered manner. If the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 are not equipped, the left end of the bumper force 5 collides with the front wheel 8 after running idle for a clearance corresponding to the front wheel 8, and the front wheel 8 is pushed backward. In this case, the vehicle collides with the side sill 12 after running as much as the clearance with the side sill 12, but in the early stage of deformation of the bumper reinforcement 5 preceding this, the airbag main bodies 15a, 16a of the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 The airbag main body 15a of the front airbag 15 contacts the tire outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 8 from the front, and the airbag main body 16a of the rear airbag 16 contacts the tire outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 8 from the rear. .

  As a result, the air bag body 15a of the front airbag 15 is interposed between the left end of the bumper force 5 and the tire outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 8 without any gap, and the tire outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 8 and the side sill 12 on the left side of the vehicle In between, the airbag main body 16a of the rear airbag 16 is interposed without a gap. For this reason, the impact input by the front impact is transmitted to the front wheel 8 via the left end of the bumper force 5 and the airbag body 15a of the front airbag 15, and the suspension member 9 and the front through the lower arm and strut of the suspension. The vehicle is released to the vehicle body structural material such as the side member 1 and the upper frame 7 and is also released from the front wheel 8 to the vehicle body structural material such as the side sill 12 on the left side of the vehicle via the airbag body 16a of the rear airbag 16. Absorption action is exerted.

  At this time, the contact of the airbag main bodies 15a and 16a with the outer peripheral surface of the tire of the front wheel 8 is due to the development of the airbag main body itself, and the bumper reinforcement is rearwardly deformed like the tire load transmission member of Patent Document 1. Along with this, it is completely different from that in contact with the tire outer peripheral surface. Due to this difference, in this embodiment, the position of contact with the front wheel 8 can be arbitrarily set according to the deployed shape of the airbag main bodies 15a, 16a without depending on the deformation state of the bumper force 5. Here, in order to efficiently transmit the input from the bumper force 5 to the front wheel 8 and further from the front wheel 8 to the side sill 12, it is desirable to perform the transmission via the highly rigid wheel portion 8a located at the center C of the front wheel 8. On the other hand, the vertical position of the bumper force 5 is high with respect to the front wheel center C, and the vertical position of the side sill 12 is low with respect to the front wheel center C.

  Therefore, as described above, the airbag main body 15a of the front airbag 15 is shaped so as to be deployed in a region extending from substantially horizontal to the lower side, and the airbag main body 16a of the rear airbag 16 is higher than the lower side. The shape of the airbag body 15a, 16a is set so that the airbag body 15a, 16a is largely expanded. Accordingly, the airbag body 15a, 16a has a substantially equal length L (in other words, a substantially equal area) on the basis of the height of the front wheel center C. ). In addition, since the contact state of the airbag bodies 15a and 16a does not depend on the rearward deformation state of the bumper force 5 or the rearward deformation state of the front wheel 8, the bumper force 5 or the front wheel depends on the front collision situation. No matter how the 8 is deformed, the airbag main bodies 15a and 15b are always in an intended contact state with the front wheel 8 without being affected by the deformation. Therefore, both the input transmission from the bumper force 5 to the front wheel 8 and the input transmission from the front wheel 8 to the side sill 12 are efficiently performed via the wheel portion 8a located at the center C of the front wheel 8, and the front collision is thereby achieved. The input due to the impact at the time can be efficiently released to the vehicle body structural material, and a sufficient impact absorbing action can be achieved.

  The abutment of the airbag main bodies 15a, 16a with the front wheel 8 does not necessarily need to be equalized upward and downward, and the front airbag 15 located above the front wheel center C is mainly directed downward. The bag body 15a is deployed, and the shape of the rear airbag 16 positioned below the front wheel center C may be set so that the airbag body 16a is deployed mainly upward and downward.

In addition, since the deployed airbag bodies 15a and 16a have flexibility, for example, compared to the tire load transmission member made of sheet metal of Patent Document 1, the airbag body 15a abuts the tire outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 8 with a much larger area, This factor also contributes to efficient input transmission.
In addition, since the airbag main bodies 15a and 16a of the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 contract immediately after deployment, the clearance between the bumper force 5 and the front wheels 8 due to the deformation of the vehicle body at the time of the front collision, and the front wheels 8 In the process of reducing the clearance between the side sill 12 and the side sill 12, the airbag main bodies 15a, 16a are contracted in accordance therewith to provide an impact absorbing action, whereby the impact at the time of the front collision can be absorbed more efficiently.

  Further, the tire load transmission member of Patent Document 1 has a considerable weight by securing strength sufficient to withstand the input transmission at the time of the front collision, but in the present embodiment, the airbag main body 15a deployed using gas pressure is used. 16a, the airbag body itself is much lighter than the tire load transmission member, and the tire load transmission described in Patent Document 1 is possible even with a total weight including accessories such as an inflator. It is much lighter than the member. Therefore, the effect that it contributes to the weight reduction of a vehicle is also acquired.

  This is the end of the description of the embodiment, but the aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the shock-absorbing structure in which the airbags 15 and 16 are provided to the front wheel 8 is assumed assuming a front offset with a large offset, but the same principle is applied to the rear wheel (wheel). Therefore, it is possible to deal with a rear-end collision (mainly a rear-end collision of the following vehicle with respect to the own vehicle). Specifically, airbags are provided on the front surface of the rear bumper reinforcement and the rear surface of the side sill 12, respectively, and deployed at the time of rear impact, and the input at the time of rear impact is transmitted from the rear wheel via the airbag to the side member via the suspension. Or escape to the side sill from the rear wheel through the airbag. Even in this case, various advantages similar to those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained by using the airbag.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 are deployed before and after the front wheel 8, but the airbags 15 and 16 are not necessarily required. 16 may be provided. For example, when only the front airbag 15 is provided, the input can be efficiently transmitted from the bumper force 5 to the front wheel 8, and when only the rear airbag 16 is provided, the input is efficiently transmitted from the front wheel 8 to the side sill 12. In any case, sufficient effects can be obtained as compared with the tire load transmission member of Patent Document 1.

  In the above embodiment, the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 are provided independently. However, as shown in FIG. 3, a single airbag 31 having both functions is provided at the top of the tire house E3. (In the figure, the upper frame 7) may be provided. In this case, the shape of the airbag main body 31a may be set so that the airbag 31 is deployed from above toward the front side and the rear side of the front wheel 8. Even in this case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. .

  In the above embodiment, the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 are deployed at the same timing as the driver's seat airbag 18, but may be deployed at different timings. For example, the bumper force 5 located in the forefront of the vehicle is immediately deformed by a frontal collision, but the driver's head moves slightly behind due to inertia, so the driver's seat airbag 18 is deployed. Alternatively, the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 may be deployed at a timing preceding the above.

  Further, as is clear from the above description, the functions of the front airbag 15 and the rear airbag 16 are more strongly demanded by the input transmission action to the front wheels 8 and the side sill 12 than the shock absorbing action at the time of the front collision. Is done. In order to achieve efficient input transmission, it is desirable to improve the rigidity of the airbag body at the time of deployment. Therefore, in view of this point, the rigidity of the airbag body is higher than that of a general airbag body. The material which becomes may be applied.

It is a side view which shows the front part of the vehicle to which the shock absorption structure of this invention was applied. It is a top view which shows the front part of the vehicle to which the impact-absorbing structure of this invention was applied similarly. It is a side view which shows the front part of the vehicle to which the shock absorption structure of another example was applied.

Explanation of symbols

5 Bumper Force 8 Front wheels (wheels)
12 Side sill 15 Front airbag 15a Airbag body 16 Rear airbag 16a Airbag body 19 Airbag controller (airbag actuating means)
20 Acceleration sensor (airbag actuating means)

Claims (4)

An airbag provided in a tire house of a vehicle and capable of deploying an airbag body in at least one region between a wheel and an end of a bumper reinforcement or between the wheel and a side sill;
Airbag operating means for operating the airbag at a timing preceding the deployment timing of the driver airbag for protecting the driver's head when an impact at the time of a vehicle collision is detected; A shock absorbing structure for a vehicle, comprising:   2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is disposed on a surface of the end of the bumper reinforcement facing the wheel, and the airbag main body is deployed in a region between the wheel and the bumper reinforcement. The shock absorbing structure of the vehicle described.   2. The shock absorbing structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is disposed on a surface of the side sill facing the wheel, and the airbag body is deployed in a region between the wheel and the side sill. .   The airbag is provided at an upper portion of the tire house, and the airbag body is deployed in a region between the wheel and the end of the bumper reinforcement and a region between the wheel and the side sill. The shock absorbing structure for a vehicle according to claim 1.

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