JP2001334895A - Pedestrian protection device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle when a vehicle contacts a pedestrian, it eases pedestrian load to receive the pedestrian body so as to prevent for the pedestrian to be involved between the vehicle and a street. SOLUTION: An air bag 14 is expanded in front of a front bumper 10 by judging a contact with the pedestrian. Then another air bag 8 for preventing involvement is expanded under the front bumper 10. By these two air bags, the pedestrian 1 is received to ease his or her load when it will happen and the involvement between them is preventable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that predicts contact with a pedestrian and receives the pedestrian.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, safety measures in automobiles have made great progress. One of the most significant advancements is safety measures for occupants.A variety of technologies have already been used and studied, and those that protect the occupants' bodies when abutting other vehicles or obstacles are the mainstream. It is.

[0003] For example, the impact force of the contact is absorbed by the structural change of the vehicle body so that the impact on the occupant is minimized.
Many examples can be given, such as installing a seat belt with a pretensioner that loosens at the time of a rear-end collision, or installing an airbag that protects a driver or a passenger in a passenger seat.

[0004] Compared with such various techniques for ensuring the safety of occupants, the development of technology for ensuring the safety of pedestrians is still behind, and it is considered that it will proceed in the future.

As a technique for ensuring the safety of pedestrians,
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-239198 discloses that an airbag is deployed in the traveling direction when a vehicle is predicted to come into contact with the airbag. There is disclosed an airbag device in which a front surface covers at least a bumper and has a substantially wedge-like shape having a front end of a vehicle center axis as a vertex when viewed from above. This patent publication states that a pedestrian does not directly contact the bumper at the time of abutment, but is guided outside in the vehicle traveling direction and is prevented from being caught in the lower part of the vehicle body.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By the above technique, pedestrian safety can be ensured. However, there is currently a need for technology that further ensures pedestrian safety.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and alleviates the load received by a pedestrian when the vehicle and the pedestrian are in contact with each other, receives the pedestrian's body, and connects the pedestrian with the body. An object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that prevents a pedestrian from being caught in between.

[0008]

That is, the invention of claim 1 is a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle in which a cushioning member for predicting contact with a pedestrian and receiving the pedestrian is deployed forward of a front bumper. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, comprising: a wrap prevention device that operates after the cushioning member is deployed to prevent the pedestrian from being caught between the vehicle body and the road surface.

Although the cushioning member is necessary for receiving the pedestrian, it becomes a hindrance during normal driving of the vehicle. Therefore, when the cushioning member is normally housed in the vehicle body and is predicted to come into contact with the pedestrian. Expand to Means for predicting contact with a pedestrian include a sensor that measures the distance to an object existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle (for example, a laser radar, a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, an image distance sensor, and the like). A combination with a means for calculating whether or not a collision occurs from a sensor signal, a vehicle speed signal, or the like can be given. further,
A pedestrian detection sensor that detects whether an object in the traveling direction is a pedestrian using an infrared sensor, an image sensor, or the like may be combined.

The cushioning member may be any material, such as a plastic foam, an airbag, or a gel-like shock absorber, as long as it can reduce the load applied to the pedestrian by contact. Above all, an airbag is preferable because of its high deployment speed and compact storage of the device before deployment.

[0011] The cushioning member is deployed forward of the front bumper. The reason why the cushioning member is deployed forward of the front bumper is to receive the lower leg of the pedestrian and reduce the load applied to the lower leg due to the contact. Furthermore, it is preferable to deploy upward so that the body above the lower limb can be received.

The device of the present invention is provided with a roll-in prevention means for preventing a pedestrian from being caught between the vehicle body and the road surface. Activate. Since the pedestrian may fall down and get caught after abutting on the cushioning member, such an operation sequence prevents the pedestrian from being caught reliably.

[0013] The entanglement preventing means can prevent pedestrians from being entangled between the vehicle body and the road surface.
Anything is fine. For example, a buffer member, a net, or the like may be deployed between the vehicle body and the road surface, or a buffer member, a net, or the like may be deployed in a region in front of the vehicle body and close to the road surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to the first aspect, wherein the entanglement preventing means is a cushioning member for preventing entanglement that extends under the front bumper.

[0015] Since the entanglement preventing means is a cushioning member for preventing entanglement that expands below the front bumper, the entanglement can be prevented with a simple structure. Also, since the gap between the front bumper and the road surface is narrow, the volume of the buffer member that is deployed to prevent entanglement is smaller than that of the buffer member that is deployed forward of the front bumper. Therefore, the size and weight can be reduced, and the cost and weight can be reduced.

The cushioning member for preventing entanglement may be of the same type as or different from the cushioning member deployed in front of the front bumper. Examples of the cushioning member for preventing entanglement include a plastic foam, an airbag, and a gel-like shock absorber. However, an airbag is preferable because of its high deployment speed and compact storage of the device before deployment.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle in which a cushioning member for detecting contact with a pedestrian and receiving the pedestrian is deployed forward of a front bumper. Are deployed so as to project below the lower surface of the vehicle body. The deceleration detecting means for detecting the deceleration of the vehicle, and the deceleration based on the deceleration of the vehicle detected by the deceleration detecting means. An adjusting means for adjusting the deployment of the cushioning member so that the amount of protrusion of the cushioning member downward from the lower surface of the vehicle body decreases as the size of the cushioning member increases.

In the present invention, the cushioning member is developed so that its lower end protrudes below the lower surface of the vehicle body. By doing so, the pedestrian can be prevented from being caught between the vehicle body and the road surface by the cushioning member, and the overall configuration is simplified. However, if the cushioning member comes into contact with the road surface, it is not preferable because it may be deformed or damaged, which may hinder the reception of the lower limb and the prevention of entanglement.

Further, in the present invention, the deceleration of the vehicle is detected, and the lower end position of the cushioning member is adjusted so that the greater the deceleration, the smaller the amount of protrusion of the cushioning member below the lower surface of the vehicle body. ing. This is for the following reason.

When a vehicle is suddenly braked, the front of the vehicle sinks, that is, a so-called nose dive occurs. For this reason, if the deceleration is large, the lower end of the buffer member deployed in front of the front bumper hits the road surface and the buffer member is deformed or damaged. If the pedestrian is deformed or damaged, the pedestrian will not be able to receive the load and reduce the load, and it will not be possible to prevent entanglement, which is not preferable. Therefore, in accordance with the deceleration, if the deceleration is large, the amount of protrusion of the buffer member below the vehicle body lower surface is adjusted so as to be smaller, and the lower end of the buffer member is positioned higher than when the deceleration is small. It is. In other words, even if a sudden brake is applied, the cushioning member does not come into contact with the road surface, so that the pedestrian can be reliably received and entangled.

The vehicle deceleration detecting means may use a vehicle body deceleration sensor.

Means for adjusting the lower end position of the buffer member so that the amount of protrusion of the buffer member below the lower surface of the vehicle body decreases as the deceleration increases, for example, the buffer member is moved up and down by a motor linked to the deceleration sensor. Means include, but are not limited to, means for moving, and means for moving the cushioning member up and down with a device utilizing a lever using an inertial force in which the weight moves forward during deceleration.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first or second aspect, there is provided a detecting means for detecting contact with a pedestrian in front of the vehicle, and the entrainment preventing means operates upon detection by the detecting means. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle characterized by the following.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent the pedestrian from getting caught. This is because, when a pedestrian comes into contact with a vehicle, the pedestrian first contacts the front of the vehicle, and then falls down and gets caught.

Further, if the cushioning member in front of the front bumper is deployed before contact with the pedestrian occurs due to erroneous detection, the entanglement preventing means does not operate with this configuration. There is no need to re-install the means.

The means for detecting contact with a pedestrian is not particularly limited as long as it can detect contact, such as a contact sensor or an image sensor.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to the fourth aspect, wherein the detecting means detects a contact between the pedestrian and the cushioning member.

Since the contact of the pedestrian occurs first in the cushioning member in front of the front bumper at the front end of the vehicle, such a configuration makes it possible to detect the contact of the pedestrian and to reliably prevent the pedestrian from being involved. .

The detection of contact is preferably performed simply by attaching a pressure sensor, a stress sensor, a pressure-sensitive sensor or the like to the buffer member.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first or second aspect, there is provided a detecting means for detecting the fall of the pedestrian on the road surface in front of the vehicle, and the entanglement preventing means detects the fall of the pedestrian by the detecting means. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, which is activated when detected.

According to the structure of the present invention, when the pedestrian falls on the road surface in front of the vehicle, the entanglement preventing means is activated, so that the pedestrian is reliably prevented from being entangled. Furthermore, there is no danger that the entanglement prevention means will be activated when there is no possibility that a pedestrian will be involved, and no unnecessary operation of the entanglement prevention means will occur. I'm done.

The detecting means for detecting the pedestrian's fall on the road in front of the vehicle is not particularly limited. For example, an image sensor or a pressure detecting sensor for detecting that the pedestrian separates from the buffer member which first comes into contact with is used. And the like.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, based on deceleration detecting means for detecting the deceleration of the vehicle, and deceleration of the vehicle detected by the deceleration detecting means,
A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, comprising: a deployment amount changing means for changing an amount of deployment of the entanglement preventing means so that the amount of downward deployment of the entanglement preventing means decreases as the deceleration increases. Device.

If the deceleration of the vehicle body is large, the degree of the nose dive in which the front of the vehicle body sinks increases. In other words, the greater the deceleration of the vehicle body, the greater the risk of the entanglement preventing means being in contact with the road surface and being damaged. Therefore, in the present invention, the contact with the road surface is avoided by changing the deployment amount of the entanglement preventing means.

Specifically, in the present invention, the deployment strength may be reduced as the deceleration of the vehicle body increases. If the deployment strength is small, the amount of deployment below the vehicle body will be small,
Even if there is a nose dive, contact with the road surface can be avoided.

Here, the deployment strength refers to a deployment pressure of a buffer substance (for example, a gas if the entanglement preventing means is an airbag) for deploying the buffer member.

There are various means for changing the deployment amount.
One of these is a means for changing the deployment strength, which is a means for changing the amount and speed of the buffer substance to be deployed, for example, a foam or gas, into the entanglement prevention means. For example, controlling the supply speed of the buffer substance according to the deceleration, preparing a plurality of devices for supplying the buffer substance to be developed, changing the number of the supply devices to be operated according to the deceleration, and the like. No.

In order for the amount of deployment of the entanglement preventing means to change in accordance with the deployment strength, the constituent material may be made of a stretchable material or may be folded in such a manner that it is deployed only when the deployment strength exceeds a predetermined value. Parts and the like may be provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to the first or second aspect, wherein the entanglement preventing means has a pedestrian guiding portion to the left and right outer sides of the vehicle body.

According to the structure of the present invention, even if a pedestrian is likely to be caught between the vehicle body and the road surface, the entanglement prevention means is first prevented from being entangled, and the entanglement prevention means is further improved. Since the pedestrian is guided to the left and right outer sides, the entanglement can be more reliably prevented.

The pedestrian guiding portion to the left and right sides of the vehicle body according to the present invention may be of any type as long as the pedestrian can be guided to the left and right sides of the vehicle body. For example, a mechanism that pushes the pedestrian to the left or right outside of the vehicle body by using an elastic body is provided. And so on.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the amount of protrusion of the shock absorbing member downward from the lower surface of the vehicle body is increased as the deployment driving force is increased, and is detected by the deceleration detecting means. Based on the deceleration of the vehicle,
A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, comprising: a driving force changing unit configured to reduce a deployment driving force of the buffer member as the deceleration increases.

With such a configuration, the lower end position of the cushioning member deployed forward of the front bumper is controlled up and down by the deployment driving force. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the buffer member from contacting the road surface and being deformed or damaged due to the nose dive generated by the deceleration. The greater the deceleration, the greater the nose dive, so the deployment driving force is correspondingly reduced.

There are various ways to change the deployment driving force, one of which is to change the deployment strength,
That is, there is a method of changing the amount and speed of introducing a buffer substance to be developed, for example, a foam or gas into the inside of the entanglement preventing means. Specifically, for example, the supply speed of the buffer substance is controlled according to the deceleration, or a plurality of devices for supplying the buffer substance to be developed are prepared, and the number of the supply devices to be operated according to the deceleration is set. Such as changing.

In order for the buffer member to protrude downward from the lower surface of the vehicle body as the deployment driving force increases, the material constituting the cushioning member may be made of a stretchable material or when the deployment driving force exceeds a predetermined value. It is only necessary to provide a folded portion or the like that unfolds for the first time.

[0046]

Since the present invention has the above-described structure, the following effects can be obtained.

At the time of contact with the pedestrian, the lower leg of the pedestrian can be prevented from contacting the bumper, and the pedestrian can be reliably received. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent entanglement with a simple configuration. Also, even if the vehicle body sinks, it is possible to reliably receive the pedestrian. Further, even if the vehicle body sinks, it is possible to reliably prevent a pedestrian from being caught.

[0048]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan sectional views.

In the first embodiment, an airbag 14 is employed as a cushioning member that is deployed in front of the front bumper 10. The airbag 8 is employed as a roll-up preventing means that extends below the front bumper 10. In FIG. 1, an automobile body 2 is on the right and a pedestrian 1 is on the left, while an airbag 14 which is vertically elongated and has a substantially elliptical vertical section is deployed forward and upward from the front bumper 10. The airbag 8 for preventing entanglement is deployed downward.

Before deployment, the airbag 14 is stored in a folded state in the airbag storage section 3 provided in the front bumper 10 located at the front end of the vehicle body 2. Two gas supply means 20 are provided adjacent to both sides of. 2 and 3, 21 is a side portion of the front bumper. The airbag 14 has an airbag fixing part 3 whose one end is provided in the back of the airbag storage part 3.
a, and unfolds forward and upward of the front bumper 10.

Before being deployed, the airbag 8 is stored in a folded state in an airbag storage section 13 provided below the front bumper 10 and is adjacent to both sides of the folded airbag 8. Then, two gas supply means 20 are provided as shown in FIG.

The airbag 14 covers the entire front surface of the vehicle body 2 and includes the inner bag 4 and the outer bag 5.
It consists of The outer bag 5 surrounds the inner bag 4 and is provided in front of the inner bag 4 (FIG. 1).
(Left in the middle) is deployed. The gas for deploying the airbag 14 is supplied from the two gas supply means 20 in FIG. 2 to the inner bag 4 and the outer bag 5, respectively, to deploy the two airbags. The inner bag 4 and the outer bag 5 may be made of any material such as a cloth or a plastic sheet, which is a known airbag material or a material having sufficient strength as a cushioning member for pedestrian protection.

The inner bag 4 is smaller than the outer bag 5 and preferably has a size that covers half to all of the front part of the front bumper 10 in the height direction. The inner bag 4 is deployed forward of the front bumper 10 from the airbag fixing portion 3a, but is regulated so as not to be too forward deployed by the strap 6 as a regulating means. Strap 6
One end is fixed 6c to the airbag fixing portion 3a by bonding or riveting, or is fixed 6d to the surface near the front bumper 10 at the time of deployment by bonding or sewing, and the other end is deployed to the inner bag 4. It is fixed to the front end at the time by gluing or sewing. The strap 6 may be any strap as long as it can support the inner bag 4 against the deployment strength, but is preferably a strap or a band-shaped cloth or the like which has high tensile strength and can be folded. It is preferable that a plurality of straps 6 are provided so as to reliably restrict excessive deployment to the front. In the cross section of FIG. 1, two lines, an upper line and a lower line, are shown. Also, in FIG.
It is shown that there is a book.

Since the inner bag 4 is smaller than the outer bag 5, the gas enters and inflates quickly in front of the front bumper 10 to catch the lower leg to which the pedestrian 1 first comes into contact. The supply of gas is faster or simultaneous with the inner bag 4 than with the outer bag 5. Further, since the outer bag 5 is provided with the exhaust hole 9, the inner bag 4
In this case, the gas pressure becomes higher, so that the so-called bottom end in which the lower leg directly hits the front bumper 10 can be prevented.

The outer bag 5 is larger than the inner bag 4, is deployed forward and above the tip of the front hood 11, separated from the front hood 11, and has a height equal to or higher than the head of the pedestrian 1. In front of the front bumper 10, the strap 6 a passed from the inner bag 4 restricts the front bumper 10 from being excessively deployed forward. Here, the strap 6 extending from the airbag fixing portion 3a is used.
And the strap 6a fixed to the outer bag 5,
It is fixed to the same portion 6b of the inner bag 4. The restricting means of the outer bag 5 may be formed by passing the strap 6a from the inner bag 4 to the outer bag 5 as described above, or the inner bag 4 and the outer bag 5 may be partially adhered or stitched. . Further, similarly to the strap 6 of the inner bag 4, it is preferable that a plurality of regulating means are provided.

The exhaust hole 9 of the outer bag 5 has a function of releasing gas from the outer bag 5 after the use of the air bag. The exhaust hole 9 is located behind the outer bag 5 (FIG. 1).
On the right). Therefore, the gas does not blow to the pedestrian when the gas escapes.

The outer bag 5 is provided with a bending resistance means 7 around an intermediate portion in the vertical direction. Flex resistance means 7
Is provided with a cloth passing in the horizontal direction and fixing the end to the outer bag 5 by sewing or the like, and providing a gas-permeable portion in a part of the cloth. Thus, the gas pressure on the lower side of the bending resistance means 7 is higher than that on the upper side, and it is difficult to bend toward the front hood 11. Here, the bending resistance means 7
It also acts as a regulating means to prevent the airbag from deploying too much, and also serves to shape the airbag when it is deployed. The means for bending resistance is not limited to this shape or method.

The outer bag 5 is largely unfolded upward and receives the waist, upper body and head from the lower limb of the pedestrian 1 at the time of abutment. Has the strength not to burst. The material, the gas pressure, and the like are designed so that the bottom does not strike the front hood 11.

Outer bag 5 and inner bag 4
Are stored in the airbag storage section 3 inside the front bumper 10 in a folded state before being deployed. The airbag storage section 3 is formed so as not to expose projections and edges of members so that the airbag can be smoothly deployed without tearing when the airbag is deployed. Further, the airbag housing 3 is fixed to the airbag fixing portion 3a on the rear wall surface with an adhesive or a rivet so that the deployment direction is directed to an appropriate direction. And the surface is protected by a cover. The cover is designed to protect the airbag from rain, dirt, sunlight, etc., and to open or break when the airbag inflates, so that the airbag can be deployed smoothly.

Gas supply means 20 for deploying the airbag
Any means can be used as long as it can quickly obtain sufficient deployment strength for pedestrian reception. For example, an inflator using a gas generating agent that generates a large amount of nitrogen gas by combustion, which is used for an airbag installed in a driver's cab, may be mentioned. The gas supply means 20 is installed near the airbag fixing portion 3a. In FIG. 2, one is installed on each of the left and right sides of the airbag storage unit 3. Although one is used for the inner bag 4 and the other is used for the outer bag 5, two gas supply means 20 may supply gas to both airbags 4 and 5.

FIG. 3 shows a plane cross section of the airbag 8 for preventing entanglement. FIG. 3 is a plane below FIG. The center in the vehicle width direction is the most forward (upper side in FIG. 3)
And the shape is such that it is located rearward (lower side in FIG. 3) as going from the center to the left and right outward. This shaped portion serves as a guiding portion for the pedestrian to the left and right sides of the vehicle body, thereby guiding the pedestrian to the right or left side of the vehicle body 2 to reliably prevent the pedestrian from getting caught. In order to guide the pedestrian to the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 as described above, it is preferable to install the airbags 8 one by one on the left and right as shown in FIG. Each of the airbags 8 is supplied with gas from the gas supply means 20a and is deployed. This airbag 8 only needs to be able to prevent entanglement,
The thickness in the front-rear direction may be smaller than that of the airbag 14.

The airbag 8 expands downward and plays a role of preventing entanglement, but must maintain a distance from the road surface so as not to contact the road surface. Therefore, it has the strap 6 of the restricting means like the airbag 14 so as not to expand too much downward. In this case, if it is unfolded too much, it comes into contact with the road surface and is damaged, so that the number of straps 6 is made sufficiently large. In FIG. 1, three are shown in the vehicle front-rear direction.
Although FIG. 3 does not show the straps in the vehicle width direction, it is desirable to have about 5 to 10 straps on one side.

As the material of the airbag 8, the same material as that of the airbag 14 may be used, but a material having elasticity such that the amount of deployment is increased when the deployment strength is increased is preferable. The material and fixing method of the strap 6, the gas supply means 20a, and the like are the same as the accessories of the airbag 14.

Second Embodiment FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that there is no airbag 8 for preventing entanglement downward, and the lower end 15 of the outer bag 5 projects downward from the lower surface of the vehicle body to prevent entanglement. Plays the role of. Hereinafter, points different from the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end 15 of the outer bag 5 deployed forward of the front bumper 10 is deployed so as to project below the lower surface of the vehicle body. However, if the projection protrudes too close to the road surface, the lower end 5 comes into contact with the road surface due to the vertical movement of the vehicle body 2. Therefore, for a nose dive at the time of deceleration in which the sinking of the front part of the vehicle body 2 is particularly large, the position of the lower end 15 is controlled using the driving force changing means according to the deceleration, or the position adjusting device 22 is used. Adjust.
This control will be described later in detail.

The position adjusting device 22 is placed adjacent to one side of the airbag housing 3 as shown in FIG. Gas supply means 20 is located on the opposite side. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a side surface of a portion of the position adjusting device 22. This device 22 is a device that uses a force 27 due to inertia that acts forward on the weight 23 during braking, and the weight 23 works as a deceleration detecting means.

When the driver applies the brake and decelerates,
The weight 23 is moved forward by an inertial force 27 acting on it. Then, the shaft 24 serves as a fulcrum, and a downward force is applied to the joint 25 with the airbag housing 3. Since the rear portion of the airbag housing 3 is rotatable up and down with the rotation shaft 26 as a fulcrum, a downward force 28 is applied to the coupling portion 25 to cause a downward rotation 28. Thus,
The opening in the front part of the airbag storage part 3 faces upward, whereby the airbag 14 moves upward, and the lower end 15 of the outer bag 5 is located above, so that contact with the road surface by the nose dive can be prevented. can avoid.

A method for moving the lower end 15 of the outer bag 5 in the vertical direction according to the magnitude of the deceleration is as follows.
There is also a method of changing the supply direction of the gas supplied into the outer bag 5 up and down. For example, there is a method in which the gas outlet is directed upward or downward by a motor or the like according to the deceleration. At this time, a deceleration sensor or the like may be used as the deceleration detecting means.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing one example of control for expanding the lower buffer member after the front buffer member is expanded, after the front buffer member is expanded.
FIG. 8 shows a subroutine of this control. This control is used in the first embodiment, but the control of the present invention is not limited to this control method.

The block diagram of FIG. 7 will be described. The signals of the three sensors on the left are transmitted to the CPU 34 and calculated. Then, based on the result, a signal is transmitted to activate the four right safety devices.

Next, FIG. 8 will be described. If there is a pedestrian or an obstacle in front while driving the vehicle, contact prediction detection is performed. Specifically, the distance to the object ahead is measured by the contact prediction sensor 31 in FIG. 7, and the distance is calculated by the vehicle speed and the predicted distance at which the brake is applied to stop, and the contact possibility is calculated numerically. I do. When it is determined in the contact possibility determining step S1 that the contact possibility is larger than the predetermined value A, the possibility of contact is high, so that various occupant protection devices are preliminarily operated. This means, for example, that the pretensioner 37 of the seat belt is preliminarily operated. If the contact possibility is smaller than the predetermined value A, the process returns.

Then, the contact target is determined in the contact target determination step S2. The pedestrian detection sensor 32 such as the infrared sensor or the image sensor shown in FIG. 7 determines whether or not what is predicted to be in contact is a pedestrian. If it is determined that the vehicle is a pedestrian, the process proceeds to the next step. If it is determined that the vehicle is not a pedestrian, the process returns. Note that this determination need not be performed when the accuracy of the sensor is low or when it takes time to make a determination. In FIG. 8, this is a portion surrounded by a dotted line ellipse and marked with *.

The next step is a step S3 for determining whether or not it is within a predetermined time of the predicted contact time. The predicted contact time is calculated based on the distance to the pedestrian, the speed of the vehicle, and the predicted distance at which the brake stops. This is done because it takes some time for the cushioning member to unfold.
If it is within a predetermined time of the predicted contact time, the front buffer member 39 is first deployed, and then the lower buffer member 40 is deployed.
In this way, the pedestrian is received by the front cushioning member 39 at the time of contact, and is prevented from being caught by the lower cushioning member 40. If it is not within the predetermined time of the predicted contact time, a return is made.

Next, actual contact detection is performed by the contact detection sensor 33 on the left side of FIG. In the contact occurrence determination step S5, it is determined that contact has occurred when the deceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the occupant protection devices such as the airbag 36 and the seat belt pretensioner 37 in FIG. Ensure safety.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of control for deploying the lower cushioning member under predetermined conditions after the front cushioning member has been deployed. The subroutine of this control is shown in FIGS. Figure 10
The four subroutines shown in FIG. 13 differ only in the conditions for deploying the lower cushioning member. Therefore, the overall flow will be described with reference to FIG. 10, and the conditions for deploying the lower cushioning member will be described. I do. This control is used in the first embodiment, but the control of the present invention is not limited to this control method.

In this control, after the front buffer member is deployed, the lower buffer member is deployed as it is (FIG. 7,
Since a part is the same as 8), the different point will be described.

In the block diagram of FIG. 9, a front buffer member contact detection sensor 35 is added to FIG. 7 as a left sensor.

The subroutine is the same as that of FIG. 8 up to the point where the front cushioning member 39 is deployed after the step S3 of judging whether or not it is within a predetermined time of the predicted contact time in FIG. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the lower buffer member 40 is deployed.

There are four types of determination steps, which are the differences between FIG. 10 and FIG. 13. Any one may be selected depending on the type of vehicle, ease of mounting the sensor, and the like. This step is surrounded by a dashed line in FIGS. 10 to 13 and is marked with 2). In FIG. 10, S4: is there contact with the front cushioning member? In FIG. 12, S7: Whether the contact possibility is larger than a second predetermined value B (B is larger than A). In FIG. 13, S8: The pedestrian has fallen on the road in front of the vehicle. Is. The sensor used in step S8 for determining the fall of the pedestrian on the road in front of the vehicle is a pedestrian detection sensor 3
2 or the front buffer member contact detection sensor 35 (judgment of falling if contact is lost). In any of the steps, in the case of yes, there is a high possibility that a pedestrian will be involved, so if the determination is yes, the lower cushioning member is deployed. At this time, the deployment intensity may be corrected according to the deceleration. For detecting the deceleration, a vehicle body deceleration sensor serving as the contact detection sensor 33 may be used.

As shown in FIG. 11, the expansion intensity is corrected so that the expansion intensity decreases as the deceleration increases. In this way, the amount of deployment of the lower cushioning member decreases as the deceleration increases. For example, three gas supply means are prepared, and when the deceleration is small, three are operated, and when the deceleration becomes large, the number of the gas supply means to be operated is two.
You only have to reduce it to one. When the number of actuations of the gas supply means is reduced, the amount of supplied gas and the pressure are also reduced, the amount of downward expansion is reduced, and the nose dive does not contact the road surface.

The subsequent flow is the same as in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of control for expanding the front shock absorbing member according to the deceleration and expanding the front shock absorbing member according to the deceleration. FIG. 16 shows a subroutine of this control. This control is used in the second embodiment, but the control of the present invention is not limited to this control method.

In this control, after the front cushioning member is deployed, the lower cushioning member is deployed as it is (FIG. 7,
Since a part is the same as 8), the different point will be described.

In the block diagram of FIG. 15, there is no lower cushioning member 40 in the right-hand working object as compared with FIG.

In the subroutine, up to a step S3 for judging whether or not it is within a predetermined time of the predicted contact time in FIG.
Is the same as In this control, if it is determined in step S3 that the time is within the predetermined time, the deceleration is detected by using the vehicle body deceleration sensor that is the contact detection sensor 33.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the deployment strength is corrected according to the detected deceleration, and the front cushioning member is deployed. The deployment driving force increases as the deployment strength increases, and the deployment driving force decreases as the deployment strength decreases.
The correction of the development intensity is as described above.

The subsequent flow is the same as in FIG.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of the airbag portion for preventing entanglement according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the position adjusting device.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control system that deploys a lower cushioning member after the front cushioning member is deployed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a subroutine of control for deploying a lower cushioning member after the front cushioning member is deployed.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control system that deploys a lower buffer member under a predetermined condition after the front buffer member is deployed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a subroutine of control for expanding the lower cushioning member when the front cushioning member comes into contact with the front cushioning member after the front cushioning member is deployed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a subroutine of control for expanding the lower buffer member when a predetermined time T elapses after the front buffer member is expanded.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a subroutine of control for expanding the lower buffer member when the contact possibility becomes larger than a second predetermined value B after the front buffer member is expanded.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a subroutine of control for expanding a lower cushioning member when detecting that a pedestrian has fallen on a road surface in front of a vehicle after the front cushioning member is deployed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between deceleration and deployment strength.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a control system that expands the front buffer member by expanding the deployment intensity according to the deceleration.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a subroutine of control for expanding the front cushioning member in accordance with the deceleration according to the expansion intensity.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pedestrian 2 Vehicle 3 Airbag storage part 3a Airbag fixing part 4 Inner bag 5 Outer bag 6 Strap 6a Strap 8 Entrapment prevention airbag 9 Exhaust hole 10 Front bumper 11 Front hood 13 Airbag storage part 14 Airbag 15 air Bag lower end 20 Gas supply means 20a Gas supply means 22 Position adjustment device S1 Contact possibility determination step S2 Contact target determination step S3 Determination step of whether or not the estimated contact time is within a predetermined time S4 Contact with the front buffer member Presence / absence determination step S5 Contact occurrence determination step S6 Step of determining whether a predetermined time T has elapsed after the front shock absorbing member has been deployed S7 Second contact possibility determination step S8 Determination step of the pedestrian's approach to the road ahead of the vehicle

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B60R 21/00 624 B60R 19/48 Z 19/48 21/01 21/01 21/16 21/16 21 / 34 613 21/34 613 22/46 22/46 21/34 693 F term (reference) 3D018 MA00 3D054 AA02 AA03 AA06 AA07 AA12 BB30 CC03 CC05 CC08 CC09 CC11 CC15 CC21 EE04 EE09 EE14 EE15 EE16 EE17 EE30 EE28 FF20

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle in which a cushioning member for predicting contact with a pedestrian and receiving the pedestrian is deployed forward of a front bumper, wherein the pedestrian is located between a vehicle body and a road surface. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, comprising: an entrainment preventing means that operates after the cushioning member is deployed, in order to prevent the entrainment. 2. The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the entanglement preventing means is a stuffing prevention cushioning member that extends under the front bumper. 3. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle in which a cushioning member for predicting contact with a pedestrian and receiving the pedestrian is deployed forward of a front bumper, wherein the lower end of the cushioning member is lower than the lower surface of the vehicle body. The deceleration detecting means detects the deceleration of the vehicle, and the buffer increases as the deceleration increases based on the deceleration of the vehicle detected by the deceleration detecting means. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, comprising: adjusting means for adjusting a lower end position of the cushioning member so that an amount of protrusion of the member downward from the lower surface of the vehicle body is reduced. 4. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a detecting means for detecting contact with a pedestrian in front of the vehicle, wherein said detecting means operates upon receiving the detection by said detecting means. Pedestrian protection device. 5. The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the detection means detects contact between the pedestrian and the cushioning member. 6. The pedestrian according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting a fall of the pedestrian on a road surface in front of the vehicle, wherein the entanglement prevention means detects a fall of the pedestrian by the detection means. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, which operates. 7. The deceleration detecting means for detecting the deceleration of the vehicle according to claim 2, and based on the deceleration of the vehicle detected by the deceleration detecting means, the entrainment preventing means increases as the deceleration increases. And a deployment amount changing means for changing the deployment amount of the entanglement preventing means so as to reduce the deployment amount downwardly of the pedestrian protection device. 8. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said entanglement preventing means has a pedestrian guiding portion extending to the left and right sides of the vehicle body. 9. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the amount of protrusion of the shock absorbing member downward from the lower surface of the vehicle body increases as the deployment driving force increases. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, comprising: a driving force changing unit configured to decrease the deployment driving force of the buffer member as the deceleration increases.