JP2000108824A - Personal protective air-cushion device on vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a pedestrian not to be incurred into a serious traffic accident upon catching the pedestrian in an air cushion for absorbing the impact shock by largely inflating this air cushion at the front of a car body just before a vehicle collides with the pedestrian. SOLUTION: An air cushion 1 made up of dividing the inner part into four separate rooms with three partition walls 1a is installed in a bumper at the front of a car body 19 in a deflated state, connecting a supply line of high pressure gas out of an air cylinder to each individual separate room of the air cushion 1 via a solenoid valve, and then an on-off switch of this solenoid valve is installed in a driver's seat. A form of the inflated air cushion 1 is of L-shaped three dimensions consisting of a horizontal part 2 and a wall part 3, and each of inclines 4 and 5 is installed in a front part of the horizontal part 2 and an upper part of the wall part 3, making the height of an upper end of this incline 4 higher than that of the horizontal part 2, and further two nets 6 for preventing a person from falling down are installed at both sides of the horizontal part 2. Moreover, a ventilation path 7 is installed in the wall part 3, and thereby a transparent material is used in a higher part than a windshield of the wall part 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a safety device for protecting a pedestrian from injury in the event of a collision between the vehicle and a pedestrian. The present invention relates to a personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle in which an air cushion housed in a depressed state is inflated by high-pressure gas.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vehicle, bumpers for reducing the impact of a collision in the event of a vehicle collision are attached to the front and rear of the vehicle body. In the event of a personal collision, a pedestrian is protected from the impact of the collision. There is nothing, and pedestrians can be seriously injured and killed by being bounced off by a vehicle, riding on a hood, banging on a windshield, or falling to the ground and getting caught in a car body.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves these problems in the prior art, and immediately before the vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the air cushion is largely inflated at the front of the vehicle body so that the pedestrian is captured in the air cushion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle that reduces the impact of a collision and prevents a serious accident.

[0004]

Means for solving the above problems are as follows: 1) An air cushion is attached to a front part of a vehicle body in a contracted state, and a high pressure gas supply line from a high pressure gas supply source is connected to the air cushion. The vehicle is connected to the vehicle via an on-off valve, and an operation section of the on-off valve is provided in a driver's seat, and an operation of opening the on-off valve rapidly expands an air cushion at a front portion of the vehicle body to shield a front surface of the vehicle body. Protective air cushion device 2) The vehicle personal protection air cushion device according to 1), wherein the inflated air cushion has a substantially L-shaped three-dimensional shape including a horizontal portion and a wall rising upward behind the horizontal portion. 3) An inclined surface which is linearly inclined at a predetermined angle from a horizontal plane is provided on a front portion of a horizontal portion of the inflated air cushion and an upper portion of the wall portion, and a front surface of the horizontal portion of the air cushion is provided. The air cushion device according to the above 2), wherein the front end of the slope and the front end of the bottom of the air cushion intersect with each other. 4) The height of the upper end of the inclined surface at the front of the expanded horizontal portion of the air cushion is set higher than the horizontal portion of the air cushion. Said 3) raised
5) A personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle according to any one of the above 2) to 4), wherein a net is provided on both sides of a horizontal portion of the inflated air cushion to prevent people from falling off. 7. The air cushion device according to any one of 1) to 5) above, wherein the inside of the air cushion is divided into a plurality of independent chambers, and the high pressure gas supply line is branched into a plurality of sections and connected to the respective independent chambers. The vehicle according to any one of 1) to 6), wherein the contracted air cushion is accommodated in a front bumper, and the bumper is opened by pressing the bumper from the inside by the expansion of the air cushion so that the air cushion pops out. 8) The protective air cushion device according to any one of 1) to 7) above, wherein a plurality of ventilation paths are provided in the inflated air cushion along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Wherein using a transparent material with the expanded air cushion top positioned above the windshield of both the personal protection air cushion unit 9) the vehicle 1) to
8) A personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle according to any of the above 1) to 10). A personal protection air cushion for a vehicle according to any of the above 1) to 9), wherein a comb-shaped deep cut is provided at a front portion of the inflated air cushion. Equipment.

[0005]

According to the present invention, if a pedestrian is found ahead of the vehicle during driving and it is determined that a collision cannot be avoided, the driver steps on the brake and operates a switch on the driver's seat to open and close the open / close valve of the high-pressure gas supply source to release the air cushion. inflate. When high-pressure gas flows into the air cushion housed in a contracted state in the bumper, the air cushion starts to expand in the bumper, presses the bumper from the inside, removes the upper end of the bumper from the vehicle body, and focuses on the pin connection at the lower end of the bumper. When the bumper opens, the air cushion rapidly expands to a predetermined shape at the front of the vehicle body. The pedestrian can reduce the impact of the collision with the vehicle by the air cushion and minimize injuries. When the air cushion is formed into a three-dimensional shape including a horizontal portion and a wall portion, the horizontal portion receives a pedestrian, and the wall portion reduces the impact of a collision with the vehicle body. The air cushion with the front part of the horizontal part and the upper part of the wall part with an inclined surface pushes the air cushion downward by wind pressure, prevents it from turning up, stabilizes the air cushion at a predetermined position, Pick up pedestrians on the slope and fall into the air cushion. In addition, the height of the horizontal part is lower than the uppermost end of the front slope, which catches the pedestrian in the air cushion, prevents it from jumping forward in the air cushion by reaction, and both sides of the horizontal part The one provided with a net prevents pedestrians from rolling down from the side of the air cushion. When the inside of the air cushion is divided into multiple independent chambers, high-pressure gas flows into each space at the same time, making it easy to form the shape of the air cushion and minimizing damage even if part of the air cushion is damaged. it can. An air cushion provided with a plurality of ventilation paths for releasing airflow due to wind pressure stabilizes the form of the air cushion and secures a pedestrian in a stable state. The vehicle using a transparent material for the air cushion above the windshield of the vehicle can secure the front view from the driver's seat and can safely move the vehicle after the air cushion device is activated. A comb-shaped deep cut in the front of the air cushion secures the pedestrian in the cut.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The material of the air cushion is desirably a material having a high strength, such as Kevlar cloth having an airtight film attached thereto.
As a high-pressure gas supply source, a high-pressure air cylinder, an inflator used as a gas supply source of an existing air bag device, or the like can desirably supply a large amount of gas instantaneously. As the on-off valve provided in the supply line of the high-pressure gas, there are those operated manually, pneumatically, mechanically, and electromagnetically.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air cushion device for protecting a person in a vehicle according to the present embodiment after inflation of an air cushion, and FIG.
-A sectional view, Fig. 3 is a BB sectional view in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a side view showing a state where a pedestrian is secured in an inflated air cushion, and Fig. 5 is an explanatory view showing a high-pressure gas supply line. , FIG.
FIG. 7 is a front view of a bumper at the front of the vehicle body, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a bumper containing a contracted air cushion, FIG. 8 is a front view of an inflated air cushion having a recess in the center, FIG.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 8, FIG.
11 is a cross-sectional view of the air cushion of FIG. 11C, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where a pedestrian is captured by the air cushion of FIG. 11D. In this embodiment (refer to FIGS. 1 to 13), 1 is an air cushion, 1a is a dividing wall in the air cushion 1, 2 is a horizontal portion of the expanded air cushion 1, 3 is a wall portion of the expanded air cushion 1, 4 Is an inclined surface at the front of the horizontal part 2, the upper end of which is located higher than the horizontal part 2. 5 is an inclined surface on the upper part of the wall 3, 6 is a net provided on both sides of the horizontal part,
Reference numeral 7 denotes a ventilation passage having a rectangular cross section provided side by side at three places on the wall portion 3, reference numeral 8 denotes a bumper at the front of the vehicle body 19, reference numeral 8a denotes a pin for locking the lower end of the bumper 8 to the vehicle body 19, and reference numeral 8b denotes a front end of the upper portion of the bumper 8. 8c is a bumper holding portion provided in the vehicle body 19, 8d is a locking piece at the upper end of the bumper holding portion 8c which engages with the locking hole 8b, 9 is a solenoid valve, and 10 is an air cushion 1. The air cylinder to be inflated, 11 is the air cylinder 1
The air supply line from 0 to the air cushion 1 branches into four from the middle and is connected to four independent chambers of the air cushion 1 respectively. 12 is a control circuit of the solenoid valve 9; 13 is an on / off switch of a solenoid valve provided in the driver's seat;
Is a concave portion of the inflated air cushion 1, 15 is a side wall of the inflated air cushion 1, 16 is a check valve, 17 is a cut portion, 18 is a pedestrian, and 19 is a vehicle body. In the air cushion device for protecting a person in a vehicle according to the present embodiment, the air cushion 1 is used.
Is stored in the bumper 8 in a contracted state. If the driver detects a pedestrian 18 ahead of the vehicle and determines that a collision cannot be avoided during driving, the driver depresses the brake and operates the switch 13 in the driver's seat to operate the air cylinder. The solenoid valve 9 provided on the supply line 10 is opened to allow air to flow into the air cushion 1. When air flows into the air cushion 1 housed in a contracted state in the bumper 8, the air cushion 1 starts to expand in the bumper 8, presses the bumper 8 from the inside, removes the upper end of the bumper 8 from the vehicle body 19, and removes the lower end of the bumper 8. The bumper 8 opens around the pin connecting portion 8a and rapidly expands to a predetermined shape at the front of the vehicle body. The inside of the air cushion 1 is divided into four in the vertical direction, and the supply line 11 of the air cylinder 10 is branched and connected to each of the divided independent chambers, so that it is easy to form the shape. After the air cushion 1 is inflated, the wind pressure hits the inclined surfaces 4 and 5 and pushes the inflated air cushion 1 downward, and releases the airflow due to the wind pressure from the ventilation path 7 to stabilize the position of the air cushion 1. As a supply source of the high-pressure gas, an inflator used in an existing air bag device can be used in addition to the air cylinder 10. In this case, the air cushion 1 is divided into inflators corresponding to the volume of the air cushion 1.
The air cushion 1 is mounted in each of the independent chambers to shorten the time for inflating the air cushion 1. The ignition switch for the inflator is provided in the driver's seat. At the time of a collision, the pedestrian 18 is scooped up from the feet by the inclined surface 4, falls down into the inflated air cushion 1 and is captured. At this time, since the horizontal portion 2 of the inflated air cushion 1 is located at a position lower than the upper end of the inclined surface 4, the pedestrian 18 is prevented from jumping forward due to the recoil of the collision, and the nets 6 on both sides of the horizontal portion 2 The pedestrian 18 is prevented from falling down in the lateral direction of the inflated air cushion 1 and is reliably captured in the inflated air cushion 1. The pedestrian 18 is prevented from directly colliding with the vehicle body 19 by the inflated air cushion 1 and can avoid a large injury. Since the upper portion of the inflated air cushion 1 is made of a transparent material, the front view from the driver's seat can be secured even after the air cushion 1 is inflated, so that the vehicle can be moved to a safe place. Inflated air cushion 1
The shape in which the central portion is depressed as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 captures the pedestrian 18 by the concave portion 14 so as not to fly forward due to the recoil of the collision with the inflated air cushion 1, The two side walls 15 prevent it from rolling down in the lateral direction. Further, the inside of the air cushion 1 is divided into four in the vertical direction, and an air cylinder 10 is provided in each of the divided independent chambers.
Since the supply lines 11 are branched and connected, the shape can be easily formed. As shown in FIG. 11, the shape of the air cushion 1 is shown in FIG.
(B) is an L-shaped cubic shape and the inside is divided into four in the vertical direction, (c) is (b) the inside is further divided into five in the horizontal direction, and (d) is a comb-shaped deep cut There are various shapes such as three-dimensional shapes. In (c), as shown in FIG. 12, the check valve 16 is provided at the connection part of each divided room, so that the inflowing air does not flow backward and the shape of the air cushion 1 is easily maintained. 13D, the pedestrian 18 is captured in the air cushion 1 so as to sandwich the pedestrian 18 in the cutout 17 as shown in FIG. The personal protection air cushion device of the vehicle of the present embodiment is not only for the purpose of personal protection,
By activating the vehicle when it is likely to collide with a roadside wall, telephone pole or other vehicle, it can reduce the impact due to the collision, reduce the damage to the vehicle, and reduce the impact on the driver and passengers .

[0008]

According to the present invention, the air cushion is inflated at the front of the vehicle body to reduce the impact of the collision between the pedestrian and the vehicle body,
Pedestrians can be protected from major injuries. In addition, the horizontal part of the inflated air cushion is lowered one step to prevent pedestrians from flying forward due to the recoil of the collision with the air cushion, and a net is provided on both sides of the horizontal part so that the pedestrian rolls down in the horizontal direction To prevent pedestrians from being trapped in the air cushion. Further, the inflated air cushion provided with the inclined surface and the ventilated path stabilizes the position of the air cushion, so that the pedestrian can be reliably captured in the air cushion in a stable state. The air cushion is inflated at the front of the vehicle body not only at the time of an interpersonal collision but also at the time of an object collision, thereby mitigating the collision, reducing the damage to the vehicle, and reducing the shock to the driver and the passenger.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment after an air cushion is inflated.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where a pedestrian is secured in an inflated air cushion.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a supply line for a high-pressure gas.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a bumper.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bumper.

FIG. 8 is a front view of an inflated air cushion having a depression in the center.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is another example of the shape of the inflated air cushion.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the air cushion of FIG. 11 (c).

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where a pedestrian is captured by the air cushion of FIG. 11D.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air cushion 1a Divided room 2 Horizontal part 3 Wall part 4, 5 Inclined surface 6 Net 7 Ventilation path 8 Bumper 8a Pin 8b Locking hole 8c Bumper clamping part 8d Locking piece 9 Electromagnetic valve 10 Air cylinder 11 Supply line 12 Electromagnetic valve Control circuit 13 solenoid valve on / off switch 14 recess 15 side wall 16 check valve 17 cutout 18 pedestrian 19 vehicle body

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] September 13, 1999 (1999.9.1)
3)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0004

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0004]

Means for solving the above problems are as follows: 1) An air cushion is attached to a front part of a vehicle body in a contracted state, and a high pressure gas supply line from a high pressure gas supply source is connected to the air cushion. Connected via an on-off valve, the operating part of the on-off valve is provided in the driver's seat, and the shape of the inflated air cushion
From the horizontal part and the wall rising up behind the horizontal part
Becomes substantially the L-shaped three-dimensional shape, the air cushion rapidly expanded in the vehicle body front by an operation of opening the closing valve, personal protection air cushion device 2 of the vehicle, characterized in that shields the body front) inflated air cushion Between the front of the horizontal and the wall
At the top, incline linearly at a predetermined angle from the horizontal plane
Inclined surface, and the front of the horizontal part of the air cushion is inclined.
Make sure that the front edge of the
3) The personal cushioning air cushion device according to the above 1) 3) On the inclined surface at the front of the horizontal portion of the inflated air cushion.
2) The height of the end is higher than the horizontal part of the air cushion.
4) The personal cushioning air cushion device described in the above 4) A person rolls on both sides of the horizontal part of the inflated air cushion.
Any of the above 1) to 3) provided with a net to prevent baldness
The internal personal protection air cushion device 5) air cushion vehicles of the mounting is divided into a plurality of independent chambers, high
The pressurized gas supply line is branched into multiple sections and
6. The air cushion device according to any one of the above 1) to 4), wherein the air cushion is shrunk in a bumper at a front portion of the vehicle body.
And a bumper from inside due to inflation of the air cushion.
Press to open the bumper and the air cushion pops out
7. The air cushion device for protecting a vehicle according to any one of the above 1) to 5), 7) in the inflated air cushion along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
A plurality of air passage above 1) to 6) personal protection air cushion device 8 for a vehicle according any) it expands located above the windshield of a vehicle provided with I
1)-Using a transparent material on the upper part of the air cushion
7) A personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle according to any of the above items 9) A comb tooth for inserting a person into the front portion of the inflated air cushion.
The air cushion device for protecting a person according to any one of the above 1) to 8), wherein the air cushion is provided in a state where the air cushion is contracted at a front portion of the vehicle body.
High pressure gas source from the high pressure gas source.
The pressurized gas supply line is connected via an on-off valve,
The operation unit is installed in the driver's seat and is located above the windshield of the vehicle.
Transparent material above the inflated air cushion
Open the on-off valve and use the air
Features that expand rapidly and shield the front of the vehicle
11) An air cushion device for protecting a person in a vehicle that is to be removed
High pressure gas source from the high pressure gas source.
The pressurized gas supply line is connected via an on-off valve,
The driver's seat is equipped with an operation section for the front of the inflated air cushion.
A comb-shaped deep notch that sandwiches a person is provided and the on-off valve is opened.
Quickly inflates the air cushion at the front of the vehicle
In addition, the present invention is directed to an air cushion device for protecting a person in a vehicle, wherein the front surface of the vehicle body is shielded .

Claims (10)

[Claims] An air cushion is attached to a front portion of a vehicle body in a contracted state, a high-pressure gas supply line from a high-pressure gas supply source is connected to the air cushion via an on-off valve, and an operation unit of the on-off valve is connected to a driver's seat. An air cushion device for personal protection of a vehicle, wherein an air cushion is rapidly expanded at a front portion of a vehicle body by an operation of opening an on-off valve to shield a front surface of the vehicle body. 2. An inflated air cushion having a substantially L shape comprising a horizontal portion and a wall rising upward behind the horizontal portion.
The air cushion device according to claim 1, wherein the air cushion device has a three-dimensional shape. 3. An inclined surface which is linearly inclined at a predetermined angle from a horizontal plane at a front portion of a horizontal portion and an upper portion of a wall portion of the inflated air cushion, and a front end of the inclined surface of the front portion of the horizontal portion of the air cushion is provided. 3. An air cushion device according to claim 2, wherein the front end of the air cushion intersects the front end of the air cushion bottom. 4. The air cushion device according to claim 3, wherein the height of the upper end of the inclined surface at the front of the inflated air cushion is higher than that of the air cushion horizontal. 5. The air cushion device according to claim 2, wherein a net is provided on both sides of the horizontal portion of the inflated air cushion to prevent a person from falling down. 6. The air cushion according to claim 1, wherein the interior of the air cushion is divided into a plurality of independent chambers, and a high pressure gas supply line is branched into a plurality of independent chambers and connected to the respective independent chambers. apparatus. 7. A contracted air cushion is accommodated in a front bumper of a vehicle body, and the bumper is opened by pressing the bumper from the inside by expansion of the air cushion, so that the air cushion pops out. A personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle as described in the above. 8. The air cushion device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ventilation paths are provided in the inflated air cushion along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. 9. A personal protection air cushion device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a transparent material is used on an inflated air cushion located above a windshield of the vehicle. 10. The personal cushioning air cushion device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a comb-shaped deep cut that sandwiches a person is provided at a front portion of the inflated air cushion.