Device for the occupant protection of a vehicle, as well as a vehicle with such a device

Abstract

Device (1) for occupant protection of a vehicle for catching the legs (21) of a vehicle occupant (2), comprising a flexible catching element (6), wherein the catching element (6) is connected at both or at least at one end (61, 62) to a release device, wherein the at least one release device is designed to convert the catching element (6) from an unstretched to a taut state by inflating it or by applying a tensile force, a) wherein the collecting element (6) in the taut state runs substantially parallel to the vehicle floor (5), characterized in that b) the device (1) comprises a housing (8) that can be integrated into or attached to a vehicle floor (5) and that contains the collecting element (6) in its unstretched state, wherein the housing (8) has an outlet point designed such that the collecting element (6) can exit from the outlet point when transitioning from an unstretched to a taut state, and c) the device (1) has deflectors (7) designed to guide the receiving element (6) when transitioning from the unstretched to the taut state, so that the receiving element (6) is tensioned between the deflectors (7) in the taut state, the deflectors (7) being arranged in a position raised relative to the vehicle floor (5).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for protecting the occupants of a vehicle and to a vehicle with such a device.

[0002] Various systems and devices for occupant protection in motor vehicles are known from the prior art.

[0003] For example, in the event of a collision or severe deceleration, vehicle occupants are restrained by a sturdy seat belt connected to the vehicle body, preventing them from being ejected through or from the vehicle. However, the seat belt alone no longer meets today's safety requirements.

[0004] Vehicle occupants can also be protected by an impact cushion or airbag, which quickly fills with gas in the event of an accident, preventing them from impacting hard interior components such as the steering wheel or dashboard. For this to work, the impact cushion must be supported from behind by a surface like a front seat or glove compartment; otherwise, an occupant would simply push the cushion away, rendering it ineffective.

[0005] Furthermore, decades ago, consideration was already given to supplementing the occupant protection devices of the time with additions such as knee airbags or knee straps or similar devices.

[0006] For example, DE 25 40 951 A1 discloses a safety device with an energy-absorbing, resilient impact element fixed to the vehicle frame at a short distance in front of the knees of a vehicle occupant, for restraining the lower body of the vehicle occupant, characterized in that the impact element is formed by a webbing strap stretched transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at knee level, to which force-limiting devices are assigned. However, the installation of such a unit is extremely complex. DE 10 2014 216 475 A1 discloses a kneecap control unit that suppresses forward movement of the occupant's kneecaps in a vehicle collision, in particular knee airbags, which, however, require support against the vehicle wall for stabilization.

[0007] Further solutions can be found, for example, in DE 25 47 186 A1, DE 198 17 199 C1, DE 10 2013 105 591 A1 or US 2005 / 0 046 158 A1.

[0008] In novel vehicle concepts, particularly for autonomous driving, there may be no conventional seating arrangement, meaning that support surfaces for an impact cushion are lacking. This is the case, for example, in the cabin of an autonomous vehicle with facing seats, between which there is an open space or standing room for additional vehicle occupants.

[0009] It has been shown that with such a design, or generally when a support surface is lacking, a vehicle occupant's legs are often thrown uncontrollably forward in the event of an accident, potentially causing the occupant to injure themselves or other vehicle occupants, for example, in the head. Due to the lack of a support surface, however, this problem cannot be solved using a conventional impact cushion.

[0010] The present invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a vehicle or a device for the occupant protection of a vehicle that increases the safety of the vehicle occupants and / or is easy to implement.

[0011] This problem is solved according to the invention by a device having the features of claim 1 and a vehicle having the features of claim 10. Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. The wording of the claims is incorporated by express reference into the description.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, a device for protecting vehicle occupants, in particular for catching the legs of a vehicle occupant, is characterized by having a flexible catching element, in particular a rope, strap, or hose, wherein the catching element is connected at both or at least one end to a release device, the at least one release device being configured to convert the catching element from an unstretched to a taut state by inflation or by applying a tensile force. The taut catching element is thus able, in the event of an accident causing abrupt deceleration of the vehicle, to catch the legs of the vehicle occupant which are thrown forward in their inertial motion and prevent injuries. Additionally, the catching element can catch loose objects, such as luggage.

[0013] In accordance with the invention, a flexible element, also called a shape-instabilizing element, is preferably attributed with the properties of low tensile stiffness and large deformations as a result of low force and moment stress, in particular transverse to its longitudinal extent, which is preferably significantly larger than the extent in other spatial directions.

[0014] The device is designed to catch the legs of a vehicle occupant and is located or can be installed in the footwell of a vehicle. It is provided that the device comprises a housing that can be integrated into or attached to the area of ​​a vehicle floor and contains the catching element in its unstretched state. The housing has an outlet designed so that the catching element can exit the outlet when transitioning from an unstretched to a taut state.

[0015] The ends of the collecting element, or at least one of the ends, are preferably wound onto a roller of the device in the taut state, or attached to the roller in the untaut state and can be wound onto it.

[0016] Preferably, the transition of the catch element from the unstretched to the taut state occurs within 80 milliseconds, better still 50 milliseconds, and particularly preferably within 20 milliseconds. Rapid tautness of the catch element is advantageous for effectively protecting vehicle occupants. Alternatively, for early accident detection, it may also be advantageous if the transition of the catch element from the unstretched to the taut state occurs within more than 80 milliseconds, as this reduces the risk of injury from the device itself.

[0017] The collecting element preferably has an elongated or elongated shape. In cross-section, either a hollow or a solid profile, for example round, oval or rectangular, can be suitable.

[0018] According to a preferred further development, the restraint element, in its taut state, runs essentially parallel to the ground, particularly the vehicle floor. Thus, the restraint element runs perpendicular to the expected direction of movement of a vehicle occupant's leg in the event of an accident. The leg is therefore not deflected in a different direction but is completely stopped.

[0019] It is preferred that the catch element, when taut, extends at shin height, preferably at a height of 5 to 35 cm, and particularly preferably at a height of 10 to 25 cm above the ground. This height ensures that the leg of a vehicle occupant can be reliably caught. A height of approximately 10 cm has proven particularly advantageous in tests.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the release device comprises an explosive charge, a tension spring, or a gas generator for tightening the retaining element. The release device can preferably be designed similarly to a seatbelt tensioner.

[0021] The collecting element can preferably be wound onto a roller, wherein a rotary tensioner, using a pyrotechnic propellant charge, is designed to accelerate spheres in a channel via the gas pressure generated by the propellant charge. These spheres then act upon the teeth of a gear. The gear, which is coaxially mounted on the roller, thus causes the collecting element to be abruptly wound up and therefore tensioned.

[0022] In an alternative preferred embodiment, the collecting element tightens by means of a gas generator or a multi-stage gas generator through sudden filling with a gas. The gas generator can preferably be a pyrotechnic, cold gas, or hybrid gas generator, correspondingly using a solid propellant or a gas stored under high pressure.

[0023] The impact-absorbing element is preferably elastic and / or plastically deformable. This gives it a certain degree of flexibility, which can be adapted to the specific application through appropriate shaping and material selection. This flexibility prevents legs from being decelerated too abruptly and thus from being injured.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment, the device includes a force limiter designed to limit the maximum force acting along the restraint element, preferably to a biomechanically tolerable limit. The force limiter particularly comprises a torsion bar positively connected to the restraint element. The force limiter is preferably designed similarly to a seatbelt force limiter. When tightened, the restraint element is preferably wound onto a roller. However, the tightening should only occur to the extent that the braking effect of the restraint element on the occupant or their legs is not excessive and no injury occurs. The winding mechanism with the force limiter can preferably, as with a seatbelt force limiter, lock when a certain rolling acceleration of the roller is exceeded.It is advantageous for the roller to have an outer toothed ring that rotates freely within a larger, inward-facing toothed ring. The roller is held in the neutral position by spring force, and when a tensile force is exceeded at the retaining element, it is pressed against the outer toothed ring and thus locked in place.

[0025] Furthermore, the device features deflectors, in particular rollers, designed to guide the receptacle element from its unstretched to its taut state, so that in the taut state the receptacle element is tensioned between the deflectors, which are arranged in a position elevated relative to the ground. The deflectors allow the device to be integrated into the vehicle in a space-saving manner, enabling the release mechanism to be placed in a side wall bordering the footwell or in any other structure rising above the vehicle floor. Advantageously, the deflectors also ensure that the receptacle element can be tensioned at a specific desired height, namely the height of the deflectors. Thus, the receptacle element does not need to be moved into a specific position to function, but simply needs to be tensioned by pulling.

[0026] Preferably, the discharge point is designed as a predetermined breaking point or flap. When the collecting element is tightened, it is pressed against the discharge point, causing the predetermined breaking point to tear open or the flap to swing open.

[0027] The device preferably comprises several catch elements which, in their taut state, are arranged parallel and / or perpendicular or crosswise to one another, forming a net. The features of the device mentioned in the description with regard to the catch element preferably also apply to the other catch elements. The multiple catch elements ensure that the protective effect of the device occurs even if a vehicle occupant does not assume a specific, assumed posture or seating position. In other words, the multiple catch elements or the net cover a larger area above the vehicle floor, so it can be assumed that at least one of the catch elements will catch the occupant's leg regardless of their posture or position.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, several or all of the retaining elements are contained within the housing in the unstretched state. The housing thus provides an approximately common starting position for all retaining elements. When the retaining elements are tightened, they move from this common starting position to their respective, spaced-apart, tightened positions. In doing so, they can potentially bypass obstacles distributed on the vehicle floor, provided that these obstacles do not block the housing or the common starting position.

[0029] It is further preferred that the triggering device comprises signal processing electronics configured such that the transition of the catch element from an unstretched to a taut state occurs depending on the signal from an impact sensor and / or depending on the signal from interior sensors, wherein the interior sensors are configured to detect the position of vehicle occupants and / or loose objects in the vehicle interior and / or their movement, in particular optically, by means of ultrasound, microwave and / or infrared detection. The interior sensors enable free-space detection, which detects the positions of occupants and their extremities as well as objects located on the vehicle floor.Preferably, the triggering device is signaled by the signal processing electronics whether there is an obstacle in the way and whether the triggering of the tightening process for one or more of the collecting elements should be prevented.

[0030] According to a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle comprises a footwell and a device according to the invention, wherein the footwell comprises a floor which includes the collecting element in the unstretched state or in which the collecting element is integrated in a cavity.

[0031] Preferably, the footwell includes side walls into which the deflectors are integrated or on which the deflectors are arranged. This corresponds to a space-saving implementation of the device in a vehicle.

[0032] It is advisable for the vehicle to include an additional occupant protection device in the form of belts or restraint bars. This ensures that vehicle occupants are fully protected and that the restraint system does not become a tripping hazard.

[0033] The properties, features, and advantages of the invention described above, as well as the manner in which these are achieved, become clearer and more easily understood in connection with the drawings explained below. These drawings show, in a highly schematic representation, the Fig. 1 a sectional view of a vehicle interior with several collection elements in its unstretched state, Fig. 2 a sectional view of a vehicle interior during an abrupt deceleration as a result of an accident, wherein the retaining elements, however, remain in an unstretched state contrary to the mode of operation of the invention, Fig. 3 a sectional view of a vehicle interior during an abrupt deceleration as a result of an accident, wherein the catch elements are streamlined according to the invention, Fig. 4 a device according to the invention with a collecting element in the unstretched state, Fig. 5 a device according to the invention with a collecting element in the taut state, Fig. 6 a device according to the invention according to a further embodiment in a top view with several collecting elements, on the left in the unstretched state, on the right in the taut state, Fig. 7 a device according to the invention with several collecting elements in the taut state according to the exemplary embodiment of the Fig. 6.

[0034] It will be on Fig. Figure 1 refers to an initial situation. The cross-section shown of a cabin or the interior of a vehicle reveals two opposing seats or rows of seats. Such an arrangement can typically be useful in autonomous vehicles, but also in public transport such as buses or trains.

[0035] A vehicle occupant 2 is shown in simplified form on one of the seats 3. This occupant is securely fastened to the seat 3 by a safety belt 4, the path of which is shown here only as an example. The vehicle has a floor 5 in which several impact-absorbing elements 6 are integrated. Due to the sectional view, their elongated shape is not visible in this figure.

[0036] To illustrate the underlying problem, in Fig. Figure 2 illustrates the potential effects of an accident or a sudden deceleration of the vehicle. For illustrative purposes, the device 1 with the restraint elements 6 is not active or can be disregarded. It is evident that the legs 21 of the vehicle occupant 2 are thrown upwards and forwards during the accident. This is because, due to their inertia, the legs 21 maintain the vehicle's original movement, while the occupant's hips are coupled to the abruptly decelerating vehicle. The risk of injury is particularly high if, as in this example, the upper body of the vehicle occupant 2 is not secured by a seat belt 4. The upper body is then also thrown forwards, and the occupant's head 22 and legs 21 collide.However, even if the upper body were restrained by a shoulder belt with a force limiter, the problem would still occur. Further risks can arise from flying objects and additional vehicle occupants.

[0037] Out of Fig. Figure 3 illustrates how the device 1 helps to significantly reduce the risk of injury. A signal is sent via accident sensors, which are well known to those skilled in the art, and a triggering device is activated, causing the catch elements 6 to tighten at a specific height above the ground 5. The catch elements 6 are, for example, connected to rollers at their ends 61, 62, with the tightening effect being achieved by the ends 61, 62 rolling up in opposite directions. Alternatively, only one end 61, 62 is connected to a roller in a way that allows it to be rolled up, and the other end 61, 62 is fixed to the vehicle body. According to another alternative, the tightening can simply be achieved by the sudden inflation of the catch elements 6 with a gas. The catch elements 6 are designed to be flexible with respect to their deformability.Additionally, the compliance can be adjusted by using the force limiting function of a belt retractor and by rolling the restraint element 6 onto such a device or a similar device 1. The illustration shows that the movement of the leg 21 of the vehicle occupant 2 is dampened by at least one of the restraint elements 6, thus preventing an impact between the leg 21 and the head 22 of the vehicle occupant.

[0038] In Fig. Figure 4 shows how a catch element 6, in its unstretched state, runs over deflectors 7. The deflectors 7 are located at the specific height at which the taut catch element 6 is intended to catch the leg 21 of the vehicle occupant 2. The arrows symbolically illustrate the direction of pull of the ends 61, 62 of the catch element when transitioning from the unstretched to the taut state. To generate the necessary pulling force, pyrotechnically or motor-driven rollers, for example, are conceivable. The taut state is again in Fig. 5 shown.

[0039] Another embodiment is described in the Fig. 6 and Fig. Figure 7 illustrates this. Here, the catch elements 6 are not distributed and spaced apart along the vehicle floor 5 in their unstretched state, but rather combined in a common housing 8 or a common cavity in the floor 5, while the deflectors 7 are spaced apart as in the previous embodiment. Thus, for the reliable release of all catch elements 6, it is sufficient if the area above them is clear. When the device 1 is triggered, flaps on the housing 8 open, or a predetermined breaking point is released. By tightening the catch elements 6, they not only move to the intended height but also assume the intended spacing.

[0040] The in Fig.The movement pattern shown in Figure 7 can be influenced, if necessary, by a ring that can be opened or a corresponding object that bundles the collecting elements for a period of time during their movement into the taut position, so that obstacles on the floor 5 of the vehicle can be better avoided.

Claims

[1] Device (1) for occupant protection of a vehicle for catching the legs (21) of a vehicle occupant (2), comprising a flexible catching element (6), wherein the catching element (6) is connected at both or at least at one end (61, 62) to a release device, wherein the at least one release device is configured to convert the catching element (6) from an unstretched to a taut state by inflating it or by applying a tensile force, a) wherein the collecting element (6) in the taut state runs substantially parallel to the vehicle floor (5), characterized by , that b) the device (1) comprises a housing (8) that can be integrated into or attached to a vehicle floor (5), which contains the collecting element (6) in its unstretched state, wherein the housing (8) has an outlet point designed such that the collecting element (6) can exit from the outlet point when transitioning from an unstretched to a taut state, and c) the device (1) has deflectors (7) designed to guide the receiving element (6) when transitioning from the unstretched to the taut state, so that the receiving element (6) is tensioned between the deflectors (7) in the taut state, the deflectors (7) being arranged in a position raised relative to the vehicle floor (5). [2] Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the retaining element (6) in the taut state runs at shin height above the vehicle floor (5). [3] Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the triggering device includes an explosive charge, a tension spring or a gas generator for tightening the collecting element (6). [4] Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the collecting element (6) is elastic and / or plastically deformable. [5] Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a force limiter designed to limit the maximum force acting along the catch element (6), wherein the force limiter in particular has a torsion bar which is positively connected to the catch element (6). [6] Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the exit point is designed as a predetermined breaking point or flap. [7] Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the device (1) has several collecting elements (6) which are arranged parallel and / or perpendicular to each other in the taut state, so that a net is formed. [8] Device (1) according to claims 5, 6 or 7, characterized by , that in the unstretched state several or all collecting elements (6) are contained in the housing (8). [9] Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the triggering device comprises signal processing electronics configured such that the transfer of the receiving element (6) from an unstretched to a taut state is dependent on the signal of an impact sensor and / or on the signal of an interior sensor system, wherein the interior sensor system is configured to detect the position of vehicle occupants (2) and / or loose objects in the vehicle interior and / or their movement. [10] Vehicle comprising a footwell and a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the footwell comprises a floor (5) which includes the collecting element (6) in the unstretched state or in which the collecting element (6) is integrated in a cavity. [11] Vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the footwell comprises side walls in which the deflectors (7) are integrated or on which the deflectors (7) are arranged. [12] Vehicle according to one of claims 10 or 11, characterized by , that the vehicle includes an additional device for occupant protection in the form of belts (4) or bars.

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