Motor vehicle with a pedestrian protection device

Abstract

Motor vehicle with a motor vehicle body (13) which has a plurality of vehicle pillars (18), and a pedestrian protection device (30) which is arranged on at least one of the vehicle pillars (18) and is adjustable between an active state and an inactive state, wherein the pedestrian protection device (30) has a flexible tensioning element (34) and a lever mechanism (31) which is adjustable between the active state and the inactive state for tensioning the flexible tensioning element (34), wherein the lever mechanism (31) is displaced in front of the vehicle pillar (18) in such a way that the flexible tensioning element (34) is tensioned in front of the vehicle pillar (18) and covers the vehicle pillar (18) at least in sections on the outside environment side.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle having a motor vehicle body which has a plurality of vehicle pillars, and a pedestrian protection device which is arranged on at least one of the vehicle pillars and is reversibly adjustable between an active state and an inactive state.

[0002] In a head-on collision between a motor vehicle and a pedestrian, the pedestrian's body is known to be projected over or onto the vehicle hood and impact the windshield area of the vehicle. Although the impact of a pedestrian against the windshield can cause significant injuries, the vehicle's A-pillars, which, along with the B-pillars, C-pillars, and D-pillars, form the vehicle's pillars, are considered the most dangerous parts of the windshield area of a motor vehicle. The A-pillars form part of the structure of a motor vehicle body and extend upward and rearward from the area of the rear corners of the vehicle hood along respective side edges of the windshield.The A-pillars, along with other components, serve to provide stability to the vehicle body and are therefore relatively rigid, supporting both the windshield and the vehicle roof during normal driving and in a rollover collision. These structural demands on the A-pillars make it difficult to design them to absorb sufficient impact energy from a striking pedestrian to prevent serious injury.

[0003] One known approach to reducing the risk of injury to a person in the event of a pedestrian impact with the A-pillar is to install a pedestrian airbag on the A-pillar. This airbag inflates in front of the A-pillar when vehicle sensors detect an ongoing or impending collision with a pedestrian. The airbag covers the A-pillar, reducing the risk of injury to the pedestrian.

[0004] A disadvantage of such pedestrian airbags is that the pedestrian airbag requires a relatively large installation space. This is because the initially folded and / or rolled airbag package is relatively large and the gas generator required to inflate the airbag is also large due to the volume of gas required to achieve sufficient inflation. Both of these factors make it difficult to accommodate conventional pedestrian airbags. Mounting a pedestrian airbag module within the A-pillar means that the A-pillar must be made relatively large, which restricts the driver's visibility. In addition, such pedestrian airbags can only be used once, i.e. they are irreversible, and must be completely replaced after deployment, regardless of whether or not an impact on the pedestrian protection device has actually occurred.

[0005] Another known possibility for reducing the risk of injury to a person when a pedestrian strikes the vehicle pillar is for a trim element of the vehicle pillar to be extended upon detection of an impact, thereby cushioning the impact of the pedestrian on the vehicle pillar. Such a pedestrian protection device is disclosed, for example, in DE 603 00 420 T2 and JP 2020-050282 A. DE 10 2012 221 993 A1 also discloses a vehicle pillar with a movable element, wherein the movable element serves to collect water.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide an alternative pedestrian protection device by which the risk of injury to a pedestrian in the event of an impact with the vehicle pillar of a motor vehicle can be reliably reduced and which can be designed simply, in a space-saving and reversible manner.

[0007] The problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0008] According to the invention, the pedestrian protection device has a flexible tensioning element and a lever mechanism that can be adjusted between the active state and the inactive state for tensioning the flexible tensioning element, wherein the lever mechanism in the active state is displaced in front of the vehicle pillar on the outside environment side in such a way that the flexible tensioning element is tensioned in front of the vehicle pillar and covers the vehicle pillar at least in sections on the outside environment side.

[0009] When inactive, the pedestrian protection device is arranged on the vehicle pillar in such a way that it is not visible to a person observing the motor vehicle. If a pedestrian impacts the motor vehicle, i.e. if an impending impact of the pedestrian on the vehicle pillar is detected, the pedestrian protection device is adjusted to an active state, whereby the lever mechanism is shifted to the area in front of the vehicle pillar and the flexible tensioning element is thereby tensioned according to the principle of a safety net. The flexible tensioning element is tensioned in front of the vehicle pillar in such a way that it has a springy effect when subjected to a load from the pedestrian impact, thus preventing the pedestrian from hitting the relatively rigid vehicle pillar hard.

[0010] Such a design of the pedestrian protection device allows the pedestrian protection device to be made reversible, whereby the pedestrian protection device can be easily adjusted multiple times between the active and inactive states. In particular, the pedestrian protection device can be shifted to the active state if a pedestrian is imminently colliding with the vehicle pillar. If no impact has occurred in the area of the vehicle pillar, or if only a minor impact has occurred and the pedestrian protection device is undamaged, the pedestrian protection device can be adjusted back to the inactive state, so that the pedestrian protection device is available for the next use. Furthermore, such a pedestrian protection device is designed to be space-saving and cost-effective, whereby the components of the pedestrian protection device can be easily integrated within the existing cavity of the vehicle pillar.

[0011] The lever mechanism preferably comprises a plurality of lever elements rotatably mounted on a support structure. The support structure can also be the vehicle pillar itself. Upon detection of an impending impact of a person in the area of the vehicle pillar, the lever elements, which are arranged parallel to and spaced from one another, are shifted into an active state, whereby the lever elements are shifted at least partially in front of the vehicle pillar, thereby tensioning the flexible tensioning element in front of the vehicle pillar.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, all lever elements are connected to a common drive shaft, which is connected to an actuator. This means that only a single actuator is required to move the lever elements in the active state, i.e., to a position in front of the vehicle pillar. This allows the pedestrian protection device to be designed in a space-saving and cost-effective manner. The actuator is arranged, in particular, at one end of the lever mechanism.

[0013] Preferably, the actuator is a linear actuator connected to the drive shaft via a lever mechanism. The linear actuator can be pneumatic, hydraulic, or electromechanical. During a linear movement, a lever of the lever mechanism attached to the drive shaft is rotated, thereby shifting the lever elements between the active and inactive states.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, an additional lever element is rotatably mounted on each of the lever elements, which is folded in the inactive state and unfolded in the active state. The additional lever element acts on the flexible tensioning element in the active state. The additional lever element serves to tension the flexible tensioning element over a larger area of the vehicle pillar in the active state. In the inactive state, in which the additional lever element is folded in, the lever mechanism requires less installation space.

[0015] Preferably, the additional lever element is spring-biased in the direction of rotation, wherein the additional lever element is held in the folded position by a retaining element in the inactive state. When the lever elements are shifted into the active state, the additional lever element shifts relative to the retaining element in such a way that the retention of the additional lever element in the folded position is released and the additional lever element automatically shifts into the unfolded position due to the spring preload, which is provided in particular by a torsion spring arranged on the rotation axis of the additional lever element. In a preferred embodiment, the support structure has a retaining element or a retaining web for each lever element, against which the additional lever element rests in a preloaded manner in the inactive state.

[0016] Preferably, the flexible tensioning element is made of fabric, with the tensioning element being made, in particular, of a tear-resistant fabric. This allows the tensioning element to be flexible while withstanding relatively high tensile loads.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the flexible tensioning element is rolled up and spring-loaded against the unwinding direction. In the inactive state, the flexible tensioning element is rolled up like a roller blind on a rotatably mounted shaft. When the lever mechanism is adjusted to the active state, the tensioning element is unrolled and moved in front of the vehicle pillar against the spring force of a preloading spring element, in particular a torsion spring that loads the shaft in the circumferential direction. This tensions the flexible tensioning element in the active state.

[0018] The vehicle pillar is preferably designed as a hollow body, wherein at least the lever mechanism is arranged within the vehicle pillar in the inactive state, wherein the vehicle pillar has at least one opening through which at least the lever mechanism extends in the active state. As a result, the lever mechanism can be arranged within the vehicle pillar in the inactive state in a space-saving manner and invisibly for a person, and can be adjusted to the active state in the shortest possible time. The lever elements are preferably each L-shaped. A first leg of the lever elements, which is rotatably mounted on the vehicle pillar, is permanently arranged within the vehicle pillar, wherein a second leg, adjoining the first leg and angled to the first leg, is arranged within the vehicle pillar in the inactive state and extends through the opening in the vehicle pillar in the active state and is arranged outside the vehicle pillar.

[0019] Preferably, an impact sensor device is provided, wherein based on the sensor signal of the impact sensor device, the pedestrian protection device is adjusted between the active state and the inactive state.

[0020] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. Fig. 1 shows a section of a front area of a motor vehicle in perspective view, Fig. 2 shows a section of the front area of the motor vehicle from Fig. 1 and a pedestrian protection device in an inactive state in cross section, Fig. 3 shows a section of the front area of the motor vehicle from Fig. 1 and the pedestrian protection device from Fig. 2 in an active state in cross section, and Fig. 4 shows a section of the pedestrian protection device from Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 in perspective view.

[0021] The Fig. 1 shows a front area of a motor vehicle 10, wherein the motor vehicle 10 basically has a windshield 12 and a motor vehicle body 13. The motor vehicle body 13 has, among other things, a vehicle roof 14, a front hood 16 and several vehicle pillars 18, wherein in the Fig. 1 to 4 each show an A-pillar forming a vehicle pillar 18, which adjoins the windshield 12 and a vehicle door 15. The vehicle pillar 18, which is made of two shell-shaped sheet metal elements 241, 242, is covered on the outside by a trim element 20 and on the inside by an interior trim element 25.

[0022] In addition, the Fig.1 shows a pedestrian protection device 30 in an active state, which serves to cushion and / or dampen the impact of the body, in particular the head of the pedestrian, in the event of a frontal impact of a motor vehicle 10 on a pedestrian.

[0023] The pedestrian protection device 30 has a lever mechanism 31 with a plurality of L-shaped lever elements 32, which are rotatably mounted about a rotation axis D on a support structure 40 arranged in a cavity 21 of the vehicle pillar 18. An additional lever element 36 is rotatably mounted on each lever element 32, wherein the additional lever elements 36 are each spring-loaded in the direction of rotation by a spring element 37, in particular a leg spring. The lever elements 32 can be adjusted by an actuator 50 between an inactive state, i.e. a retracted state, and an active state, i.e. an extended state. For this purpose, the lever elements 32 are connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a common drive shaft 52, wherein the drive shaft 52 is connected to a linear actuator 54 via a lever mechanism 56.

[0024] The pedestrian protection device 30 also includes a flexible tensioning element 34, which is made of a fabric and wound onto a winding element 35. The winding element 35 is rotatably mounted on the support structure 40 in the cavity 21 and is pretensioned in the rotational direction by a spring element (not shown). The free end of the flexible tensioning element 34 is firmly connected to the free ends of the lever elements 32.

[0025] In the normal state of the pedestrian protection device 30, the lever mechanism 31 and the flexible tensioning element 34 are arranged entirely within the vehicle pillar 18, i.e., in the cavity 21, so that the pedestrian protection device 30 is not visible to a person viewing the motor vehicle 10. If an impending impact of a pedestrian on the vehicle pillar 18 is detected, in particular by a sensor device provided for this purpose on the motor vehicle, the linear actuator 54 is controlled by a control unit (not shown), whereby the drive shaft 52 and thus the lever elements 32 are rotated. In this case, the lever elements 32 are rotated from the inactive state to the active state, wherein the sections of the L-shaped lever elements 32 are displaced in front of the vehicle pillar 18 through an opening 22 formed on the trim element 20.Because the flexible tensioning element 34 is firmly connected to the lever elements 32, the tensioning element 34 is also pulled in front of the vehicle pillar 18 and tensioned. The flexible tensioning element 34 is unwound by the spring-loaded roll-up element 35, which is spring-loaded in the opposite direction to the unwinding direction, in such a way that the tensioning element 34 is pulled taut in front of the vehicle pillar 18. In addition, the additional lever elements 36 pivot out and place additional load on the flexible tensioning element 34. The additional lever elements 36 increase the area of the vehicle pillar 18 covered by the flexible tensioning element 34 and additionally tension the flexible tensioning element 34. If the pedestrian now impacts the area of the vehicle pillar 18, the tensioned tensioning element 34, in particular, cushions the pedestrian's impact. If the pedestrian protection device 30 is undamaged after the impact or if no impact has occurred, it can be reset to the inactive state.

Claims

[1] Motor vehicle with a motor vehicle body (13) having a plurality of vehicle pillars (18), and a pedestrian protection device (30) which is arranged on at least one of the vehicle pillars (18) and is adjustable between an active state and an inactive state, characterized by , that the pedestrian protection device (30) has a flexible tensioning element (34) and a lever mechanism (31) which can be adjusted between the active state and the inactive state for tensioning the flexible tensioning element (34), wherein the lever mechanism (31) is displaced in front of the vehicle pillar (18) in the active state such that the flexible tensioning element (34) is tensioned in front of the vehicle pillar (18) and covers the vehicle pillar (18) at least in sections on the outside environment side, wherein in the inactive state the lever mechanism (31) and the flexible tensioning element (34) are arranged inside the vehicle pillar (18). [2] Motor vehicle according to claim 1, characterized by that the lever mechanism (31) has a plurality of lever elements (32) which are rotatably mounted on a support structure (40). [3] Motor vehicle according to claim 2, characterized by that all lever elements (32) are connected to a common drive shaft (52), wherein the drive shaft (52) is connected to an actuator (50). [4] Motor vehicle according to claim 3, characterized by that the actuator (50) is a linear actuator (54) and is connected to the drive shaft (52) via a lever mechanism (56). [5] Motor vehicle according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized by that an additional lever element (36) is rotatably mounted on each of the lever elements (32), which is folded in when inactive and folded out when active, wherein the additional lever element (36) acts on the flexible tensioning element (34) in the active state. [6] Motor vehicle according to claim 5, characterized bythat the additional lever element (36) is spring-loaded in the direction of rotation. [7] Motor vehicle according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by that the support structure (40) has a retaining web for each lever element (32), against which the additional lever element (36) rests in a pre-tensioned manner in the inactive state. [8] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flexible tensioning element (34) is made of fabric. [9] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flexible tensioning element (34) is rolled up and is spring-loaded against the unrolling direction. [10] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that the vehicle column (18) is designed as a hollow body, wherein at least the lever mechanism (31) is arranged at least partially within the vehicle column (18) in the inactive state, wherein the vehicle column (18) has at least one opening (22) through which at least the lever mechanism (31) runs in the active state.

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