Impact absorption structure

Abstract

To provide an impact absorption structure that can readily suppress impact absorption performance while securing a large deformation stroke.SOLUTION: An impact absorption structure 1 is formed of multiple impact absorption cells 2 each comprising a pair of bases 4 arranged oppositely and multiple pillars 6 connecting the pair of bases 4 to each other and adjacent to each other in a radial direction of bases 4. The pillar 6 deforms and projects on a radial outside of the base 4 more than the base 4 when being subjected to an impact in a direction in which the pair of bases 4 are proximate to each other, and at this moment, the pillar does not come into contact with the pillar 6 of another impact absorption cell 2 adjacent thereto in the radial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shock absorbing structure, and more particularly to a shock absorbing structure in which a plurality of shock absorbing cells are arranged adjacent to each other. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a shock absorber in which a portion that deforms when absorbing an impact is made of fiber-reinforced resin, and the deformed portion is a cylinder. When this shock absorber receives an impact, the cylinder is configured to break into multiple portions along the axial direction and to be deformed outward. This shock absorber is disposed between the vehicle frame structure and the bumper reinforcement for the purpose of absorbing impact when the vehicle body crashes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-247096 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Another possible application of the shock absorber is to arrange multiple shock absorbers adjacent to each other in the radial direction over a wide area to prevent injuries when an athlete kneels unexpectedly in an indoor gym. In this case, when the cylinder deforms by protruding outward, that is, radially outward, the side walls of the cylinders of the adjacent shock absorbers come into contact with each other. Depending on the desired shock absorption, the height of the side walls of the cylinders may be increased to ensure a large deformation (crash) stroke.

[0005] In such a case, the side walls of the adjacent shock absorbers come into contact with each other more significantly when the cylindrical body is deformed. When the side walls of multiple shock absorbers come into contact with each other, the shock absorption mechanism becomes complicated, making it difficult to calculate and control the shock absorption performance of the entire shock absorbing structure. Therefore, there is a demand for a shock absorbing structure that can easily control the shock absorption performance while ensuring a large deformation stroke.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a shock absorbing structure that can easily control the shock absorbing performance while ensuring a large deformation stroke. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the shock absorbing structure of the present invention is an shock absorbing structure in which a plurality of shock absorbing cells, each of which is made up of a pair of bases arranged opposite each other and a plurality of pillars connecting the pair of bases, are arranged adjacent to each other in the radial direction of the base, and when the pair of bases receive an impact in a direction in which they approach each other, the pillars are formed in a position such that they deform and protrude radially outward from the bases, and are not in contact with the pillars of other shock absorbing cells adjacent to them in the radial direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the shock absorbing structure of the present invention, it is possible to easily control the shock absorbing performance while ensuring a large deformation stroke. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a shock absorbing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the shock absorbing cell. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the curvature direction of pillars in adjacent shock absorbing cells. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the shock absorbing cell in its natural state. [Diagram 5]FIG. 4 is a side view of the shock absorbing cell when absorbing a shock. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a side view of an impact absorbing cell according to a modified example in a natural state. [Figure 7] 13 is a side view of the shock absorbing cell according to the modified example when absorbing a shock. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the impact absorbing sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A shock absorbing structure 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the shock absorbing structure 1 according to the embodiment. The shock absorbing structure 1 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as structure 1) is composed of a plurality of shock absorbing cells 2 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as cells 2), and each cell 2 is composed of a pair of bases 4 arranged opposite each other and a plurality of pillars 6 connecting the pair of bases 4 to each other. The bases 4 and pillars 6 are, for example, plate-shaped, and the cell 2 is formed by integrally molding the pair of bases 4 and the plurality of pillars 6 from, for example, a rubber material.

[0011] The structure 1 is formed by arranging a plurality of such cells 2 adjacent to each other in the radial direction of the base 4. FIG. 1 shows a state in which each cell 2 receives an impact in a direction in which the pair of bases 4 approach each other, and each pillar 6, which is a columnar portion, is curved and bent. When the pair of bases 4 receive an impact in a direction in which they approach each other, the pillar 6 is deformed and protrudes radially outward from the base 4. In addition, the pillar 6 is formed at a position where it is not in contact with the pillar 6 of another cell 2 adjacent to it in the radial direction.

[0012] Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the cell 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one base 4 constituting the cell 2 from the other opposing base 4, and in Fig. 2, a connection portion 6a of the pillar 6 to the base 4 is shown by a dashed line. The base 4 has an outer periphery 8 that is generally hexagonal in plan view, and the six sides that constitute the generally hexagonal shape of this outer periphery 8 are composed of three sides 8a and three sides 8b.

[0013] Each side 8a has an arc shape that is concave toward the radial outside of the base 4, and each side 8b has an arc shape that is convex toward the radial outside of the base 4, and the sides 8a and 8b are alternately formed along the outer peripheral edge 8. The base 4 also has a substantially triangular opening edge 10 in its radial center, and the substantially triangular shape of the opening edge 10 has three sides 10a and three vertices 10b connecting adjacent sides 10a. Each side 10a has an arc shape that is convex toward the radial outside of the base 4, and the connection portion 6a of the pillar 6 is formed in a region including each of the substantially triangular sides 10a of the opening edge 10.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the curvature direction of the pillars 6 in adjacent cells 2. In each of the bases 4 adjacent in the radial direction, the cells 2 are adjacent to each other in a state where the concave arc-shaped side 8a of one base 4 matches the convex arc-shaped side 8b of the other base 4. As a result, when attempting to arrange the cells 2 without gaps, each cell 2 must be arranged in a state where the concave arc-shaped side 8a matches the convex arc-shaped side 8b. In addition, in a state where the sides 8a and 8b of the adjacent bases 4 match, as shown in FIG. 3, the pillars 6 of each cell 2 can be curved outward in the radial direction without contacting each other.

[0015] Moreover, in each of the radially adjacent bases 4, the cells 2 are adjacent to each other in a state in which the side 10a of the approximately triangular shape of one base 4 faces the apex 10b of the approximately triangular shape of the other base 4. In this state, as shown in Fig. 3, it is possible to ensure a larger curvature width of the pillars 6 protruding radially outward from the base 4 compared to the case in which the apexes 10b of the adjacent cells 2 face each other.

[0016] Fig. 4 shows a side view of the cell 2 in its natural state, and Fig. 5 shows a side view of the cell 2 when absorbing an impact. The pillar 6 has the pair of connecting parts 6a formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the deformed part 6b formed between the pair of connecting parts 6a. As shown in Fig. 4, the pillar 6 has a shape curved radially outward from the base 4 between the pair of bases 4 when no impact is received.

[0017] Because the pillars 6 have a shape curved radially outward in this manner, when the cell 2 receives an impact, each pillar 6 can be reliably curved in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 4, i.e., radially outward from the base 4, and as a result, the pillars 6 can be reliably protrude radially outward from the base 4 at the deformation portion 6b as shown in Fig. 5. Note that the pillars 6 are not limited to a curved shape, and may have a shape having a step protruding radially outward, as long as they deform so as to protrude radially outward from the base 4.

[0018] Fig. 6 shows a side view of the cell 2 according to the modified example in its natural state, and Fig. 7 shows a side view of the cell 2 according to the modified example during impact absorption. The pillar 6 has the above-mentioned connection portion 6a and deformation portion 6b, and the deformation portion 6b deforms to protrude radially outward from the base 4 beyond the base 4.

[0019] Here, the connection portion 6a of the pillar 6 in this modified example has a larger cross-sectional area than the deformation portion 6b of the pillar 6. As a result, the rigidity of the connection portion 6a of the pillar 6 is increased compared to the deformation portion 6b, and as the pillar 6 deforms when the cell 2 absorbs an impact, the base 4 also deforms slightly into a downwardly convex shape as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7. At this time, the impact received by the cell 2 is absorbed not only by the pillar 6 but also by the connection portion 6a, as the connection portion 6a with increased rigidity deforms the base 4 so as to wrap it downward and radially outward. Therefore, the deformation stroke of the cell 2 and thus the structure 1 can be secured large, and the impact absorption performance of each cell 2 and thus the structure 1 can be further improved.

[0020] FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the shock absorbing sheet 12. The shock absorbing sheet 12 is formed by arranging each cell 2 adjacent to each other in the radial direction of the base 4, for example, in a predetermined rectangular frame 14. By forming such a shock absorbing sheet 12, the individual cells 2 are integrated into a sheet shape while being prevented from moving, so that the shock absorbing performance of the structure 1 can be further improved. In addition, by using the shock absorbing sheet 12, the structure 1 can be easily applied to various shock absorbing applications, so that the versatility of the structure 1 can be improved.

[0021] The shock absorbing sheet 12 is used, for example, to prevent injuries in indoor exercise areas. In the structure 1 and the shock absorbing sheet 12 to which the structure 1 is applied, each cell 2 may be appropriately connected at the bases 4 adjacent in the radial direction. This more reliably prevents the individual cells 2 from moving, thereby further improving the shock absorbing performance of the structure 1 and the shock absorbing sheet 12.

[0022] As described above, in the shock absorbing structure 1 of this embodiment, when the pair of bases 4 receive an impact in a direction in which they approach each other, the pillars 6 deform to protrude radially outward from the bases 4. This ensures a large deformation stroke of the cells 2 and therefore the structure 1. In addition, the pillars 6 are formed at positions where they are not in contact with the pillars 6 of other cells 2 adjacent thereto in the radial direction. This makes it possible to calculate and control the shock absorbing performance of the structure 1 from each of the cells 2, and therefore the shock absorbing performance of the structure 1 can be easily controlled.

[0023] Moreover, the base 4 has an outer peripheral edge 8 that is generally hexagonal in plan view, and in each of the radially adjacent bases 4, the cells 2 are adjacent to each other in a state in which the concave arc-shaped side 8a of one base 4 matches the convex arc-shaped side 8b of the other base 4. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous arrangement of the cells 2 with a simple configuration in which the concave sides 8a and the convex sides 8b are alternately formed along the outer peripheral edge 8, and thus makes it possible to reliably keep the pillars 6 of the cells 2 out of contact with each other.

[0024] Moreover, the base 4 has a substantially triangular opening edge 10 in its radial center, and in each of the radially adjacent bases 4, the cells 2 are adjacent to each other in a state in which the substantially triangular side 10a of one base 4 faces the substantially triangular apex 10b of the other base 4. This makes it possible to ensure a large deformation stroke of the pillar 6, and therefore the impact absorption performance of each cell 2, and therefore the structure 1, can be significantly improved.

[0025] Furthermore, when no impact is applied, the pillars 6 have a shape that is curved or protrudes radially outward from the bases 4 between the pair of bases 4. This ensures that when an impact is applied to the cell 2, each pillar 6 can be reliably curved and protrude radially outward from the base 4. This ensures that the pillars 6 of each cell 2 are not in contact with each other.

[0026] Furthermore, the connection portion 6a of the pillar 6 has a larger cross-sectional area than the deformation portion 6b of the pillar 6. This allows shock absorption not only by the deformation of the pillar 6 but also by the deformation of the connection portion 6a with increased rigidity, further improving the shock absorption performance of each cell 2 and, in turn, the structure 1. Furthermore, the cell 2 is formed by integrally molding the pair of bases 4 and each pillar 6 from a rubber material. This allows the cell 2 to be efficiently produced by vulcanization molding, and allows shock absorption to be smoothly performed throughout the entire cell 2.

[0027] Moreover, the cells 2 form the shock absorbing sheets 12 arranged side by side within the frame 14, adjacent to each other in the radial direction of the base 4. This can further improve the shock absorbing performance of the structure 1, and can also increase the versatility of the structure 1, since the structure 1 can be easily applied to various shock absorbing uses.

[0028] Furthermore, in the structure 1 or the shock absorbing sheet 12 to which the structure 1 is applied, the cells 2 are joined at the radially adjacent bases 4. In this case, the movement of the individual cells 2 is more reliably prevented, so that the shock absorbing performance of the structure 1 or the shock absorbing sheet 12 can be further improved.

[0029] Although the description of the embodiment of the present invention is finished above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the base 4 has an outer peripheral edge 8 that is substantially hexagonal in plan view and an opening edge 10 that is substantially triangular, and three pillars 6 are formed in the cell 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer peripheral edge 8 and opening edge 10 of the base 4 may have other shapes.

[0030] Also, the base 4 may not have the opening edge 10. Also, the number of pillars 6 is not limited to three. In other words, various shapes of the base 4 and the pillars 6 are possible as long as the pillars 6 can be deformed to protrude radially outward from the base 4 and are formed at positions not in contact with the pillars 6 of other cells 2 adjacent in the radial direction.

[0031] In addition, the cell 2 can be made of an elastic material other than rubber. Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the elastic material used for the cell 2, the deformation mode of the pillar 6 can be selected to be either an elastic deformation in which the pillar returns to its original shape after deformation, or a plastic deformation in which the pillar remains deformed and does not return to its original shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1. Shock absorbing structure 2. Shock Absorption Cell 4. Bass 6 Pillar 6a Connection 6b Deformation part 8 Outer rim 8a, 8b Six sides constituting the approximately hexagonal shape of the outer periphery 10 Opening Edge 10a Three sides constituting the approximately triangular shape of the opening edge 10b Three vertices connecting adjacent sides of the approximately triangular opening edge 12 Shock absorbing sheet 14 slots

Claims

1. A shock absorbing structure in which a plurality of shock absorbing cells, each of which is a pair of bases arranged opposite to each other and a plurality of pillars connecting the pair of bases to each other, are arranged adjacent to each other in a radial direction of the base, The pillar is formed in a position where, when an impact is applied in a direction in which the pair of bases approach each other, the pillar deforms and protrudes radially outward from the base and does not contact the pillar of another shock absorbing cell adjacent to it in the radial direction.

2. The base has an outer peripheral edge having a generally hexagonal shape in a plan view, and six sides constituting the generally hexagonal shape of the outer peripheral edge are alternately formed along the outer peripheral edge, each of which has an arc shape that is uneven on the radially outward side, 2. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing cells are adjacent to each other in the radially adjacent bases such that a side of the concave arc shape of one base coincides with a side of the convex arc shape of the other base.

3. the base has a substantially triangular opening edge at a radial center thereof, the substantially triangular opening edge having three sides and three vertices connecting adjacent sides; a connection portion of the pillar with respect to the base is formed in a region including each side of the substantially triangular shape; 3. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 2, wherein the shock absorbing cells are adjacent to each other in a state in which a side of the approximately triangular shape of one base faces a vertex of the approximately triangular shape of the other base in the radially adjacent bases.

4. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the pillar has a shape that is curved or protruded outward in the radial direction between the pair of bases when the pillar is not subjected to the impact.

5. The pillar has a pair of connection portions formed at both ends in a longitudinal direction thereof and a deformation portion formed between the pair of connection portions, The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion has a cross-sectional area larger than that of the deformed portion.

6. 2. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing cell is formed by integrally molding the pair of bases and the plurality of pillars from a predetermined elastic material.

7. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorbing cells are arranged adjacent to each other in a radial direction of the base within a predetermined frame to form a shock absorbing sheet.

8. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the shock absorbing cells is joined at the radially adjacent bases.

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