Damage prevention structure for vehicle doors

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle door damage prevention structure that can prevent the door from being damaged by contact with an obstacle when opening the door, and can also suppress a decrease in driving performance while the vehicle is in motion. [Solution] The vehicle door damage prevention structure 10 includes protector members 20A and 20B provided on the outer surface portion 12a and / or the open end portion 12b of the door 12, which are formed in an expandable bag shape and expand when gas is supplied to the inside by a gas supply unit when the door is opened, and contract when the gas is discharged when the door is closed; a contact detection sensor 40 that detects contact of another object with the protector member when the protector member is expanded; and an opening operation restricting mechanism 50 that restricts the opening operation of the door when contact is detected by the contact detection sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a damage prevention structure for a vehicle door, and particularly to a damage prevention structure for a vehicle door that prevents the door from being damaged by contacting an obstacle when the door is opened.

Background Art

[0002] In the situation of getting on and off a vehicle such as an automobile, when a user opens the door, there is a risk that the door may contact the wall of a building near the vehicle and be damaged, or the door of the own vehicle may contact another vehicle parked next to it, causing damage to the door of the own vehicle or the other vehicle.

[0003] In order to solve such problems, as a structure for preventing damage to the door, a structure in which a protector member is provided at the end of the opening side of the door is known.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a structure in which a protector member formed of a soft material such as urethane or rubber is attached to the end of the opening side of a back door of a vehicle. The protector member is attached to an outer panel forming the outer surface of the back door and has a convex shape protruding outward from the outer panel. A touch sensor is disposed in a space portion formed inside the protector member. When an obstacle contacts the protector member during the opening operation of the back door, the touch sensor is pressed and the opening operation of the back door is stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The protector member described in Patent Document 1 has a shape that protrudes from the outer surface of the back door, so that the obstacle comes into contact with the protector member before the back door comes into contact with the obstacle, thereby preventing damage to the back door.

[0007] However, when such protective components are applied to the side doors of a vehicle, the protective components protrude from the outer surface of the side door when the door is closed, which increases air resistance and reduces driving performance while the vehicle is in motion.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a vehicle door damage prevention structure that can prevent the door from being damaged by contact with an obstacle when the door is opened, and can suppress a decrease in driving performance while the vehicle is in motion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, a vehicle door damage prevention structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is: A protector member is provided at least on the outer surface and / or the open end of the door, is formed in an expandable bag shape, expands when gas is supplied to the inside by a gas supply unit when the door is opened, and contracts when the gas is discharged when the door is closed, A contact detection sensor detects contact between the protector member and another object when the protector member expands, The device is characterized by comprising an opening operation restricting mechanism that restricts the opening operation of the door when contact is detected by the contact detection sensor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the vehicle door damage prevention structure of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the door from being damaged by contact with an obstacle when the door is opened, and to prevent a decrease in driving performance while the vehicle is in motion. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a vehicle to which a vehicle door damage prevention structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2A] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the expansion operation of the protector component. [Figure 2B] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the expansion operation of the protector component. [Figure 2C] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the expansion operation of the protector component. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an obstacle is in contact with the protector member. [Figure 4A] This is an explanatory diagram of the door opening restriction mechanism. [Figure 4B] This is an explanatory diagram of the door opening restriction mechanism. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram of the cylinder mechanism. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the placement of the protector components. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 1 to which the vehicle door damage prevention structure 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vehicle door damage prevention structure 10 is provided on a vehicle 1 such as an automobile, and prevents the door 12 of the vehicle 1 from being damaged by contact with surrounding obstacles when the door 12 is opened. The damage prevention structure 10 can be used on side doors provided on the side of the vehicle and on back doors provided on the rear of the vehicle, and this embodiment shows an example of application to a side door.

[0013] The damage prevention structure 10 includes a side door 12, protector members 20A and 20B that protect the door 12 from damage, a gas supply device 30, a contact detection sensor 40, and an opening operation restricting mechanism 50 that restricts the opening operation of the door 12.

[0014] The protector members 20A and 20B are provided at least on the outer surface portion 12a and / or the open-side end portion 12b of the door 12, and are formed in a bag shape having elasticity. The protector members 20A and 20B are preferably provided at one or more locations where the door 12 is likely to hit obstacles existing around it, such as the wall of a building near the vehicle 1 or other vehicles parked adjacent to it, when the door 12 is opened. In the present embodiment, the first protector member 20A is provided on the outer surface portion 12a of the door 12, and the second protector member 20B is provided on the open-side end portion 12b of the door 12. The first protector member 20A extends continuously from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the door 12 on the outer surface portion 12a of the door 12. The second protector member 20B extends continuously from the upper end portion to the lower end portion at the open-side end portion 12b of the door 12, that is, at the rear end portion of the door 12 which is a side door.

[0015] When the door 12 is opened, each of the protector members 20A and 20B expands by being supplied with gas inside by a gas supply device 30 which is a gas supply unit, and when the door 12 is closed, it contracts by discharging the gas inside. Each of the protector members 20A and 20B protrudes outside the vehicle more than the door panel forming the surface of the door 12 when it expands, and is formed so as to be accommodated inside the door panel in the most contracted state.

[0016] In the present embodiment, each of the protector members 20A and 20B has a double bag structure including a stretchable inner bag body 22 and an outer bag body 24. Since the first protector member 20A and the second protector member 20B have the same configuration except for the different arrangement positions, in the following description, the first protector member 20A will be described in detail using FIG. 2A.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2A, the first protector member 20A has an inner bag body 22 and an outer bag body 24 that covers the outside thereof. The openings of the inner bag body 22 and the outer bag body 24 are joined to the bottom of a groove portion 17 provided in a door panel 16 that forms the surface of the door 12. Note that the door panel 16 where the first protector member 20A is provided is an outer panel that forms the outer surface of the door 12. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the most contracted state of the first protector member 20A, the inner bag body 22 and the outer bag body 24 are accommodated in the groove portion 17, and the opening of this groove portion 17 is covered by the lid body 14. The lid body 14 is formed of, for example, a thin panel, and is formed so as to be flush with the surface of the door panel 16 adjacent to this groove 17 in a state where the groove portion 17 is closed by the lid body 14. The lid body 14 is controlled by a driving device (not shown) to open the opening of the groove portion 14 when the first protector member 20A expands, and to close the opening of the groove portion 14 when the first protector member 20A contracts and is accommodated in the groove portion 14.

[0018] One or more protrusions 26 that protrude toward the space portion 23 between the inner bag body 22 and the outer bag body 24 are provided on the outer surface of the inner bag body 22 and / or the inner surface of the outer bag body 24. The protrusions 26 avoid contact between the inner bag body 22 and the outer bag body 24 in the expanded state of the first protector member 20A shown in FIG. 2C. The protrusions 26 are formed in a rod shape and are formed of an insulating material so as to be inelastic and have insulating properties. The protrusions 26 can be formed of, for example, a hard resin material. In the present embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 26 are provided on the outer surface of the inner bag body 22. Note that in the present embodiment, in the contracted state of the first protector member 20A shown in FIG. 2A, contact between the inner bag body 22 and the outer bag body 24 is avoided by a wall portion 19 that protrudes from the bottom surface of the groove portion 17.

[0019] The gas supply device 30 is installed inside the vehicle body 2 and / or the door 12 and supplies gas to the inside of each protector member 20A, 20B. The gas supply device 30 can be configured, for example, as a compressor that supplies compressed air. The gas supply device 30 is connected to a detection sensor (not shown) that detects the opening and closing operation of the door 12, and when the detection sensor detects the opening operation of the door 12, it supplies gas to the inside of each protector member 20A, 20B. As shown in Figure 1, the gas supply device 30 includes gas passages 32A, 32B for supplying compressed air from the compressor to the inside of each protector member 20A, 20B. As shown in Figure 2A, each gas passage 32A, 32B includes a first tube 33 that sends gas into the inside of the inner bag 22, and a second tube 34 that sends gas into the inside of the outer bag 24, specifically into the space 23 between the outer bag 24 and the inner bag 22. The inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24 have gas outlets (not shown), and when the closing operation of the door 12 is detected by the detection sensor, the valve body that opens and closes the gas outlet opens, and the gas inside each bag 22, 24 is discharged to the outside.

[0020] The contact detection sensor 40 detects contact of other objects with each protector member 20A, 20B when each protector member 20A, 20B expands. The contact detection sensor 40 is provided for each of the first protector member 20A and the second protector member 20B. As shown in Figure 3, the contact detection sensor 40 comprises a first electrode portion provided on the inner bag 22 and a second electrode portion provided on the outer bag 24, and detects contact of other objects 60 by current flowing due to the contact between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion. In this embodiment, the inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24 are each made of conductive rubber, and the inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24 themselves constitute the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion. Furthermore, if the inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24 are each made of a non-conductive elastic material, the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion can be attached to appropriate areas on the outer surface of the inner bag 22 and the inner surface of the outer bag 24.

[0021] The opening operation restricting mechanism 50 restricts the opening of the door 12 when the contact detection sensor 40 detects contact between another object 60 and the door 12. The opening operation restricting mechanism 50 is electrically connected to the contact detection sensor 40. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the opening operation restricting mechanism 50 includes a movement restricting bar 54 connected to the door 12 and a lock pin 56 provided on the vehicle body 2 side, which moves between a locked position and an unlocked position by an actuator (not shown). In Figures 4A and 4B, reference numeral 18 indicates a hinge member that connects the door 12 to the vehicle body 2 so that it can be opened and closed. In the unlocked position shown in Figure 4A, the lock pin 56 is disengaged from the movement restricting bar 54, allowing the door 12 to move in the opening and closing directions. When the lock pin 56 moves to the locked position shown in Figure 4B, it engages with the engaging portion 54a of the movement restricting bar 54, restricting the opening of the door 12 and allowing the closing of the door 12.

[0022] The opening operation restricting mechanism 50, under normal circumstances when it has not received a signal indicating contact from the contact detection sensor 40, has the lock pin 56 in the unlocked position. When it receives a signal indicating contact from the contact detection sensor 40, the actuator moves the lock pin 56 to the locked position.

[0023] Next, the operation of the damage prevention structure 10 described above will be explained. Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C are cross-sectional views illustrating the expansion operation of the first protector member 20A by the gas supply device 30. Note that the second protector member 20B undergoes the same expansion operation as the first protector member 20A, so its explanation will be omitted here. When the door 12 of the vehicle 1 is closed, the first protector member 20A is in a contracted state, as shown in Figure 2A. When the door 12 is opened from this state, the gas supply device 30 is activated and gas is supplied to the inside of the inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24, causing the first protector member 20A to expand, as shown in Figure 2B.

[0024] Furthermore, when the door 12 is opened, the first protector member 20A enters the fully inflated state shown in Figure 2C. In this state, the projection 26 interposed between the inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24 prevents contact between the inner bag 22 and the outer bag 24. In this state, if the protector member 20A comes into contact with an obstacle 60 near the vehicle body 1, the outer bag 24 is pressed by the obstacle 60 and comes into contact with the inner bag 22, as shown in Figure 3, and the first and second electrodes of the contact detection sensor 40 become energized. As a result, when the contact detection sensor outputs a signal indicating contact, the opening operation restricting mechanism 50, upon receiving this signal, activates an actuator to move the lock pin 56 from the unlocked position to the locked position, thereby restricting the opening of the door 12. This prevents the door 12 from being damaged by contact with the obstacle 60.

[0025] As described above, in a vehicle 1 equipped with the damage prevention structure 10, if there is an obstacle 60 such as a building wall or another vehicle near the door 12 of the vehicle 1, the inflated protector members 20A and 20B can be brought into contact with the obstacle 60 before the door 12 comes into contact with the obstacle 60 due to the opening operation of the door 12, thereby detecting the obstacle 60. Furthermore, once contact with the obstacle 60 is detected, the opening operation of the door 12 can be restricted to prevent damage caused by the door 12 coming into contact with the obstacle 60.

[0026] Furthermore, when the door 12 is closed, each protector member 20A, 20B is housed inside the groove 17 of the door panel 16, as shown in Figure 2A. This suppresses the generation of noise caused by the protector members 20A, 20B acting as resistance when the vehicle 1 is in motion. It also prevents a decrease in driving performance by suppressing the increase in air resistance caused by the expanded protector members 20A, 20B when the vehicle is in motion.

[0027] Next, another embodiment of the gas supply device 30 will be described using Figure 5. The gas supply device 30 shown in Figure 5 includes a cylinder mechanism 40 having cylinder chambers 41 and 42 and pistons 43 and 44 that slide within the cylinder chambers 41 and 42. The cylinder chambers 41 and 42 are formed in an arc shape, and the pistons 43 and 44 are configured to move forward and backward in an arc shape. In this embodiment, the cylinder mechanism 40 has an arc-shaped first cylinder chamber 41 and a second cylinder chamber 42 adjacent to the first cylinder chamber 41 and located outside the arc. The pistons 43 and 44 include a first piston 43 that slides within the first cylinder chamber 41 and a second piston 44 that slides within the second cylinder chamber 44. Each piston 43 and 44 is connected to the door 12 via a connecting member 48 and moves forward and backward within each cylinder chamber 41 and 42 in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the door 12. The first cylinder chamber 41 is in communication with the inside of the inner bag 22 via the first tube 33, and the second cylinder chamber 42 is in communication with the inside of the outer bag 24 via the second tube 34.

[0028] In a gas supply device 30 equipped with such a cylinder mechanism 40, when the pistons 43 and 44 move forward within the cylinder chambers 41 and 42 in conjunction with the opening of the door 12, the gas in the cylinder chamber 41 is supplied to the inside of the inner bag 22 and the outside bag 24 via the tubes 33 and 34, respectively, causing the inner bag 22 and the outside bag 24 to expand. Conversely, when the pistons 43 and 44 move backward within the cylinder chambers 41 and 42 in conjunction with the closing of the door 12, the gas inside the inner bag 22 and the outside bag 24 is drawn into the cylinder chamber 41 via the tubes 33 and 34, respectively, causing the inner bag 22 and the outside bag 24 to contract. Figure 5 shows the state in which gas is supplied to the second protector member 20B by the cylinder mechanism 40, and the description of the first protector member 20A is omitted. The gas supply device 30 may also be configured to include both a compressor and a cylinder mechanism 40.

[0029] Next, an example of the arrangement position of the protector members 20A and 20B in the door 12 will be described using Figure 6. The first protector member 20A and the second protector member 20B may not be a continuous, elongated shape as shown in Figure 1, but may be provided in multiple units in a discontinuous, divided state as shown in Figure 6. In Figure 6, as an example, six first protector members 20A-1, 20A-1, 20A-2, 20A-3, 20A-4, 20A-6 and six second protector members 20B-1, 20B-1, 20B-2, 20B-3, 20B-4, 20B-6 are provided. Furthermore, when multiple first protector members 20A and second protector members 20B are arranged, they do not have to be arranged in a straight line.

[0030] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 vehicle 10. Damage prevention structure for vehicle doors 12 doors 20A First protector component 20B Second protector component 22 Inner bag body 24 Outer bag body 26 Protrusion 30 Gas supply device 40-cylinder mechanism 50 Opening action regulation mechanism

Claims

1. A protector member is provided at least on the outer surface and / or the open end of the door, is formed in an expandable bag shape, expands when gas is supplied to the inside by a gas supply unit when the door is opened, and contracts when the gas is discharged when the door is closed, A contact detection sensor detects contact between the protector member and another object when the protector member expands, A vehicle door damage prevention structure characterized by comprising: an opening operation restricting mechanism that restricts the opening operation of the door when contact is detected by the contact detection sensor.

2. The protector member has a double-bag structure comprising an expandable inner bag and an outer bag, The gas supply unit supplies the gas to the space between the inner bag and the outer bag, and to the interior of the inner bag. The vehicle door damage prevention structure according to claim 1, wherein the contact detection sensor comprises a first electrode portion provided on the inner bag and a second electrode portion provided on the outer bag, and the contact of the other object is detected by current flow due to contact between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion.

3. The vehicle door damage prevention structure according to claim 2, further comprising one or more insulating protrusions provided on the outer surface of the inner bag and / or the inner surface of the outer bag, which protrude toward the space, and which prevent contact between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion when not in contact with other objects.

4. The vehicle door damage prevention structure according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that each of the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion is made of conductive rubber that forms the inner bag and the outer bag, respectively.

5. The gas supply unit comprises a cylinder mechanism having a cylinder chamber and a piston that slides within the cylinder chamber. The vehicle door damage prevention structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the piston advances within the cylinder chamber when the door is opened, supplying gas from the cylinder chamber into the protector member, and retracts within the cylinder chamber when the door is closed, drawing the gas from the protector member into the cylinder chamber.

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