Occupant protection devices

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device that can prevent an occupant from being pushed toward a door side by a far-side airbag.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device 10 includes: a first side airbag 12 that is arranged on the vehicle width direction outer side of a first seat 26f; a second side airbag 14 that is arranged on the vehicle width direction outer side of a second seat 26s; and a far-side airbag 16 which is arranged on the vehicle width direction inner side of the first seat 26f and at a position closer to the first seat 26f than the second seat 26s. When a side collision with the first seat side is detected, the device starts deployment of the first side airbag 12 and then starts deployment of the far-side airbag 16 after a first delay time tf has elapsed. When a side collision with the second seat side is detected, the device starts deployment of the second side airbag 14 and then starts deployment of the far-side airbag 16 after a second delay time ts has elapsed. The first delay time tf is greater than the second delay time ts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification discloses an occupant protection device that protects an occupant when a vehicle collides with an obstacle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles are provided with side airbags to adequately protect vehicle occupants in the event of a side collision in which an obstacle strikes the side of the vehicle. The side airbags are arranged on the outer side of the seats in the vehicle width direction. When a side collision is detected, an occupant protection device deploys and inflates the side airbag. The inflated side airbag supports the body of the occupant who falls due to inertial force.

[0003] In recent years, it has been proposed to position a far side airbag on the inner side of the seat in the vehicle width direction to more appropriately support the occupant. By providing such a far side airbag, the occupant can be adequately protected even if the occupant falls toward the inner side of the vehicle width direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-191650 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the past, the far side airbag was often deployed immediately after the side airbag was deployed, which could result in the occupant being pushed toward the door by the far side airbag.

[0006] For example, consider a case where an obstacle collides with the driver's side door. In this case, the occupant sitting in the driver's seat falls toward the driver's side door due to inertial force. The occupant's body is supported by the driver's side side airbag. If the far side airbag begins to deploy immediately after the side airbag begins to deploy, the occupant will be pushed toward the side airbag by the inflating far side airbag. As a result, the occupant's momentum toward the side airbag increases. In this case, the support force of the side airbag must be increased, but this would lead to problems such as increased costs.

[0007] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a side airbag is provided on the outer side of the seat in the vehicle width direction, and a far side airbag is provided on the inner end of the seat frame in the vehicle width direction. However, Patent Document 1 does not consider the relationship between the inflation start timing of the side airbag and the inflation start timing of the far side airbag. Therefore, the technology in Patent Document 1 cannot prevent the occupant from being pushed toward the door by the far side airbag.

[0008] Therefore, this specification discloses an occupant protection device that can prevent an occupant from being pushed toward the door by a far-side airbag. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The occupant protection device disclosed in this specification includes a first side airbag arranged on the outer side of a first seat in the vehicle width direction, a second side airbag arranged on the outer side of a second seat adjacent to the first seat in the vehicle width direction, and a far side airbag arranged on the inner side of the first seat in the vehicle width direction and closer to the first seat than the second seat, and is characterized in that when a side collision towards the first seat is detected, the far side airbag starts to deploy after a first delay time has elapsed after the first side airbag has started to deploy, and when a side collision towards the second seat is detected, the far side airbag starts to deploy after a second delay time has elapsed after the second side airbag has started to deploy, and the first delay time is longer than the second delay time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The technology disclosed in this specification prevents the far side airbag from starting to deploy prematurely, thereby preventing the occupant from being pushed toward the door by the far side airbag. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the front seat of the vehicle as seen from the front of the vehicle. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an occupant protection device; [Figure 3] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the passenger protection device when a left-side collision occurs. [Figure 4] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the passenger protection device when a right-side collision occurs. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing by a controller. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing other configurations of the occupant protection device; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The configuration of the occupant protection device 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the front seat of a vehicle as seen from the front of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the occupant protection device 10. In the following drawings, "Up", "Fr", and "Rh" indicate the upper side, the front side, and the right side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0013] The vehicle includes a first seat 26f and a second seat 26s. The first seat 26f and the second seat 26s are aligned in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle. In this example, the first seat 26f is the driver's seat and is located on the right side of the vehicle. The second seat 26s is the passenger seat and is located on the left side of the vehicle. In the following description, the occupant seated in the first seat 26f will be referred to as the "first occupant PF," and the occupant seated in the second seat 26s will be referred to as the "second occupant PS."

[0014] A center console box 27 is disposed between the first seat 26f and the second seat 26s. A first side door 24f is disposed to the right of the first seat 26f, and a second side door 24s is disposed to the left of the second seat 26s.

[0015] The occupant protection device 10 protects a first occupant PF and a second occupant PS when an obstacle collides with the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the occupant protection device 10 includes a first side airbag 12, a second side airbag 14, a far side airbag 16, a controller 18, and a collision sensor 19. As shown in FIG. 1, the first side airbag 12 is disposed inside the first side door 24f. The first side airbag 12 may also be disposed on the seat frame. The first side airbag 12 is activated to protect the first occupant PF in the event of a right-side collision in which an obstacle collides with the first side door 24f. The first side airbag 12 includes a bag body 20f and an inflator 22f. Before a side collision occurs, the bag body 20f is stored in a folded state inside the first side door 24f. In the event of a right-side collision, the bag body 20f unfolds and inflates to support the body of the first occupant PF. During this deployment process, the bag body 20f projects into the vehicle compartment through the first side door 24f. When the first inflator 22f is ignited, it generates gas for deploying and inflating the bag body 20f. Therefore, the ignition timing of the first inflator 22f can be considered to be the deployment start timing of the first side airbag 12. The ignition of the first inflator 22f is controlled by the controller 18, which will be described later.

[0016] The second side airbag 14 is disposed inside the second side door 24s. The second side airbag 14 may also be disposed on the seat frame. The second side airbag 14 is activated in the event of a left-side collision in which an obstacle collides with the second side door 24s, to protect the second occupant PS. The second side airbag 14 has a configuration similar to that of the first side airbag 12. That is, the second side airbag 14 includes an inflatable bag main body 20s and a second inflator 22s that supplies gas to the bag main body 20s.

[0017] The far side airbag 16 is disposed on the inner side of the first seat 26f in the vehicle width direction and closer to the first seat 26f than the second seat 26s. For example, the far side airbag 16 is disposed at the inner end (i.e., the left end) of the frame of the first seat 26f in the vehicle width direction. The far side airbag 16 is activated in the event of a side collision to prevent the first occupant PF from falling significantly toward the second seat 26s. The far side airbag 16 also includes an inflatable bag main body 20c and a far side inflator 22c that supplies gas to the bag main body 20c.

[0018] The collision sensor 19 detects whether a collision has occurred and the direction of the collision. The collision sensor 19 is, for example, an acceleration sensor. The number of collision sensors 19 is not limited to one, and multiple collision sensors may be used. In any case, the collision sensor 19 can distinguish between right-side collisions and left-side collisions.

[0019] The controller 18 controls the ignition of the inflators 22f, 22s, and 22c. Specifically, when a right-side collision is detected, the controller 18 immediately ignites the first inflator 22f and then ignites the far-side inflator 22c after a predetermined first delay time tf has elapsed. When a left-side collision is detected, the controller 18 immediately ignites the second inflator 22s and then ignites the far-side inflator 22c after a predetermined second delay time ts has elapsed. The first delay time tf and the second delay time ts are values ​​stored in memory in advance. The first delay time tf is longer than the second delay time ts. In other words, the occupant protection device 10 changes the delay time between the detection of a side collision and the ignition of the far-side inflator 22c depending on the direction of the side collision. The reason for this configuration will be described later. The controller 18 is physically a computer having a processor and memory.

[0020] Next, the operation of the occupant protection device 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the occupant protection device 10 in the event of a left-side collision. In FIG. 3, a left-side collision is detected at time t=0. When a left-side collision occurs, the first occupant PF and the second occupant PS fall significantly to the left side of the vehicle due to inertial force. The controller 18 ignites the second inflator 22s immediately upon detecting a left-side collision. The ignition causes the bag body 20s of the second side airbag 14 to deploy and inflate. As a result, the bag body 20s, which has impact absorption properties, is interposed between the second occupant PS and the second side door 24s. This prevents the second occupant PS from colliding with the second side door 24s.

[0021] Also, assume that a specified second delay time ts has elapsed after the second inflator 22s is ignited. The controller 18 ignites the far side inflator 22c at time t=ts. Ignition causes the bag body 20c of the far side airbag 16 to deploy and inflate, thereby preventing the first occupant PF from significantly leaning to the left. Here, the second delay time ts is the time from the occurrence of a left-side collision until the upper body of the first occupant PF significantly leans, and is, for example, not less than 3 ms and not more than 10 ms. Note that, at time t=tn, after sufficient time has elapsed, the volumes of the two bag bodies 20c, 20s have decreased by the amount of impact absorbed.

[0022] Next, the operation in the event of a right-side collision will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the occupant protection device 10 in the event of a right-side collision. In FIG. 4, a right-side collision is detected at time t=0. When a right-side collision occurs, the first occupant PF and the second occupant PS fall significantly to the right side of the vehicle due to inertial force. The controller 18 ignites the first inflator 22f immediately upon detecting a right-side collision. The ignition causes the bag body 20f of the first side airbag 12 to deploy and inflate. This prevents the first occupant PF from colliding with the first side door 24f.

[0023] Furthermore, the controller 18 ignites the far side inflator 22c when a predetermined delay time has elapsed after igniting the first inflator 22f. However, unlike the case of FIG. 3, the controller 18 does not ignite the far side inflator 22c when the second delay time ts has elapsed. The controller 18 ignites the far side inflator 22c when the first delay time tf, which is longer than the second delay time ts, has elapsed. This ignition causes the bag body 20c of the far side airbag 16 to deploy and inflate. This prevents the first occupant PF, who is pushed back by the bag body 20f, from falling to the left. Note that at time t=tn, after sufficient time has elapsed, the volume of the bag body 20f of the first side airbag 12 has decreased by the amount of impact absorption.

[0024] As is clear from the above explanation, in this example, the delay times tf and ts until the far side airbag 16 starts to deploy are changed depending on the side impact direction. The reason for this configuration will be explained below. In the event of a left-side impact, the first occupant PF falls to the left early. In order to support this first occupant PF, when a left-side impact occurs, the controller 18 waits for the second delay time ts before igniting the far-side inflator 22c.

[0025] On the other hand, in the event of a right-side collision, the first occupant PF falls to the right, i.e., in the direction opposite the far side airbag 16, immediately after the side collision. In such a case, if the bag body 20c of the far side airbag 16 begins to deploy early, the bag body 20c will push the first occupant PF toward the first side door 24f. As a result, the momentum of the first occupant PF moving toward the first side door 24f may increase. If the momentum of the first occupant PF increases, the impact absorption capacity of the first side airbag 12 must be increased accordingly. However, increasing the impact absorption capacity of the first side airbag 12 would result in other problems, such as increased costs and size.

[0026] Therefore, in this example, when a right-side collision occurs, the far-side inflator 22c is ignited after the first delay time tf, which is longer than the second delay time ts, has elapsed. This prevents the bag body 20c from pushing the first occupant PF against the first side door 24f immediately after the side collision.

[0027] On the other hand, when the first occupant PF collides with the bag body 20f of the first side airbag 12, the first occupant PF is pushed back to the left by the reaction force from the bag body 20f. At time t=tf, the far-side inflator 22c is ignited to start deploying the bag body 20c, so that the first occupant PF being pushed back to the left can be supported by the bag body 20c.

[0028] The first delay time tf is not particularly limited as long as it is longer than the second delay time ts. However, if the first delay time tf is short, the far side airbag 16 may accelerate the movement of the first occupant PF to the right. Also, if the first delay time tf is too long, it may not be possible to prevent the first occupant PF from falling to the left. Therefore, the first delay time tf may be set to be two to four times the second delay time ts. This will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.

[0029] In the event of a left-side collision, the upper body of the first occupant PF moves to the left side of the vehicle, i.e., moves along path L1 in Figure 1. Therefore, the second delay time ts is usually set based on the time required for movement along path L1.

[0030] On the other hand, in the event of a right-side collision, the upper body of the first occupant PF moves to the right side of the vehicle, and then is pushed back by the bag body 20f of the first side airbag 12 and moves to the left side of the vehicle. That is, in the event of a right-side collision, the upper body of the first occupant PF moves along path R1 in FIG. 1, and then moves along path R2. Therefore, the first delay time tf is usually set based on the time required for movement along path R1 and path R2.

[0031] As is clear from FIG. 1, the distance of route R1+R2 is approximately three times the distance of route L1. Therefore, the first delay time tf may be approximately three times the second delay time ts. However, the time required to travel along route R1+R2 varies depending on the position, configuration, etc. of seat 26. Therefore, the first delay time tf may be changed as appropriate within a range of two to four times the second delay time ts.

[0032] Next, the processing of the controller 18 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 18 monitors the presence or absence of a side collision based on the output value of the collision sensor 19 (S10, S18). If a left-side collision is detected (Yes in S10), the controller 18 ignites the second inflator 22s (S12). Thereafter, the controller 18 waits for a second delay time ts (S14). Once the second delay time ts has elapsed, the controller 18 ignites the far-side inflator 22c (S16). This ends the processing.

[0033] Furthermore, if a right-side collision is detected (Yes in S18), the controller 18 ignites the first inflator 22f (S20). Thereafter, the controller 18 waits for a first delay time tf (S22). Once the first delay time tf has elapsed, the controller 18 ignites the far-side inflator 22c (S24). This ends the processing.

[0034] As is clear from the above description, when the occupant protection device 10 disclosed in this specification detects a side impact toward the first seat 26f, it delays the timing of the start of inflation of the far side airbag 16 located near the first seat 26f compared to when it detects a side impact toward the second seat 26s. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the first occupant PF from being pushed toward the side door 24 by the far side airbag 16.

[0035] The configuration described above is merely an example, and other configurations may be changed as long as the first delay time tf is longer than the second delay time ts. For example, in the description above, the far side airbag 16 is provided in the first seat 26f. However, the far side airbag 16 may be provided in another location, such as the center console box 27. Furthermore, the number of far side airbags 16 is not limited to one, and two may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the right far side airbag 16R may be provided at the left end of the first seat 26f (i.e., the right seat), and the left far side airbag 16L may be provided at the right end of the second seat 26s (i.e., the left seat). In this case, if a left-side collision is detected, the right far side airbag 16R begins to deploy after the second delay time ts has elapsed, and the left far side airbag 16L begins to deploy after the first delay time tf has elapsed. Furthermore, if a right-side collision is detected, the left far side airbag 16L begins to deploy after the second delay time ts has elapsed, and the right far side airbag 16R begins to deploy after the first delay time tf has elapsed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Occupant protection device, 12 First side airbag, 14 Second side airbag, 16 Far side airbag, 18 Controller, 19 Collision sensor, 20c, 20f, 20s Bag body, 22c Far side inflator, 22f First inflator, 22s Second inflator, 24f First side door, 24s Second side door, 26f First seat, 26s Second seat, 27 Center console box, PF First occupant, PS Second occupant.

Claims

1. a first side airbag disposed in a first door located outward of the first seat in the vehicle width direction; a second side airbag disposed in a second door located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of a second seat adjacent to the first seat in the vehicle width direction; a far side airbag disposed on the inner side of the first seat in the vehicle width direction and closer to the first seat than the second seat; Equipped with When a side collision toward the first seat is detected, the first side airbag is started to be deployed, and then the far side airbag is started to be deployed after a first delay time has elapsed, When a side collision toward the second seat is detected, the second side airbag is started to be deployed, and then the far side airbag is started to be deployed after a second delay time has elapsed, The first delay time is equal to or greater than two times and equal to or less than four times the second delay time. An occupant protection device characterized by:

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, the first seat is a driver's seat, and the second seat is a passenger seat, The far side airbag is provided on a frame of the driver's seat. An occupant protection device characterized by:

Images