Pedestrian Protection Devices

Abstract

To provide a pedestrian protection device capable of restricting an increase in a capacity of a left airbag or a right airbag while capable of securing stable protection performance.SOLUTION: A pedestrian protection device includes a left airbag 40L and a right airbag 40R that are disposed in a vicinity of a rear end 8a of a hood panel 8 in a vehicle V and are arranged in parallel on vehicle width direction sides at inflation completion time when an inflating gas is caused to flow thereinto. The left airbag and the right airbag include respectively cowl cover portions 52L, 52R that are disposed along the vehicle width direction and cover an upper face side of a cowl when the inflation is completed. The cowl cover portions have respectively end portion regions 70L, 70R disposed coinciding with each other on up-down direction sides on end sides that are in proximity to each other. The end portion region 70R being one of the end portion regions is configured in such a way that an internal pressure when inflation is completed is raised higher than that of a general region 54 in the right airbag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device disposed near the rear end of a hood panel of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, pedestrian protection devices disposed near the rear end of a vehicle's hood panel have been configured to include a left airbag and a right airbag that are separated into left and right halves and are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction when fully inflated in order to make the vehicle installation space compact. In this conventional pedestrian protection device, the left airbag and the right airbag each include a cowl cover portion that is arranged substantially along the vehicle width direction when fully inflated and covers the upper part of the cowl, and the two cowl cover portions are inflated so that the ends of the adjacent sides overlap each other, thereby covering the upper part of the cowl over substantially the entire length (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-177986 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional pedestrian protection devices, the ends of the cowl cover parts of the left and right airbags are simply arranged to overlap one another vertically when the airbags are fully inflated, and so in order to provide protection in the overlapping area of ​​the ends with substantially the same protection performance as the general area of ​​the cowl cover parts other than the ends, it was necessary to set the amount of overlap large. In other words, in conventional pedestrian protection devices, the ends of the cowl cover parts must be allowed to overlap significantly when the left and right airbags are fully inflated, and there was room for improvement in terms of suppressing an increase in the volume of the left or right airbag (the volume of the case that houses the folded left or right airbag) and making the airbag more compact.

[0005] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a pedestrian protection device that can suppress an increase in the volume of the left airbag or the right airbag and ensure stable protection performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pedestrian protection device according to the present invention is provided with a left airbag and a right airbag which are disposed near a rear end of a hood panel of a vehicle and which are arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction when inflation gas is flowed into the left airbag and the right airbag are fully inflated, and A pedestrian protection device including a left airbag and a right airbag, both of which are arranged along a vehicle width direction when fully inflated, and a cowl cover portion that covers an upper surface side of a cowl, The cowl cover portions are configured to have end regions that are arranged overlapping each other on the up-down direction side at the ends that are close to each other when the inflation is complete, At least one of the end regions is configured so that the internal pressure at the time of completion of inflation can be made higher than that of the general region of the left or right airbag.

[0007] In the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, at least one of the cowl cover portions of the left and right airbags, which are located at the ends that approach each other when the airbags are fully inflated and which overlap each other in the vertical direction, is configured to have a higher internal pressure than the general region of the left or right airbag. That is, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, at least one of the overlapping end regions of each cowl cover portion is configured to maintain a higher internal pressure. Therefore, compared to a case in which the ends of the cowl cover portions are overlapped with substantially the same internal pressure in all regions, high protection performance can be ensured even if the overlapping amount is set small, and pedestrians can be protected stably. That is, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, the overlapping amount between the end regions of each cowl cover portion can be reduced. In other words, the length dimension of the cowl cover portions can be relatively reduced, and an increase in the volume of the left or right airbag can be suppressed.

[0008] Therefore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in the volume of the left airbag or the right airbag, and to ensure stable protection performance.

[0009] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, it is preferable to configure the upper end region, which is located at the top when the airbags are fully inflated, so that the internal pressure at the time of full inflation is higher than that of the other general regions. With this configuration, when the left and right airbags are fully inflated and a pedestrian is received near the boundary portion of the cowl cover portion (the overlapping end regions), the region where the internal pressure is set higher (the upper end region) first comes into contact with the pedestrian and receives the pedestrian, with its lower surface supported by the lower end region. In other words, since the relatively hard inflated portion directly receives the pedestrian, it is easier to ensure the reaction force required to protect the pedestrian compared to when the regions where the internal pressure is set higher overlap on the lower side, and the pedestrian can be protected more stably.

[0010] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device having the above configuration, the left airbag and the right airbag are configured to inflate on the left and right of a wiper pivot that is disposed on the center side of the pair of left and right wipers in the vehicle width direction, respectively, It is preferable that the lower end region located on the lower side when the inflation is complete is configured so that the edge thereof is adjacent to the wiper pivot.

[0011] With the pedestrian protection device configured as described above, when the left airbag and the right airbag are fully inflated, the wiper pivot is disposed in the recessed region formed between the edge of the lower end region and the underside of the upper end region in the region where the lower end region and the upper end region overlap vertically. Therefore, even if the vicinity of the terminal of the cowl cover portion of the inflated left airbag or right airbag, i.e., the end region, is configured to cover the top of the wiper pivot that protrudes partially upward from the cowl, the region on the terminal side (end region) of the cowl cover portion of the left airbag or right airbag can be prevented from interfering with the wiper pivot and rising significantly, and the upper end region can accurately cover the top of the wiper pivot. In other words, when the left and right airbags are fully inflated, the region that is inflated thickly so that the upper and lower end regions are stacked vertically is adjacent to the wiper pivot, and in addition, the upper end region, which is set to a high internal pressure, covers the upper side of the wiper pivot. Therefore, even if a pedestrian comes into contact with the region near the wiper pivot when the left and right airbags are fully inflated, the upper end region, which is maintained at a high internal pressure, and the lower end region, which supports the lower side of the upper end region, can reliably prevent contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an arrangement location of a wiper pivot in the vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a right airbag device in a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a right airbag used in a right airbag device in a state where the right airbag is deployed flat. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the right airbag of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the left end portion of the cowl cover in the right airbag of FIG. 4, and a partially enlarged plan view showing the state in which the vehicle body side wall and the partition are overlapped in the left end portion. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are schematic enlarged partial cross-sectional views showing a state in which the left end side portion of the right airbag of FIG. 4 is in the middle of inflation and a state in which inflation is completed. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of base materials that constitute the right airbag of FIG. 4. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a left airbag used in a left airbag device in a flat deployed state. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the arrangement of base materials that constitute the left airbag of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 1 is a plan view of a vehicle showing a state in which a left airbag and a right airbag have completed inflation in a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12] 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the right airbag has completed inflation in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a schematic view showing the overlapping end regions of the left and right airbags when the left and right airbags are fully inflated in the pedestrian protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A pedestrian protection device M according to the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle V, a so-called left-hand drive vehicle, in which the driver's seat is located on the left side, as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the pedestrian protection device M includes two airbag devices 20L, 20R disposed on both the left and right sides of a pair of left and right wipers 10L, 10R disposed below the rear end 8a of a hood panel 8, in this embodiment, in a portion of the cowl 6, with a wiper pivot 12R (described later) of the wiper 10R disposed on the right side (passenger seat side) between them. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions will be described as corresponding to the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions of the vehicle V, respectively.

[0014] The cowl 6 is composed of a cowl panel 6a on the body side that has high rigidity, and a cowl louver 6b made of synthetic resin above the cowl panel 6a.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wipers 10L and 10R are a pair of left and right wipers, each including a wiper body 11L and 11R disposed above the cowl louver 6b and a drive mechanism 15L and 15R disposed below the cowl louver 6b for driving the wiper body 11L and 11R. Each wiper body 11L and 11R includes a wiper pivot 12L and 12R connected to the drive mechanism 15L and 15R, and a long arm 13L and 13R pivotally connected at its base to the wiper pivot 12L and 12R. As shown in Figure 2, the wiper pivot 12L and 12R are configured such that their upper ends 12a, to which the arm 13L and 13R are connected, protrude above the cowl louver 6b. In this embodiment, the wiper pivot 12R of the wiper 10R disposed on the right side (passenger seat side) is disposed on the center side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Specifically, the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R is disposed at a position slightly left of the center of the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) of the cowl 6 (see FIG. 1).

[0016] The two airbag devices 20L, 20R are disposed below and near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8, and specifically, are disposed adjacent to each other in front of the cowl louvers 6b (see FIG. 3). In detail, as shown in FIG. 1, the left airbag device 20L disposed on the left side (driver's seat side) is disposed in a region between the wiper pivots 12L, 12R of the wipers 10L, 10R, and the right airbag device 20R disposed on the right side (passenger's seat side) is disposed to the right of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R. The left airbag device 20L and the right airbag device 20R have the same configuration except for the slightly different shapes of the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R when fully inflated and the slight differences in the size of the device itself (the size of the cases 22L and 22R, described below, specifically the width dimensions of the cases 22L and 22R in the left-right direction, see FIG. 1). Therefore, the same reference numerals are used with L or R added to the end, and the following embodiment will mainly be described using the right airbag device 20R located on the right side (passenger seat side) as an example. In the embodiment, when the left airbag device 20L and the right airbag device 20R are activated, the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 is lifted upward by an actuator (not shown) (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0017] The right airbag device 20R includes a right airbag 40R, an inflator 28R that supplies inflation gas to the right airbag 40R, a case 22R as a storage portion that stores the folded right airbag 40R and the inflator 28R, and an airbag cover 26R that covers the folded right airbag 40R.

[0018] The case 22R is made of metal (sheet metal) and is fixed to a mounting portion 2R consisting of a flange or the like extending from the cowl panel 6a on the body 1 side of the vehicle V using bolts 32R and nuts 33R of a mounting bracket 31R for the inflator 28R (see FIG. 3). The case 22R has a generally rectangular box shape with an extension opening 22a at its upper end for allowing the right airbag 40R to protrude when inflated, and includes a bottom wall portion 23R in the form of a generally rectangular plate extending generally along the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle V, and a generally square cylindrical peripheral wall portion 24R extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall portion 23R. The case 22R is disposed on the front end side of the cowl 6, below the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8. More specifically, the case 22R is disposed in front of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R and in close proximity to the right side of the wiper pivot 12R (see FIG. 1). In addition, the arm portion 13R of the right wiper 10R is disposed in a rear area of ​​the case 22R in the cowl 6, as shown in FIG.

[0019] The airbag cover 26R is disposed so as to be substantially flush with the cowl louvers 6b and extend forward from the cowl louvers 6b so as to cover the projection opening 22a of the case 22R, and is attached to a front portion of the peripheral wall portion 24R of the case 22R. When the right airbag 40R housed in the case 22R inflates, the airbag cover 26R is pushed open by the right airbag 40R.

[0020] As shown by the two-dot chain lines in Figures 3 and 5, the inflator 28R has a generally cylindrical shape with its axial direction generally aligned with the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle V, and is configured with a gas discharge portion 29R that discharges inflation gas disposed at its tip end (the right end in this embodiment). In this embodiment, the inflator 28R is held by multiple (three in this embodiment) mounting brackets 31R, is wrapped around its periphery by an inner tube 80R, and is inserted into the right airbag 40R. The inflator 28R is fixed to the bottom wall portion 23R of the case 22R by bolts 32R of the mounting brackets 31R (see Figure 3). As described above, the bolts 32R of the mounting brackets 31R pass through the bottom wall portion 23R and are fastened with nuts 33R to the mounting portion 2R on the body 1 side of the vehicle V, thereby fixing the case 22R together with the inflator 28R to the mounting portion 2R (see Figure 3). Furthermore, since the inflator 28R is inserted into the right airbag 40R, when the mounting bracket 31R is attached to the mounting portion 2R, the right airbag 40R is also attached and fixed to the bottom wall portion 23R of the case 22R. The inflator 28R is configured to activate when a sensor (not shown) provided on the front bumper 3 of the vehicle V detects a collision between the vehicle V and a pedestrian.

[0021] The right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are configured with slight differences in the length dimensions of cowl cover portions 52L, 52R (described later) and the positions of case side portions 41L, 41R (described later) relative to the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R, but other than the configuration of the center regions in the vehicle width direction of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R, the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are configured with slight differences in the length dimensions of cowl cover portions 52L, 52R and the positions of case side portions 41L, 41R (described later) relative to the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R, but are basically identical in configuration except for the configuration of the center regions in the vehicle width direction of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R, being symmetrical (see FIGS. 4 and 9). Therefore, the members other than the center regions in the vehicle width direction of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R will be described with the same reference numerals suffixed with L or R, and omitted as appropriate.

[0022] 4 and 5, the right airbag 40R includes a case-side portion 41R that is arranged from the case 22R side to the underside of the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 when fully inflated, and a main body inflatable portion 50R that is arranged to extend rearward from the case 22R when fully inflated. The right airbag 40R has substantially the same external shape and includes a vehicle body-side wall portion 40a that is arranged on the body 1 side when fully inflated, and a pedestrian-side wall portion 40b that is arranged opposite the vehicle body-side wall portion 40a, and is formed into a bag shape by joining (sewn) the outer peripheral edges of the vehicle body-side wall portion 40a and the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b together around the entire periphery.

[0023] The case-side portion 41R is formed to extend forward from a cowl cover portion 52R (described later) of the main inflation portion 50R. It is attached to the case 22R at a portion on the rear end side (the main inflation portion 50R side) of the case 22R when inflation is complete, and is configured to cover the upper portion of the area directly above and forward of the case 22R, i.e., the area below the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). The case-side portion 41R is narrower (has a smaller width in the left-right direction) than the cowl cover portion 52R of the main inflation portion 50R, and is formed to partially protrude forward from the cowl cover portion 52R. The width of the left-right sides (vehicle width direction) is set to be slightly smaller than the width of the case 22R (see FIGS. 1 and 11). An insertion opening 42R for inserting the inflator 28R is formed in the vehicle body side wall 40a in an area that forms the rear end side of the case-side portion 41R (see FIG. 5). The insertion opening 42R includes an insertion slit 43R for inserting the inflator 28R, whose outer periphery is surrounded by the inner tube 80R, into the right airbag 40R, an insertion hole 44R for inserting the bolt 32R of the mounting bracket 31R, and a cover panel 45R for closing the insertion slit 43R from the outer periphery. The insertion slit 43R is formed in a substantially linear shape extending substantially along the left-right direction, and the insertion hole 44R is formed in an area forward of the insertion slit 43R (see FIGS. 5 and 8). The cover panel 45R covers the outer surface of the insertion slit 43R, and its rear edge is connected to the vehicle body side wall portion 40a rearward of the insertion slit 43R. A mounting hole 45a, through which the bolt 32R of the mounting bracket 31R protrudes, is disposed at its front end in correspondence with the insertion hole 44R (see FIGS. 5 and 8).

[0024] The main body inflation portion 50R has a generally L-shaped external shape when fully inflated when viewed from the front, and includes a cowl cover portion 52R that is disposed generally along the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) so as to generally follow the lower portion 4a of the front windshield 4, and a pillar cover portion 51R that extends rearward from the outer end (right end) of the cowl cover portion 52R in the vehicle width direction to cover the lower portion 5a of the front surface of the right front pillar 5R. In this embodiment, the pillar cover portion 51R is wider than the cowl cover portion 52R when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat, and is configured to be able to widely cover the lower portion 5a of the front surface of the right front pillar 5R (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 11).

[0025] The cowl cover portion 52R is configured to cover the upper surface (front surface) from the cowl 6 to the lower portion 4a of the front windshield 4 when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated, and specifically, when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated, it is configured to cover from the right end of the cowl 6 to the area to the left of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R (see FIG. 11). More specifically, the cowl cover portion 52R has a portion that extends leftward beyond the case-side portion 41R, and a left end portion 55 located leftward beyond this case-side portion 41R is configured to be slightly inclined in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) so that an edge 55a faces rearward when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat (see FIG. 4). In addition, in the embodiment, the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R is separated from the remaining right area (general inflation portion 54) by a partition wall 58 arranged inside, thereby configuring the left end portion 55 to increase the internal pressure when inflation is complete.

[0026] Specifically, as shown in A of Figures 4, 5, and 6, the partition wall 58 disposed within the cowl cover portion 52R is disposed near the boundary between the cowl cover portion 52R and the left end 41a of the case side portion 41R. Except for a portion of a left edge 58b side connected to the vehicle body side wall 40a, the partition wall 58 is connected to the right airbag 40R (vehicle body side wall 40a, pedestrian side wall 40b) along substantially the entire outer periphery, thereby separating the left end portion 55 from the general inflation portion 54 (general area). The partition wall 58 is also configured to include an outlet opening 65 that allows inflation gas G that has flowed into the general inflation portion 54 to flow out toward the left end portion 55, and a backflow suppression portion 66 that suppresses backflow of inflation gas that has flowed into the left end portion 55 via the outlet opening 65. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6B and Figures 7A and 7B, the outflow opening 65 is formed from the gap between the connection portions (lower outer portion connection portions 61F, 61B, lower inner portion connection portion 62) that intermittently sew (connect) the left edge 58b side of the partition 58 to the vehicle side wall portion 40a, and the backflow suppression portion 66 is formed from the portion that forms the periphery of these connection portions (lower outer portion connection portions 61F, 61B, lower inner portion connection portion 62) in the partition 58.

[0027] In the present embodiment, when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat, the partition 58 is disposed near a rear region on the left end 41a side of the case side portion 41R of the cowl cover portion 52R, as shown in A of Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and is constituted by a partition panel 88 as shown in Fig. 8. A front edge 88a and a rear edge 88b of the partition panel 88 are shaped to substantially follow outer peripheral edges 85a, 86a of the vehicle body side wall portion 40a (vehicle body side panel 85R, which will be described later) and the pedestrian side wall portion 40b (pedestrian side panel 86R, which will be described later), and are joined (sewn together) along their entire lengths with the outer peripheral edges 85a, 86a of the vehicle body side wall portion 40a (vehicle body side panel 85R) and the pedestrian side wall portion 40b (pedestrian side panel 86R) (see A and B of Figs. 6). The right edge 58a of the partition panel 88 (partition 58) is bent and has a rear portion 58ab that is generally aligned along the front-to-rear direction when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat, and a front portion 58aa that is inclined so that its front end faces leftward (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). The right edge 58a is joined (sewn) to the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b (pedestrian-side panel 86R) along its entire length so as to form an upper joining portion 60 (see FIG. 6A). The rear portion 58ab of the right edge 58a is located to the right of the left end 41a of the case-side portion 41R when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat, and more specifically, is located in approximately the left one-third of the case-side portion 41R (see FIG. 4). The front end of a front portion 58aa of the right edge 58a is located near the boundary between the case portion 41R and the left end portion 55. The left edge 58b of the partition panel 88 (partition 58) is formed in a straight line that is approximately perpendicular to the axial direction of the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R, and is joined (sewn) intermittently to the vehicle body side wall portion 40a (vehicle body side panel 85R). Specifically, the front and rear ends of the left edge 58b in a flat, unfolded state are partially joined (sewn) to the vehicle body side wall portion 40a (vehicle body side panel 85R) so as to form lower outer portion joint portions 61F, 61B (see FIGS. 5 and 6B). In addition, the partition panel 88 (partition 58) is joined (sewn) to the vehicle body side wall portion 40a (vehicle body side panel 85R) by the lower inner portion joining portion 62 at a position slightly to the left of the center, as shown in Figures 5 and 6B.The lower inner portion joint 62 is configured in a straight line that substantially follows the lower outer portion joints 61F, 61B (i.e., the left edge 58b of the partition 58), and has a length dimension that allows both ends to overlap with the lower outer portion joints 61F, 61B on the left-right side when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat (see FIG. 6B). In other words, the lower inner portion joint 62 is configured to close the gap between the lower outer portion joints 61F, 61B over its entire length, on the inside and separated from each other on the left-right side.

[0028] In the right airbag 40R of this embodiment, the inflation gas G that flows into the general inflation portion 54 of the cowl cover portion 52R through the case side portion 41R flows through gaps between the lower inner portion joint 62 and each of the lower outer portion joints 61F, 61B, and then flows into the left end portion 55 (see A in FIG. 7). In detail, the inflation gas G that flows into the general inflation portion 54 flows into the left end portion 55, detouring substantially along the lower inner portion joint 62 and each of the lower outer portion joints 61F, 61B, as shown in B in FIG. When inflation gas flows into left end portion 55 and the left end portion 55 inflates, the internal pressure of inflation gas G flowing into left end portion 55 presses the area of ​​partition 58 surrounding lower inner portion joint 62 and each lower outer portion joint 61F, 61B toward vehicle body side wall 40a, causing it to become blocked (see B in FIG. 7), thereby preventing inflation gas G from flowing back toward general inflation portion 54. By preventing inflation gas G from flowing out toward general inflation portion 54 in this way, the internal pressure of left end portion 55 after inflation is complete is maintained at a high level.

[0029] When the right airbag 40R is fully inflated, the partition wall 58 is disposed so as to be inclined (in the up-down direction) relative to the vehicle body side wall portion 40a and the pedestrian side wall portion 40b. When the right airbag 40R is fully inflated, the left end portion 55 is disposed so as to be slightly bent from the upper joining portion 60, which joins the partition wall 58 to the pedestrian side wall portion 40b, as a starting point, so that the end edge 55a side is slightly raised (see B in FIG. 7). When the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are fully inflated, the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R is disposed so as to overlap the upper side of the right end portion 68 (end portion region 70L) of the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L, with its internal pressure higher than that of the normal inflation portion 54 (see FIGS. 11 and 13).

[0030] In this embodiment, tethers 75R, 76R, and 77R are disposed inside the right airbag 40R to connect the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b and the vehicle-body-side wall portion 40a and regulate the thickness of the right airbag 40R at full inflation (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 8). The tether 75R is disposed over substantially the entire area of ​​the cowl cover portion 52R, from the general inflation portion 54 to the pillar cover portion 51R. More specifically, the tether 75R is disposed continuously from the general inflation portion 54 to the pillar cover portion 51R, at a position that is substantially the center in the width direction. The tether 76R is partially disposed on the leading edge side near the boundary between the cowl cover portion 52R and the pillar cover portion 51R. The tether 77R is disposed near the boundary between the case side portion 41R and the cowl cover portion 52R (main inflation portion 50R) and extends substantially along the left-right direction so as to partially cover this boundary. The tether 77R has a plurality of (two in this embodiment) substantially rectangular openings 77a arranged side by side on the left-right side (see FIG. 8). The length of the tether 77R is set smaller than the width of the case side portion 41R on the left-right side when the tether 77R is deployed flat. The inflation gas that flows into the case side portion 41R flows into the main inflation portion 50R through gaps formed at both ends of the tether 77R and the two openings 77a.

[0031] The inner tube 80R, which covers the outer periphery of the inflator 28R, has an insertion tube portion 80c into which the inflator 28R, with the mounting bracket 31R already attached, is inserted, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5. The insertion tube portion 80c has outlet ports 80a, 80b extending from the gas discharge portion 29R on both sides and extending toward the tip end thereof for discharging inflation gas. Mounting holes (reference numerals omitted) are formed in the insertion tube portion 80c, through which the bolts 32R of each mounting bracket 31R pass. The inner tube 80R is made of a tube base material 94R as shown in Fig. 8.

[0032] 8, the right airbag 40R of the embodiment is composed of a vehicle-body-side panel 85R that constitutes the vehicle-body-side wall portion 40a, a pedestrian-side panel 86R that constitutes the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b, a partition panel 88 that constitutes the partition wall 58, tether substrates 90R, 91R, and 92R that constitute the tethers 75R, 76R, and 77R, and a tube substrate 94R that constitutes the inner tube 80R. These substrates are formed by cutting a coated fabric, which is made by weaving polyamide yarn, polyester yarn, or the like, and applying a coating agent for preventing gas leakage to the surface of the woven fabric, into a predetermined shape.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 11, the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L is configured to cover an area from the left end of the cowl 6 to the left of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R when the left airbag 40L is fully inflated. As shown in Fig. 9, the cowl cover portion 52L has a portion that extends rightward beyond the case-side portion 41L, and a right end portion 68 located rightward of this case-side portion 41L is configured such that an edge 68a (right edge) is adjacent to the wiper pivot 12R when the left airbag 40L is fully inflated (see Figs. 11 and 13). The partition wall 58 disposed inside the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R is not provided inside the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L. The right end portion 68 of the cowl cover portion 52L is arranged as an end portion region 70L so as to overlap the underside of the left end portion 55 (end portion region 70R) of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R when the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are fully inflated (see FIG. 13 ). Specifically, in the pedestrian protection device M of this embodiment, the overlap amount (overlap amount) between the end portions 70L, 70R when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated is set to approximately 100 to 180 mm. The cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L protrudes from the case side portion 41L (the width dimension of the right end portion 68 in the lateral direction) smaller than the protrusion amount of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R from the case side portion 41R (the width dimension of the left end portion 55 in the lateral direction). In addition, in this embodiment, the right airbag device 20R on the passenger side is mounted to the right of the right wiper pivot 12R and at a position that is approximately the center of the vehicle V in the vehicle width direction, and the left airbag device 20L on the driver side is mounted between the wiper pivots 12L, 12R and at a position that is significantly offset to the left end from the center of the vehicle V in the vehicle width direction.Therefore, the lengths of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R of the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are made different in accordance with these mounting positions (see FIGS. 4 and 9).Due to this difference in the length dimension of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R, the left airbag 40L has a smaller volume than the right airbag 40R.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 10, the left airbag 40L, like the right airbag 40R, is composed of a vehicle body side panel 85L that constitutes the vehicle body side wall portion 40a, a pedestrian side panel 86L that constitutes the pedestrian side wall portion 40b, tether substrates 90L, 91L, 92L that constitute each tether 75L, 76L, 77L, and a tube substrate 94L that constitutes the inner tube 80L.

[0035] To explain how the pedestrian protection device M of this embodiment is installed in a vehicle V, first, the right airbag 40R is folded so that it can be stored in the case 22R. Then, the inflator 28R, to which the mounting bracket 31R has been attached, is inserted into the inner tube 80R and inserted into the right airbag 40R using the insertion slits 43R. Then, the bolts 32R of each mounting bracket 31R, which protrude from the mounting holes (reference numerals omitted in the drawing) of the inner tube 80R, are caused to protrude from the insertion holes 44R of the right airbag 40R. Next, the cover panel 45R is closed so as to cover the insertion slits 43R, and the bolts 32R are inserted into the mounting holes 45a. Thereafter, the right airbag 40R and the inflator 28R are stored in the case 22R, and an airbag cover 26R is attached to the case 22R, thereby assembling the right airbag device 20R. Next, the case 22R is placed in a predetermined position on the vehicle V, the bolts 32R protruding from the case 22R are fastened to the mounting portions 2R with nuts 33R, and the inflator 28R is connected to an operating circuit (not shown), thereby enabling the right airbag device 20R to be mounted on the vehicle V. Similarly, the left airbag device 20L can be assembled and mounted on the vehicle V, allowing the pedestrian protection device M to be mounted on the vehicle V.

[0036] In the pedestrian protection device M of this embodiment, when an activation circuit (not shown) detects a collision between the vehicle V and a pedestrian based on an activation signal from a sensor (not shown) arranged in the front bumper 3, the inflators 28L, 28R are activated, and the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are inflated by allowing inflation gas to flow into the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L. The right airbag 40R inflates to cover approximately the right half of the cowl 6 and the lower part 5a of the front surface of the right front pillar 5R, and the left airbag 40L inflates to cover approximately the left half of the cowl 6 and the lower part 5a of the front surface of the left front pillar 5L (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 11).

[0037] In the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, at least one of the end regions 70L, 70R of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R of the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R, which are arranged on ends that approach each other when inflation is complete and which overlap each other in the vertical direction, is configured to have a higher internal pressure than the general region (general inflation portion 54) of the right airbag 40R. That is, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, one of the overlapping end regions 70R of each of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R is configured to be arranged in a state where a higher internal pressure is maintained. Therefore, compared to a case where all regions of the cowl cover portions are maintained at approximately the same internal pressure and the end portions are overlapped, high protection performance can be ensured and pedestrians can be stably protected. That is, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the amount of overlap between the end regions 70L, 70R of each cowl cover portion 52L, 52R can be reduced. In other words, in the case of the embodiment, the length dimension of the cowl cover portion 52R that is overlapped on the upper side can be made relatively small, thereby suppressing an increase in the volume of the right airbag 40R.

[0038] Therefore, the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment can suppress an increase in the volume of the left airbag 40L or the right airbag 40R (specifically, the right airbag 40R), and can ensure stable protection performance.

[0039] Furthermore, the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment is configured so that the upper end region (in the embodiment, the end region 70R of the right airbag 40R overlapping at the upper side) that is located at the upper side at the time of complete inflation can have a higher internal pressure at the time of complete inflation than the other general region (the general inflation portion 54 of the cowl cover portion 52R). Therefore, when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R complete inflation, when a pedestrian is received near the boundary portion of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R (the overlapping end regions 70L, 70R), the region where the internal pressure is set high (the overlapping end region 70R at the upper side) comes into contact with the pedestrian and receives the pedestrian, with its lower surface supported by the end region 70L. In other words, because the relatively hard inflated portion receives the pedestrian directly, it is easier to ensure the reaction force required to protect the pedestrian, and the pedestrian can be protected stably, compared to when the regions where the internal pressure is set high are overlapping at the lower side. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the internal pressure of the overlapping end region on the lower side may be increased. In the embodiment, the internal pressure of only the overlapping end region on the upper side is set to be higher at the time of full inflation, but it is also possible to configure both end regions so that the internal pressure of each end region is higher than that of the other general regions at the time of full inflation. When the internal pressure of both end regions is increased, the overlap amount (amount of overlap) of the end regions can be further reduced.

[0040] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are configured to inflate on the left and right sides of the wiper pivot 12R, which is located on the central side of the vehicle width direction of the pair of left and right wipers 10L, 10R, respectively, and when inflation is complete, the end region 70L (right end portion 68) of the left airbag 40L, which is located on the lower side, is configured so that the end edge 68a is adjacent to the wiper pivot 12R. That is, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, the wiper pivot 12R is arranged in the recessed area formed between the edge 68a of the lower end region 70L (right end portion 68) and the underside of the upper end region 70R (left end portion 55) in the area where the lower end region 70L (right end portion 68) and the upper end region 70R (left end portion 55) overlap each other (see Figure 13). Therefore, even if the vicinity of the terminal of the cowl cover portion 52R of the inflated right airbag 40R, i.e., the end region 70R (left end portion 55), is configured to cover the upper part of the wiper pivot 12R that partially protrudes upward from the cowl 6 (specifically, the cowl louver 6b), this end region 70R (left end portion 55) can be prevented from interfering with the wiper pivot 12R, whose upper end 12a side partially protrudes from the cowl louver 6b, and causing it to rise up significantly, and the end region 70R (left end portion 55) can accurately cover the upper part of the wiper pivot 12R. In addition, the end region 70R (left end portion 55) is supported at its underside by the end region 70L (right end portion 68). In other words, when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, the thickly inflated region that allows the end region 70R (left end portion 55) and the end region 70L (right end portion 68) to be stacked vertically is adjacent to the wiper pivot 12R, and in addition, the end region 70R (left end portion 55), which has a high internal pressure, covers the wiper pivot 12R from above.Therefore, even if a pedestrian is in a position to come into contact with the area near the wiper pivot 12R when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, the end region 70R (left end portion 55), which maintains a high internal pressure, and the end region 70L (right end portion 68), which supports the underside of the end region 70R, can effectively prevent contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot 12R.

[0041] In the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the right airbag 40R disposed on the right side (passenger seat side) is provided with a partition wall 58 inside so that the end region 70R is inflated with a high internal pressure, and the end region 70R is overlapped on the upper side, so that the length dimension of the cowl cover portion 52R is set to be larger than that of the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L disposed on the left side (driver seat side). Of course, the pedestrian protection device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and an airbag disposed on the driver seat side may be configured so that the end region of the cowl cover portion is inflated with a high internal pressure so that it is overlapped on the upper side. However, the driver's side airbag must be housed in a case mounted in the gap between the wiper pivots of the two wipers. This makes it difficult to secure a large installation space for the driver's side airbag, which is mounted in a side area of ​​the wiper pivot toward the center of the vehicle width direction. Therefore, it is preferable to mount an airbag with an end region configured to inflate at a high internal pressure on the passenger side, where installation space can be easily secured even when increasing the volume. Of course, such a high internal pressure end region may be provided on both airbags, rather than on only one airbag, as described above. In addition, although the pedestrian protection device is mounted in a left-hand drive vehicle in the embodiment, it can also be mounted in a right-hand drive vehicle with the driver's seat located on the right side. In a right-hand drive vehicle, the left and right wipers are mounted in a reversed orientation compared to a left-hand drive vehicle. Therefore, if a high internal pressure end region is provided on one airbag, it is preferable to provide the high internal pressure end region on the left airbag located on the passenger side. Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment, the left airbag and the right airbag are configured to inflate by injecting inflation gas supplied from separate inflators into the airbags, but it is also possible to use a branched gas supply pipe or the like to inflate the two airbags with inflation gas supplied from a single inflator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 6...cowl, 8...hood panel, 8a...rear end, 10L, 10R...wiper, 12L, 12R...wiper pivot, 40L...left airbag, 40R...right airbag, 52L, 52R...cowl cover portion, 54...general inflation portion (general area), 55...left end portion, 58...partition wall, 68...right end portion, 70L, 70R...end area, V...vehicle, M...pedestrian protection device.

Claims

1. The vehicle includes a left airbag and a right airbag disposed near a rear end of a hood panel, and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction when inflation gas is flowed into the left airbag and the right airbag is fully inflated, a cowl cover portion that covers an upper surface side of a cowl and that is disposed so that both the left airbag and the right airbag are aligned along a vehicle width direction when fully inflated, The cowl cover portions are configured to have end regions that are arranged overlapping each other in the up-down direction at end sides that approach each other when inflation is complete, A pedestrian protection device, characterized in that at least one of the end regions is configured to have an internal pressure higher than that of a general region of the left airbag or the right airbag when inflation is complete.

2. 2. The pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein the upper end region, which is located at the upper side when the inflation is complete, is configured so that the internal pressure when the inflation is complete is higher than that of other general regions.

3. The left airbag and the right airbag are configured to inflate on the left and right of a wiper pivot that is disposed on the center side of the pair of left and right wipers in the vehicle width direction, respectively, 3. The pedestrian protection device according to claim 2, wherein a lower end region located on the lower side when the inflation is complete is configured so that an edge thereof is adjacent to the wiper pivot.

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