Pedestrian Protection Devices

Abstract

To provide a pedestrian protection device that can quickly move an outer cover in a front pillar upward during the operation with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A pedestrian protection device M includes: a lifting arm part 20 which is arranged between an outer cover 10 and a base material part 3, has a long shape along a longitudinal direction of a front pillar, and is connected in a rotatable manner to the outer cover and the base material part at both ends; an actuator 35 which can press the vicinity of a connection portion with the base material part in the lifting arm part; and a link arm part 40 which is linked to the rotation of the lifting arm part. The lifting arm part has a pressurized portion 23 which is pressed by the actuator during the operation, and the outer cover can be moved upward relative to the base material part so that the lifting arm part is rotated against the base material part and the outer cover during the operation of the actuator. The length dimension of the link arm part is set to be smaller than the length dimension of the lifting arm part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device mounted on a front pillar of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, pedestrian protection devices mounted on front pillars have included a configuration in which a pantograph mechanism is disposed inside the front pillar, and the operation of this pantograph mechanism moves upward an outer cover that forms the outer surface of the front pillar (see, for example, Patent Document 1). More specifically, in conventional pedestrian protection devices, the pantograph mechanisms are disposed at multiple locations along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar, and each pantograph mechanism uses the inflation force of an airbag that is inflated by injecting inflation gas into the interior as a driving source. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-50282 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional pedestrian protection devices use an airbag as a driving source, which requires components such as an inflator to supply inflation gas to the airbag, leaving room for improvement in simplifying the configuration. Also, conventional pedestrian protection devices are configured so that the pantograph mechanism is driven by inflating the airbag to move the outer cover upward, making it difficult to move the outer cover upward instantaneously upon activation, leaving room for improvement in terms of quickly lifting the outer cover.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a pedestrian protection device that has a simple configuration and that can quickly move an outer cover on a front pillar upward when activated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pedestrian protection device according to the present invention is mounted on a front pillar of a vehicle, A pedestrian protection device is disposed between an outer cover that forms an outer surface of a front pillar and a base portion on a body side that is disposed below the outer cover, and is configured such that, when activated, the outer cover can move upward relative to the base portion, a lifting arm portion having an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar, the lifting arm portion having both ends rotatably connected to the outer cover and the base portion, respectively; an actuator that is disposed on the base unit side at a position in front of or behind the lifting arm unit and is capable of pressing the vicinity of a connection portion of the lifting arm unit with the base unit; a link arm portion having an elongated shape and rotatably connected at both ends to the outer cover portion and the base portion in association with the rotation of the lifting arm portion; Equipped with the lifting arm has a pressed portion that is pressed by the actuator when activated, at a position closer to the base portion than a base portion-side pivot shaft that is pivotally supported on the base portion so as to be rotatable relative to the base portion, and when the actuator presses the pressed portion, the lifting arm is rotated relative to the base portion and the outer cover, so that the outer cover can be moved upward relative to the base portion; The link arm portion is characterized in that its length is set to be smaller than that of the lifting arm portion.

[0007] In the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, when the actuator is activated to press the pressed portion of the lifting arm portion, the lifting arm portion, which is disposed approximately along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar, rotates and moves so as to rise from the base portion. This rotational movement of the lifting arm portion moves the outer cover upward relative to the base portion. At this time, the link arm portion also rotates and moves so as to rise from the base portion in conjunction with the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion. Because the length of the link arm portion is set smaller than that of the lifting arm portion, the link arm portion restricts the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion, which would rotate the outer cover side end (the upper end during upward movement of the outer cover) beyond the top dead center. Therefore, the link arm portion acts as a stopper that stops the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion. Therefore, the upward movement of the outer cover can be stably maintained. In other words, the pedestrian protection device of the present invention does not require an airbag or an inflator for inflating the airbag, and has a simpler configuration than conventional pedestrian protection devices. Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, if the actuator is operated to press the pressed portion of the lifting arm portion, the outer cover can be moved upward by the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion, and therefore the outer cover can be moved upward quickly.

[0008] Therefore, the pedestrian protection device of the present invention has a simple configuration and can quickly move the outer cover of the front pillar upward when activated.

[0009] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, the lifting arm portion is configured as an elongated member extending substantially along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar. Therefore, by simply operating the actuator to press the pressed portion of the lifting arm portion and rotating the lifting arm portion to raise it, the outer cover can be moved upward by approximately the length of the lifting arm portion. This makes it easy to ensure a predetermined lifting amount (upward movement amount) of the outer cover, and the device can be easily installed in areas of the front pillar where installation space is difficult to secure. Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, even if a pedestrian interferes with the area of ​​the front pillar, the outer cover can be moved upward to receive the pedestrian, thereby effectively preventing the pedestrian from coming into contact with the base material of the front pillar.

[0010] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, if a locking mechanism capable of maintaining the rotational movement state of the lifting arm portion is provided, the position of the lifting arm portion can be locked after the outer cover moves upward, and the rotational movement state of the lifting arm portion (its raised state relative to the base portion) can be stably maintained, which makes it possible to ensure an even more stable separation distance between the outer cover and the base portion (the upward movement state of the outer cover), which is preferable.

[0011] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device configured as described above, if the lifting arm portion and the link arm portion are provided with a deformable portion that can deform and absorb impact when a pedestrian is received by the outer cover, the lifting arm portion and the link arm portion can be deformed when the pedestrian is received, thereby absorbing the energy at the time of contact and more accurately suppressing contact between the pedestrian and the base material portion of the front pillar, etc., which is preferable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a vehicle showing a state in which a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed; [Figure 2]1 is a partially enlarged side view showing a state in which a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment is installed; [Figure 3] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state in which the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment is installed, and corresponds to the III-III portion of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic plan view showing the front lower end side of the lifting arm portion and the actuator in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views showing a portion of a locking mechanism in the pedestrian protection device according to the embodiment, illustrating states before and after rotation of a lifting arm portion. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic side view showing an operating state of a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operating state of the pedestrian protection device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state after deformation of a lifting arm portion and a link arm portion when a pedestrian is received in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a pedestrian protection device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 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 of the embodiment is mounted on the left and right front pillars 1 of a vehicle V, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. In this specification, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are based on the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the front pillar 1, and unless otherwise specified, the direction along the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the front pillar 1 is defined as the front-rear direction, the direction approximately along the up-down direction that is perpendicular to the axis of the front pillar 1 is defined as the up-down direction, and the direction approximately along the left-right direction that is perpendicular to the axis of the front pillar 1 is defined as the left-right direction.

[0014] In the embodiment, a detailed description will be given of the pedestrian protection device M mounted on the front pillar 1L(1) located on the left side of the vehicle V. Although not shown in detail in the drawings, a pedestrian protection device of the same configuration is also mounted on the right front pillar.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the front pillar 1L (1) is composed of an outer panel 3 made of steel plate or the like, an inner panel 4, and a reinforcement 5 disposed between the outer panel 3 and the inner panel 4, and has high rigidity as a structural member of the vehicle V. A sheet metal outer cover 10, which constitutes the outer surface of the front pillar 1L, is disposed on the upper surface of the outer panel 3 so as to cover substantially the entire upper surface of the outer panel 3. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the member designated by reference numeral 13 is a front windshield disposed inside the front pillar 1L in the left-right direction, and the member designated by reference numeral 14 (see FIG. 3) is a sealing rubber that seals the gap between the outer cover 10 and the front windshield 13. The member designated by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 3 is a door weatherstrip disposed between the front pillar 1L and the front door FD (see FIG. 1). The member designated by reference numeral 16 in FIG. 1 is a hood panel.

[0016] The pedestrian protection device M is disposed between the outer panel 3 of the front pillar 1L and the outer cover 10, with the outer panel 3 serving as a base member on the body side (see FIG. 3), and includes a lifting arm portion 20, an actuator 35 that presses the front end of the lifting arm portion 20 when activated, a link arm portion 40, and a locking mechanism 50 that maintains the rotational movement state of the lifting arm portion 20 (that restricts the return of the lifting arm portion 15 after rotational movement). In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedestrian protection device M is configured to be disposed on the front end 1a side of the front pillar 1L, and an auxiliary link arm portion 40B that is linked when the pedestrian protection device M is activated is disposed on the rear end 1b side of the front pillar 1L.

[0017] 2 and 4, the lifting arm portion 20 is made of sheet metal and configured as an elongated member that extends substantially along the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction) of the front pillar 1L, with a front end 20a attached to a mounting bracket portion 7 extending from the outer panel 3 (base material portion) and a rear end 20b attached to a mounting piece portion 11 extending from the outer cover 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the lifting arm portion 20 includes a main body portion 21 configured to be inclined slightly upward and rearward relative to the outer cover 10 before activation, a front mounting portion 22 formed at the front end of the main body portion 21 so as to extend downward from the main body portion 21, and a rear mounting portion 25 formed at the rear end of the main body portion 21 so as to extend substantially along the outer cover 10. In this embodiment, the lifting arm 20 has a generally L-shaped cross section (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that includes a horizontal plate 20c disposed generally along the left-right direction over its entire length, including the front mounting portion 22 and the rear mounting portion 25, and a vertical plate 20d extending generally perpendicular to the horizontal plate 20c from the right edge (the inner edge in the left-right direction) of the horizontal plate 20c. The lifting arm 20 is attached to the mounting bracket 7 or the mounting piece 11 at the vertical plate 20d disposed generally along the front-rear or up-down direction.

[0018] In detail, the front mounting portion 22 provided on the front end 20a side of the lifting arm portion 20 has a base portion-side pivot shaft 30 disposed substantially along the left-right direction that penetrates the vertical plate portion 20d together with the mounting bracket portion 7 extending upward from the outer panel 3 so as to extend substantially along the vertical plate portion 20d (substantially along the up-down direction), thereby being pivotally supported for free rotation with respect to the mounting bracket portion 7, i.e., the outer panel 3 (base portion). Similarly, the rear mounting portion 25 provided on the rear end 20b side of the lifting arm portion 20 has an outer panel-side pivot shaft 31 disposed substantially along the left-right direction that penetrates the vertical plate portion 20d together with the mounting piece portion 11 extending downward from the outer cover 10 so as to extend substantially along the vertical plate portion 20d (substantially along the up-down direction), thereby being pivotally supported for free rotation with respect to the mounting piece portion 11, i.e., the outer cover 10. The front mounting portion 22 is configured to extend toward the outer panel 3 (downward) beyond the base portion side pivot shaft portion 30 before pivoting, and in the front mounting portion 22, the lower end region of the horizontal plate portion 20c (region below the base portion side pivot shaft portion 30) that is arranged to rise from the mounting bracket portion 7 forms a pressed portion 23 that can abut against a head 37a, described later, of the actuator 35 when activated (see Figures 4 and 5).

[0019] The lifting arm portion 20 is formed with a deformation portion that is deformable when an impact force acts from above after the rotational movement (when the outer cover 10 receives a pedestrian). More specifically, in the case of the embodiment, a notch 27 is formed in the vertical plate portion 20d near the boundary between the front mounting portion 22 and the main body portion 21, by cutting from the rear edge side (see FIG. 4), and the peripheral portion of this notch 27 in the vertical plate portion 20d will be plastically deformed when an impact force acts when the outer cover 10 receives a pedestrian P. Specifically, when an impact force acts on the lifting arm portion 20, the main body portion 21 will be plastically deformed at the peripheral portion of the notch 27, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the actuator 35 is disposed in front of the lifting arm 20 and has a generally cylindrical outer shape with its axial direction generally aligned with the front pillar 1L (front-rear direction). The actuator 35 has a gas generator (not shown) that generates combustion gas by igniting a chemical disposed at a position toward the front end of the cylinder 36, and is configured so that the combustion gas generated from the gas generator upon activation causes a piston rod 37 disposed within the cylinder 36 to protrude rearward (see Figures 5, 7, and 8). The piston rod 37 includes a piston portion (not shown) disposed near the gas generator within the cylinder 36, and has a large-diameter head 37a disposed at its distal end (rear end). As described above, the head 37a is configured to be able to come into contact with the pressed portion 23 located at the lower end of the front mounting portion 22 of the lifting arm portion 20, and when activated (when the piston rod 37 protrudes rearward), it presses the pressed portion 23 rearward, thereby rotating and moving the lifting arm portion 20 so as to raise it relative to the outer panel 3 (see FIG. 8). The actuator 35 is fixed to the outer panel 3 side using a predetermined bracket or the like (not shown). The actuator 35 is configured to be activated when a sensor provided on the front bumper (not shown) of the vehicle V detects a collision between the vehicle V and a pedestrian.

[0021] The link arm portion 40 is made of sheet metal and is adjacent to the rear side of the lifting arm portion 20. It has an elongated shape that roughly follows the lifting arm portion 20 (roughly following the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 1L), and its front end 40a is attached to an attachment piece 8 extending from the outer panel 3 (base material portion), and its rear end 40b is attached to an attachment piece 11 extending from the outer cover 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The link arm portion 40 is shaped like an elongated plate with its width direction roughly aligned with the up-down direction, and the front end 40a and rear end 40b are rotatably connected to the outer cover 10 and the outer panel 3 (base material portion), respectively, so as to be rotatable in conjunction with the rotation of the lifting arm portion 20. 4, a base-side pivot shaft 42, which is disposed substantially along the left-right direction, penetrates the front end 40a of the link arm 40 at a position rearward of the front mounting portion 22 of the lifting arm 20, together with the mounting piece 8 extending upward from the outer panel 3, so that the front end 40a is pivotally supported to be freely rotatable relative to the mounting piece 8, i.e., the outer panel 3 (base material). Similarly, an outer-panel-side pivot shaft 43, which is disposed substantially along the left-right direction, penetrates the rear end 40b of the link arm 40 at a position rearward of the rear mounting portion 25 of the lifting arm 20, together with the mounting piece 11 to which the rear mounting portion 25 is attached, so that the rear end 40b is pivotally supported to be freely rotatable relative to the mounting piece 11, i.e., the outer cover 10. The length dimension of this link arm portion 40 (the distance L1 between the base portion side pivot shaft portion 42 and the outer panel side pivot shaft portion 43, see Figure 4) is set to be smaller than the length dimension of the lifting arm portion 20 (the distance L2 between the base portion side pivot shaft portion 30 and the outer panel side pivot shaft portion 31, see Figure 4).

[0022] The link arm portion 40 is formed with a deformable portion that is deformable when an impact force acts from above after rotational movement (when the outer cover 10 receives a pedestrian). More specifically, in this embodiment, the link arm portion 40 has a notch 41 formed in a portion near the front end 40a by cutting from the rear edge side so that its up-down position during rotational movement substantially coincides with the position of the notch 27 formed in the lifting arm portion 20 (see FIG. 8), and the peripheral portion of this notch 41 in the link arm portion 40 is plastically deformed when an impact force acts when the outer cover 10 receives a pedestrian. Specifically, when an impact force acts, the link arm portion 40 is plastically deformed so as to bend at the peripheral portion of the notch 41, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0023] In this embodiment, the locking mechanism 50, which maintains the rotational movement state of the lifting arm section 20 (which restricts the return of the lifting arm section 20 after rotational movement), is disposed on the mounting bracket section 7 to which the front mounting section 22 of the lifting arm section 20 is attached, as shown in A of FIGS. 4 and 6. In detail, the locking mechanism 50 is disposed on the mounting bracket section 7 at a position rearward of the base section-side pivot shaft section 30, in an area that is covered on the left side by the front mounting section 22 in the inoperative state (see A of FIG. 6). The locking mechanism 50 includes a locking pin 51 having a tip 51a that is inserted into an insertion hole 7a formed in the mounting bracket section 7, and a biasing means 52 that is disposed on the right side of the mounting bracket section 7 and biases the locking pin 51 so that it can protrude leftward. The locking pin 51 is generally cylindrical, and its outer diameter and length are set to dimensions such that when the tip 51a side is caused to protrude leftward from the mounting bracket portion 7 by the biasing force of the biasing means 52 (see B in Fig. 6), the portion on the tip 51a side can support and lock the underside 22a of the front mounting portion 22 of the lifting arm portion 20 (more specifically, the underside of the vertical plate portion 20d of the front mounting portion 22; see Fig. 4). Specifically, a leaf spring is used as the biasing means 52. In this locking mechanism 50, when the lifting arm portion 20 rotates and moves during operation of the actuator 35, the front mounting portion 22 moves and the left side of the insertion hole 7a is opened, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the locking pin 51 is subjected to the biasing force of the biasing means 52 and protrudes to the left, and the portion of the locking pin 51 on the side of the tip 51a protruding from the mounting bracket portion 7 comes into contact with and supports the underside 22a of the front mounting portion 22 (see FIG. 8), thereby restricting further downward movement of the front mounting portion 22 (return of the lifting arm portion 20).

[0024] The auxiliary link arm portion 40B, which is disposed on the rear end 1b side of the front pillar 1L, has substantially the same configuration as the link arm portion 40, but is set to have a length dimension slightly smaller than that of the link arm portion 40. The members that make up this auxiliary link arm portion 40B are designated by the same reference numerals as the link arm portion 40 with the suffix "B" added, and detailed explanations will be omitted. Like the link arm portion 40, this auxiliary link arm portion 40B also rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lifting arm portion 20.

[0025] In the pedestrian protection device M of the 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, the actuator 35 is activated. The activation of the actuator 35 causes the lifting arm portion 20 to rotate, and the link arm portion 40 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lifting arm portion 20, thereby lifting the outer cover 10 so that it moves upward relative to the outer panel 3. At this time, the auxiliary link arm portion 40B also rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lifting arm portion 20, and in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , both the front end 10a and the rear end 10b of the outer cover 10 are pushed up, causing the outer cover 10 to move upward relative to the outer panel 3 in a substantially parallel movement over substantially the entire length in the front-to-rear direction.

[0026] In the pedestrian protection device M of this embodiment, when the actuator 35 is operated to press the pressed portion 23 of the lifting arm portion 20, the lifting arm portion 20, which is disposed substantially along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 1L, rotates and moves so as to rise from the outer panel 3 serving as a base member. This rotational movement of the lifting arm portion 20 moves the outer cover 10 upward relative to the outer panel 3 (see FIG. 8 ). At this time, the link arm portion 40 also rotates and moves so as to rise from the outer panel 3 in conjunction with the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion 20. Because the length of the link arm portion 40 is set smaller than that of the lifting arm portion 20, the link arm portion 40 restricts the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion 20 from rotating the end portion on the outer cover 10 side (the upper end, rear mounting portion 25, when the outer cover 10 moves upward) beyond the top dead center. This means that the link arm portion 40 acts as a stopper that stops the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion 20. Therefore, the upward movement state of the outer cover 10 can be stably maintained. That is, the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment does not require an airbag or an inflator for inflating the airbag, and can have a simpler configuration than conventional pedestrian protection devices. Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, when the actuator 35 is operated to press the pressed portion 23 of the lifting arm portion 20, the outer cover 10 can be moved upward by the rotational movement of the lifting arm portion 20, and therefore the outer cover 10 can be moved upward quickly.

[0027] Therefore, the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment has a simple configuration and can quickly move the outer cover 10 on the front pillar 1L upward when activated.

[0028] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the lifting arm portion 20 is configured as an elongated member that extends substantially along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar 1L. Therefore, by simply operating the actuator 35 to press the pressed portion 23 of the lifting arm portion 20 and rotating the lifting arm portion 20 to raise it, the outer cover 10 can be moved upward by approximately the length of the lifting arm portion 20. This makes it easy to ensure a predetermined lifting amount (upward movement amount) of the outer cover, and the device can be easily installed in an area of ​​the front pillar 1L where it is difficult to ensure installation space. Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, even if the pedestrian P interferes with the area of ​​the front pillar 1L, the outer cover 10 that has been moved upward can receive the pedestrian P, thereby reliably preventing the pedestrian P from coming into contact with the outer panel 3 or the like, which has high rigidity, of the front pillar 1L.

[0029] Furthermore, the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment is configured to be provided with a locking mechanism 50 that can maintain the rotational movement state of the lifting arm portion 20. Therefore, after the outer cover 10 moves upward, the position of the lifting arm portion 20 can be locked to prevent the lifting arm portion 20 from returning (the outer cover 10 moving downward), and the rotational movement state of the lifting arm portion 20 (the raised state relative to the outer panel 3) can be stably maintained, thereby stably ensuring the separation distance between the outer cover 10 and the outer panel 3 (base material portion).

[0030] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the lifting arm portion 20 and the link arm portion 40 are provided with deformable portions that are capable of deforming to absorb impact when the outer cover 10 receives a pedestrian. Specifically, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, notches 27, 41 are formed in the lifting arm portion 20 and the link arm portion 40, and when the outer cover 10 receives the pedestrian P, the lifting arm portion 20 and the link arm portion 40 can be plastically deformed so as to bend at the peripheral portions of the notches 27, 41 (see FIGS. 8 and 9 ). Therefore, by plastically deforming the lifting arm portion 20 and the link arm portion 40 in this manner, energy at the time of contact can be absorbed, and contact between the pedestrian P and the outer panel 3 of the front pillar 1L can be more reliably suppressed.

[0031] In the embodiment, the pedestrian protection device M is disposed on the front end 1a of the front pillar 1L, and the auxiliary link arm portion 40B is disposed on the rear end 1b of the front pillar 1L, so that when activated, the outer cover 10 moves upward so as to move parallel to the entire front-to-rear range. The pedestrian protection device is not limited to the embodiment, and for example, as shown in FIG. 10 , a configuration may be adopted in which an auxiliary link arm portion is not disposed on the rear end side, and only the front end 10a side of the outer cover 10 moves upward by the pedestrian protection device M provided on the front end 1a side. Furthermore, a configuration in which pedestrian protection devices are disposed on both the front end side and the rear end side of the front pillar may be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 (1L)...front pillar, 1a...front end, 1b...rear end, 3...outer panel (base material portion), 10...outer cover, 20...lifting arm portion, 20a...front end, 20b...rear end, 22...front mounting portion, 23...pressured portion, 25...rear mounting portion, 27...cutout portion, 30...base material portion side pivoting shaft portion, 31...outer panel side pivoting shaft portion, 35...actuator, 40...link arm portion, 40a...front end, 40b...rear end, 41...cutout portion, 42...base material portion side pivoting shaft portion, 43...outer panel side pivoting shaft portion, 50...locking mechanism, V...vehicle, M...pedestrian protection device.

Claims

1. It is mounted on the front pillar of the vehicle, a pedestrian protection device disposed between an outer cover that forms an outer surface of the front pillar and a base portion on a body side that is disposed below the outer cover, the pedestrian protection device being configured to be able to move the outer cover upward relative to the base portion when activated, a lifting arm portion having an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the front pillar, and both ends of the lifting arm portion being rotatably connected to the outer cover and the base portion, respectively; an actuator that is disposed on the base unit side at a position in front of or behind the lifting arm unit and is capable of pressing a vicinity of a connection portion of the lifting arm unit with the base unit; a link arm portion having an elongated shape and rotatably connected at both ends to the outer cover portion and the base portion, respectively, so as to be rotatable in conjunction with the rotation of the lifting arm portion; Equipped with the lifting arm portion has a pressed portion that is pressed by the actuator during operation at a position closer to the base portion than a base portion-side pivot shaft portion that is pivotally supported on the base portion so as to be rotatable relative to the base portion, and when the actuator presses the pressed portion, the lifting arm portion is rotated relative to the base portion and the outer cover, so that the outer cover can be moved upward relative to the base portion; A pedestrian protection device, wherein the link arm portion has a length dimension set smaller than the length dimension of the lifting arm portion.

2. 2. The pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism that can maintain the rotational movement state of the lifting arm portion.

3. 3. The pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein the lifting arm portion and the link arm portion have a deformable portion that is capable of deforming to absorb impact when the outer cover receives a pedestrian.

Images