vehicle

Abstract

To enable an impact absorption unit to protect an object more appropriately.SOLUTION: A vehicle comprises: a monitoring unit for monitoring an environment surrounding a vehicle body; a detection unit for detecting impact on the vehicle body; a plurality of impact absorbing units; and an operation control unit for selectively operating the plurality of impact absorbing units on the basis of a monitoring result by the monitoring unit and a detection result by the detection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the operation of an impact absorbing unit that is mainly mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle equipped with a pedestrian airbag as an impact absorbing unit for protecting objects that may come into contact with the vehicle body. According to Patent Document 1, the impact absorbing unit is activated based on TTC (Time to Collision). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-206287 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Further improvements in the technology for activating the shock absorbing units may generally be required so that the object is better protected.

[0005] An exemplary object of the present invention is to enable better protection of an object by an impact absorbing unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: A plurality of shock absorption units installed to correspond to a plurality of parts of the vehicle body; including the presence / absence of objects around the vehicle body a monitoring unit that monitors the environment around the vehicle; corresponding to the plurality of shock absorption units, when contact between the object and the vehicle body occurs Detecting an impact on the vehicle body arranged as follows Detection unit and 、 The monitoring results by the monitoring unit and A plurality ofan actuation control unit that selectively actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on at least one of the detection results by the detection unit; 、 Let the vehicle speed be V, the predetermined thresholds be V1, V2, and V3, and V1 < V2 < V3. When when V ≤ V1 or V > V3, the operation control unit suppresses the operation of the plurality of shock absorption units; when V1 < V ≤ V2, if an impact is detected in at least one detection unit of the plurality of detection units, the operation control unit activates at least one shock absorption unit of the plurality of shock absorption units corresponding to the at least one detection unit in which the impact is detected; when V2 < V ≤ V3, the operation control unit identifies the contact position between the object and the vehicle body based on the monitoring result of the monitoring unit. When the position where the object contacting the vehicle body can contact the front part of the vehicle body meets the standard, the plurality of shock absorption units are selectively activated based on the monitoring result of the monitoring unit. When the position does not meet the standard, the plurality of shock absorption units are selectively activated based on the detection result of the detection unit; the vehicle body includes a bonnet hood, a front bumper, and an A pillar located between the front glass and the side glass. At least a part of the plurality of shock absorption units is installed to correspond to the bonnet hood, the front bumper, and the A pillar; when the front part of the vehicle is divided into a first area set in a predetermined range from the center in the vehicle width direction, a pair of left and right second areas set in a predetermined range outside the left and right ends of the first area, and a pair of left and right third areas set outside the pair of left and right second areas, as areas for determining the contact position between the vehicle and an object that can contact the vehicle body; when the contact position is in the first area, the operation control unit activates the shock absorption units corresponding to the bonnet hood and the front bumper; when the contact position is in the second area, the operation control unit activates the shock absorption units corresponding to the A pillar, the bonnet hood, and the front bumper; When the contact position is in the third region and the object that may contact the vehicle body is a person, the operation control unit activates an impact absorbing unit corresponding to the A-pillar. R It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide better protection for objects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electrical device group provided in a vehicle. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for operating the impact absorbing unit. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for operating the impact absorbing unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of an electrical device group provided in a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. To facilitate understanding of the structure, the diagram shows an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other. The X-axis corresponds to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, the Y-axis corresponds to the left-right direction or width direction of the vehicle body, and the Z-axis corresponds to the up-down direction or height direction of the vehicle body.

[0011] The vehicle 1 includes wheels 11, a bonnet hood 12, a front bumper 13, side doors 14, a windshield 15, door glass 16, and pillars 17. In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is a four-wheel vehicle having two front wheels and two rear wheels as the wheels 11, but the number of wheels 11 is not limited to this example.

[0012] A bonnet hood (front hood) 12 is provided at the upper front portion of the vehicle body 10 so as to be openable and closable, and seals onboard components such as a power source. A front bumper 13 is provided at the lower front portion of the vehicle body 10. Side doors 14 are provided at the sides of the vehicle body 10 so as to be openable and closable, thereby allowing occupants such as the driver to enter or exit the vehicle. A windshield 15 is provided at the front upper portion of the vehicle body 10 so as to enable occupants inside the vehicle to see the situation outside the vehicle. Door glass 16 is provided above the side door 14 so as to enable occupants inside the vehicle to see the situation outside the vehicle. A pillar 17 is located between the windshield 15 and the door glass 16 so as to define the windshield 15, and is commonly referred to as an A-pillar 17, which can be distinguished from other pillars (such as so-called B-pillars).

[0013] The door glass 16 can generally be opened and closed by moving up and down relative to the side door 14, but in the following description it will be described as being in a closed state. The side door 14 may also be provided with a frame that surrounds the door glass 16.

[0014] 2, the vehicle 1 further includes an electric device group 2. The electric device group 2 includes a vehicle speed sensor 21, a plurality of impact absorbing units 22, a monitoring unit 23, a determination unit 24, a calculation unit 25, a detection unit 26, and an operation control unit 27. These units may be distributed at corresponding positions on the vehicle body 10, or may be collectively arranged at a specific position.

[0015] The vehicle speed sensor 21 detects the vehicle speed (traveling speed of the vehicle 1). The vehicle speed sensor 21 may be any known sensor capable of directly or indirectly acquiring the vehicle speed, such as a sensor that detects the rotation speed of the wheels 11. Alternatively, the vehicle speed may be calculated based on position data continuously acquired using a sensor capable of identifying the position of the vehicle 1, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0016] The multiple impact absorbing units 22 are installed to correspond to multiple parts of the vehicle body 10. The impact absorbing units 22 may be any known units capable of absorbing impacts that may be applied to an object, which will be described later, and when the impact absorbing units 22 are activated or driven, for example, a cloth bag filled with gas is deployed in front of the vehicle body 10, thereby functioning as a cushioning member.

[0017] At least some of the impact absorbing units 22 may be installed at different positions in the vehicle width direction and / or at different positions in the height direction. For example, at least some of the impact absorbing units 22 are installed to correspond to the bonnet hood 12, the front bumper 13, and the A-pillars 17. The impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the bonnet hood 12 is installed between the bonnet hood 12 and the windshield 15 and may be deployed above the bonnet hood 12 when activated. The impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the front bumper 13 is installed below the front portion of the vehicle body 10 and may be deployed in front of the front bumper 13 when activated. Furthermore, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the A-pillar 17 is installed between the bonnet hood 12 and the windshield 15 and may be deployed in front of the A-pillar 17 when activated.

[0018] 2, when the front portion 10f of the vehicle body 10 is divided into a front front portion 10fC, a front left portion 10fLL, and a front right portion 10fRR, at least some of the impact absorbing units 22 are installed to correspond to the portions 10fC, 10fLL, and 10fRR, respectively. In this embodiment, when the size in the vehicle width direction is W, the front left portion 10fLL corresponds to an area of ​​W×0.14 or less from the left end of the vehicle body 10, and the front right portion 10fRR corresponds to an area of ​​W×0.14 or less from the right end of the vehicle body 10. The front front portion 10fC corresponds to the area between the portions 10fLL and 10fRR.

[0019] The front front portion 10fC may be further divided. In this embodiment, the front central portion 10fC includes a front central portion 10fCC, a front left portion 10fCL, and a front right portion 10fCR. The front left portion 10fCL corresponds to an area within a range of W×0.14 to W×0.25 from the left end of the vehicle body 10, and the front right portion 10fCR corresponds to an area within a range of W×0.14 to W×0.25 from the right end of the vehicle body 10. The front central portion 10fCC corresponds to the area between portions 10fCL and 10fCR.

[0020] For ease of explanation here: The impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the left side portion 10fLL is unit 22 LL year; The shock absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the front left side 10fCL is unit 22 CL year; The shock absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the front center 10fCC is unit 22 CC year; The shock absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the front right side 10fCR is unit 22 CR and The impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the right side portion 10fRR is unit 22 RR Let's say.

[0021] Although details will be described later, the above-mentioned plurality of impact absorbing units 22 are selectively activated in response to the establishment of predetermined conditions.

[0022] The division of the regions 10fLL, 10fCL, 10fCC, 10fCR, and 10fRR can be changed depending on the vehicle body structure, and the front portion 10f of the vehicle body 10 may be divided into more details depending on the vehicle body structure, and the number of divisions is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the region 10fLL, etc. may be expressed as the region 10fLL, etc.

[0023] The monitoring unit 23 monitors the surrounding environment of the vehicle body 10. The surrounding environment includes information necessary for the vehicle 1 to travel appropriately, and examples thereof include the traveling environment around the vehicle body 10 (e.g., roads), objects around the vehicle body 10 (e.g., installations, other vehicles, pedestrians, and other elements with which contact should be avoided), and the like. The monitoring unit 23 may be any known device, such as a camera, radar, or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging).

[0024] The determination unit 24 can determine the attributes of an object that may come into contact with the vehicle body 10 based on the monitoring results of the monitoring unit 23. For example, the determination unit 24 determines whether the object that may come into contact with the vehicle body 10 is a person or not. This determination process may be simply referred to as determination hereinafter.

[0025] The determination unit 24 makes a determination when the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 21 satisfies a criterion, and makes a determination on objects located within a range according to the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 21. For example, when the vehicle speed V=Vp, the determination unit 24 makes a determination on objects within a distance Dp from the vehicle body 10, and when the vehicle speed V=Vq (>Vp), the determination unit 24 makes a determination on objects within a distance Dq (>Dp) from the vehicle body 10. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary determinations from being made.

[0026] In another embodiment, the above determination of the object may be made regardless of the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 21, and other processing may then be performed incidentally based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 21.

[0027] The computing unit 25 identifies characteristic parts of an object when the object may come into contact with the vehicle body 10 based on the monitoring results of the monitoring unit 23, and identifies the contact position of the identified characteristic parts with respect to the vehicle body 10. Two or more characteristic parts may be identified depending on the attributes of the object. For example, if the object is a person, three characteristic parts, namely, the neck and the left and right shoulders of the person, may be identified. Furthermore, the left and right legs of the person may be further identified as characteristic parts, for a total of five characteristic parts. The identified leg parts may be parts of the legs, and typical examples include, but are not limited to, the heels and ankles.

[0028] The detection unit 26 detects an impact on the vehicle body 10. A known sensor, for example, an acceleration sensor, may be used for the detection unit 26. The detection unit 26 is installed at each of a plurality of positions on the vehicle body 10, and some of the plurality of impact absorbing units 22 are installed to correspond to the plurality of detection units 26.

[0029] The actuation control unit 27 can selectively actuate the plurality of shock absorbing units 22, and can actuate some or all of them. For example, when an impact is detected by any of the plurality of detection units 26, the actuation control unit 27 actuates the shock absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the detection unit 26 where the impact was detected.

[0030] Furthermore, for example, if the object determined by the determination unit 24 to be in contact with the vehicle body 10 based on the monitoring results by the monitoring unit 23 is a person, the actuation control unit 27 activates the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the contact position of the person's characteristic parts with respect to the vehicle body 10. As described above, if the object is a person, three characteristic parts of the person's neck and left and right shoulders can be identified. In this case, the actuation control unit 27 activates the impact absorbing unit 22 based on which of the parts 10fLL, 10fCL, 10fCC, 10fCR, and 10fRR on the front part 10f of the vehicle body 10 the contact positions of the three characteristic parts correspond to. LL ,twenty two CL ,twenty two CC ,twenty two CR and 22 RR Activate some or all of the following.

[0031] In this way, the actuation control unit 27 selectively actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units 22 based on the monitoring results of the monitoring unit 23 and the detection results of the detection unit 26 .

[0032] Some of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 may be activated based on both the monitoring results by the monitoring unit 23 and the detection results by the detection unit 26, or may be activated based on just one of them. For example, some of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 may be activated based only on the monitoring results by the monitoring unit 23, or some of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 may be activated based only on the detection results by the detection unit 26.

[0033] According to the above configuration, the electrical device group 2 can appropriately protect objects that may come into contact with the vehicle body 10 by using the multiple impact absorbing units 22. From this perspective, the electrical device group 2 may be expressed as an impact absorbing device, a safety device, or the like.

[0034] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for activating the plurality of impact absorbing units 22. This flowchart is mainly executed by the activation control unit 27, and the outline thereof is to selectively activate the plurality of impact absorbing units 22 based on the contact position of a characteristic part of an object detected by the monitoring unit 23 with the vehicle body 10.

[0035] In step S3000 (hereinafter simply referred to as "S3000"), it is determined whether or not vehicle speed V is greater than reference value V1. Reference value V1 may be set to a predetermined speed at which activation of impact absorbing unit 22 is required, and may be set to, for example, 15 km (kilometers) / hr (hour), 30 km / hr, 45 km / hr, 60 km / hr, etc. If vehicle speed V is greater than reference value V1, the process proceeds to S3010; if not, the process returns to S3000 (or this flowchart may end).

[0036] In S3010, it is determined whether or not the object detected by the monitoring unit 23 is a person. If the object is a person, the process proceeds to S3020, and if not, the process returns to S3000.

[0037] In S3020, the TTC (Time to Collision) of the object determined to be a person is calculated. The TTC is calculated as the time it takes for the vehicle 1 to reach the object, assuming that the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the object is maintained at the current level. Furthermore, the TTC can be typically used as a parameter indicating an evaluation of the degree of safety while driving, as referenced in Patent Nos. 6375034, 6204865, 6138655, etc.

[0038] In S3030, it is determined whether the TTC is smaller than a reference value T1. The reference value T1 may be set to a predetermined period during which the impact absorbing unit 22 needs to be activated, such as 1 second, 3 seconds, or 5 seconds. As another example, the reference value T1 may be a fixed value, or may be a variable value that varies based on the posture of the person as an object (i.e., the direction in which the person faces relative to the front of the vehicle body 10, for example, whether the person faces forward, backward, leftward, or rightward) and / or the direction of movement relative to the vehicle body 10. As an example, when the person faces sideways / when the person is moving sideways, the reference value T1 may be set to a smaller value than when the person faces forward. If the TTC is smaller than the reference value T1, the process proceeds to S3040; otherwise, the process returns to S3000.

[0039] In S3040, the feature parts of the object determined to be a person are identified. As described above, if the object is a person, three feature parts, namely, the neck and the left and right shoulders of the person, may be identified. This process can be realized by performing image analysis using a known analytical model of the human body. This allows the posture to be determined appropriately. Furthermore, as described above, a total of five feature parts, including the left and right legs of the person, may be identified, thereby allowing the above determination to be realized even more appropriately.

[0040] In S3050, it is determined whether the contact position of the characteristic part corresponds to any of the parts 10fLL, 10fCL, 10fCC, 10fCR, and 10fRR of the front part 10f of the vehicle body 10. This process can be realized by a predetermined calculation process using the traveling direction or travel path of the vehicle 1 and the relative position of the characteristic part with respect to the vehicle body 10 as input information, and additionally, the moving direction and moving speed of the object may also be used as input information.

[0041] In S3060, one of the multiple shock absorbing units 22 is activated according to the identification result of S3050. This process is performed by activating the shock absorbing unit 22 corresponding to all or part of the three characteristic parts based on the above-mentioned portion 10fLL, etc. Here, the posture of the person as an object can be determined based on the three characteristic parts identified in S3040. Therefore, in S3060, one of the multiple shock absorbing units 22 corresponding to the characteristic parts is appropriately driven.

[0042] According to the above embodiment, when the vehicle speed V is greater than the reference value V1, if the object detected by the monitoring unit 23 is a person and the TTC is smaller than the reference value T1, the multiple impact absorbing units 22 are selectively activated based on the monitoring results of the monitoring unit 23, regardless of the detection results of the detection unit 26. Of the multiple impact absorbing units 22, those that correspond to the contact positions of the characteristic parts of the object detected by the monitoring unit 23 with the vehicle body 10 are selectively activated, thereby making it possible to appropriately protect the object. Furthermore, activating an appropriate portion of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 makes it possible to quickly achieve activation, which is advantageous for achieving more appropriate protection of the object.

[0043] As described above, at least some of the impact absorbing units 22 can be installed at different positions in the height direction, so that the head, arms, legs, etc. of a person as an object to be protected can be appropriately protected by the impact absorbing units 22 corresponding to the contact positions.

[0044] All or some of the elements constituting the group of electrical devices 2 may be configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and their functions may be realized by the CPU executing a predetermined program while expanding it in the memory. Alternatively, their functions may be realized by at least one processor circuit with a memory in which a predetermined program is stored, or may be realized by a semiconductor device such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In other words, each function of the group of electrical devices 2 may be realized by either hardware or software.

[0045] Some of the elements constituting the group of electric devices 2 may be modified without departing from the spirit thereof, and for example, all or some of the elements constituting the group of electric devices 2 may be configured as a single unit. As an example, the determination unit 24 and the arithmetic unit 25 may be configured integrally, or the determination unit 24 may have some of the functions of the arithmetic unit 25, or the arithmetic unit 25 may have some of the functions of the determination unit 24.

[0046] -First Example The following is an example of a table showing the correspondence of the shock absorbing units 22 activated by S3060. For example, among the three features: If three correspond to the location 10fLL, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the left A-pillar 17 is activated; If two (or one) correspond to the portion 10fLL and one (or two) correspond to the portion 10fC (any of the portions 10fCL, 10fCC, and 10fCR), the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the bonnet hood 12 and the left A-pillar 17 is activated; If the three correspond to the portion 10fC, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the bonnet hood 12 is activated; If two (or one) correspond to the portion 10fC and one (or two) correspond to the portion 10fRR, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the hood 12 and the right A-pillar 17 is activated; and If three correspond to the portion 10fRR, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the right A-pillar 17 is activated.

[0047] In this way, it is only necessary to activate one of the impact absorbing units 22 that corresponds to the contact position of the characteristic part with the vehicle body 10, thereby enabling appropriate protection of the object and enabling its activation to be achieved quickly.

[0048] -Second Example The plurality of impact absorbing units 22 are provided to correspond to a plurality of positions on the vehicle body 10. LL ,twenty two CL ,twenty two CC ,twenty two CR and 22 RR are provided to correspond to the regions 10fLL, 10fCL, 10fCC, 10fCR and 10fRR.

[0049] The following is another example of a table showing the correspondence of the shock absorbing units 22 activated by S3060. For example, among the three features: When the three correspond to the portion 10fLL, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponds to the left A-pillar 17, and the impact absorbing unit 22 LL and is activated; When two of them correspond to the portion 10fLL and one corresponds to the portion 10fCL, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponds to the left A-pillar 17, and the impact absorbing unit 22 LL and 22 CL and is activated; When one corresponds to the portion 10fLL and two correspond to the portion 10fCL, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponds to the left A-pillar 17, and the impact absorbing unit 22 LL ,twenty two CL and 22 CC and is activated; When 1 to 3 correspond to any of the portions 10fCL, 10fCC, and 10fCR, the shock absorbing unit 22 LL ,twenty two CL and 22 CC is activated; When two of them correspond to the portion 10fCR and one corresponds to the portion 10fRR, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponds to the right A-pillar 17, and the impact absorbing unit 22 CC ,twenty two CR and 22 RR and is activated; When one corresponds to the portion 10fCR and two correspond to the portion 10fRR, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponds to the right A-pillar 17, and the impact absorbing unit 22 CR and 22 RR and are activated; and When the three correspond to the portion 10fRR, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponds to the right A-pillar 17, and the impact absorbing unit 22 RR and is activated.

[0050] In this way, when the number of impact absorbing units 22 is relatively large, among the plurality of impact absorbing units 22, those that can correspond to the contact position of the characteristic portion with the vehicle body 10 and its surroundings may be activated.

[0051] -Third Example In the example of Figure 3, a mode is shown in which multiple impact absorbing units 22 are selectively activated when the vehicle speed V is greater than a reference value V1 (see S3000) and a predetermined condition is satisfied, but the activation method can be partially changed based on further other reference values.

[0052] 4 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for operating the plurality of impact absorbing units 22. The outline of this method is to change the operating conditions of the plurality of impact absorbing units 22 based on which of a plurality of vehicle speed ranges the vehicle speed V falls within.

[0053] In S3000, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed V is greater than a reference value V1. If the vehicle speed V is greater than the reference value V1, the process proceeds to S3010, and if not, the process returns to S3000 (or this flow chart may end).

[0054] In S3010, it is determined whether or not the object detected by the monitoring unit 23 is a person. If the object is a person, the process proceeds to S3020, and if not, the process returns to S3000.

[0055] In S4010, it is determined whether vehicle speed V is greater than reference value V2. Reference value V2 may be set to a value greater than reference value V1; for example, reference value V1 may be set to 15 km / hr and reference value V2 may be set to 30 km / hr. If vehicle speed V is greater than reference value V2, the process proceeds to S4110; if not, the process proceeds to S4020.

[0056] In S4020, it is determined whether or not the detection unit 26 has detected an impact on the vehicle body 10. If the detection unit 26 has detected an impact, the process proceeds to S4030, and if not, the process returns to S3000.

[0057] In S4030, one of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 is activated according to the detection result of S4020. That is, when an impact is detected by any of the multiple detection units 26 installed at multiple positions on the vehicle body 10, the impact absorbing unit 22 corresponding to the detection unit 26 that detected the impact is activated.

[0058] In S4110, it is determined whether vehicle speed V is greater than reference value V3. Reference value V3 may be set to a value greater than reference value V2; for example, reference value V1 may be set to 15 km / hr, reference value V2 may be set to 30 km / hr, and reference value V3 may be set to 60 km / hr. If vehicle speed V is greater than reference value V3, the process returns to S3000; if not, the process proceeds to S3020.

[0059] In S3020, the TTC of the object determined to be a person is calculated.

[0060] In S3030, it is determined whether or not TTC is smaller than the reference value T1. If TTC is smaller than the reference value T1, the process proceeds to S3040, and if not, the process returns to S3000.

[0061] In S3040, the characteristic part of the object determined to be a person is specified.

[0062] In S3050, it is specified which part among the parts 10fLL, 10fCL, 10fCC, 10fCR, and 10fRR of the front part 10f of the vehicle body 10 the contact position of the characteristic part corresponds to.

[0063] In S4210, it is determined whether the contact position of the characteristic part specified in S3050 satisfies a predetermined condition. Here, as an example, it is determined whether the contact position is the front front part 10fC (any one of the parts 10fCL, 10fCC, and 10fCR). When the contact position satisfies the predetermined condition (here, when the contact position is the front front part 10fC), the process proceeds to S3060; when it does not (here, when the contact position is the part 10fLL or 10fRR), the process proceeds to S4020.

[0064] In S3060, among the plurality of shock absorption units 22, the one corresponding to the specification result of S3050 is activated.

[0065] To summarize, when a person is detected as an object: - When V ≤ V1, the operation of the shock absorption unit 22 is suppressed; - When V1 < V ≤ V2, the shock absorption unit 22 is operated based on the detection result of the detection unit 26; - When V2 < V ≤ V3, when the reference of the contact position of the characteristic part is satisfied, the shock absorption unit 22 is operated based on the monitoring result of the monitoring unit 23, and when the reference of the contact position of the characteristic part is not satisfied, the shock absorption unit 22 is operated based on the detection result of the detection unit 26; And, - When V > V3, the operation of the shock absorption unit 22 is suppressed.

[0066] In this way, the operating conditions of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 may be changed partly based on the vehicle speed V, and some impact absorbing units 22 may be operated under different conditions in some cases, thereby enabling more appropriate protection of the object.

[0067] If the impact absorbing unit 22 is activated when V>V3, the person detected as an object may be moved far away by the activated impact absorbing unit 22. Therefore, in this example, the activation of the impact absorbing unit 22 is suppressed when V>V3, but as another example, the impact absorbing unit 22 may be activated (S4110 may be omitted).

[0068] -Fourth Example 5 shows another example of the installation mode of a plurality of impact absorbing units 22. In this example, a total of four impact absorbing units 22 are installed so as to correspond to the bonnet hood 12, the front bumper 13, the left A-pillar 17, and the right A-pillar 17, respectively. In the drawing, for ease of understanding, the impact absorbing units 22 that correspond to the bonnet hood 12 are shown as the impact absorbing units 22. 12 The one corresponding to the front bumper 13 is the impact absorbing unit 22 13 The one corresponding to the left A-pillar 17 is the impact absorbing unit 22 17L The one corresponding to the right A-pillar 17 is an impact absorbing unit 22 17R It is shown as follows.

[0069] In this way, the number of shock absorbing units 22 may be set as needed, and is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0070] Below is another example of a table showing the correspondence between the shock absorbing units 22 activated by S3060 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). For example, among the three characteristic parts: When three correspond to the part 10fLL, the shock absorbing unit 22 17L is activated; When two correspond to the portion 10fLL and one corresponds to the portion 10fCL, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 ,twenty two 13 and 22 17L is activated; When one corresponds to the portion 10fLL and two correspond to the portion 10fCL, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 ,twenty two 13 and 22 17L is activated; When 1 to 3 correspond to any of the portions 10fCL, 10fCC, and 10fCR, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 and 22 13 is activated; When two correspond to the portion 10fCR and one corresponds to the portion 10fRR, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 ,twenty two 13 and 22 17R is activated; When one corresponds to the portion 10fCR and two corresponds to the portion 10fRR, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 ,twenty two 13 and 22 17R is activated; and If three correspond to the part 10fRR, the shock absorbing unit 22 17R is activated.

[0071] In this way, the multiple impact absorbing units 22 may be installed in a number according to the vehicle body structure, and may be installed to correspond to the bonnet hood 12, the front bumper 13, the left A-pillar 17, and the right A-pillar 17. In this example, the impact absorbing units 22 are selectively activated based on the contact position of the characteristic part (see Figures 3 to 4, S3050), thereby enabling appropriate protection of the object.

[0072] - Fifth Example In the above-described step S4210 (see FIG. 4), the criterion for determining whether the contact position of the characteristic part satisfies the predetermined condition is determined to be whether the contact position is on the front front part 10fC, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the operating conditions of the multiple impact absorbing units 22 may be changed based on whether the contact positions of all or some of the three characteristic parts are on the part 10fLL, etc.

[0073] For example, of the three features: When three correspond to the part 10fLL, the shock absorbing unit 22 17L is activated; If only two correspond to the portion 10fLL, the shock absorbing unit 22 17L is activated; If only one corresponds to the part 10fLL, the shock absorbing unit 22 17L The operation of is inhibited; If three correspond to the part 10fRR, the shock absorbing unit 22 17R is activated; If only two correspond to the region 10fRR, the shock absorbing unit 22 17L is activated; If only one corresponds to the part 10fRR, the shock absorbing unit 22 17R The operation of is inhibited; When the three correspond to the portion 10fC (any of 10fCL, 10fCC, and 10fCR), the shock absorbing unit 22 12 and 22 13 is activated; When two correspond to the portion 10fC and one corresponds to the portion 10fLL, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 ,twenty two 13 and 22 17L is activated; If one corresponds to the portion 10fC and two correspond to the portion 10fLL, the shock absorbing unit 22 12 ,twenty two 13 and 22 17L is activated; When two correspond to the part 10fC and one corresponds to the part 10fRR, the shock absorption unit 22 12 、22 13 and 22 17R are activated; and When one corresponds to the part 10fC and two correspond to the part 10fRR, the shock absorption unit 22 is activated when detected by the detection unit 26 12 、22 13 and 22 17R are activated.

[0074] Here, the "only" in the above indicates the case where no other feature part corresponds to any of the parts 10fLL, etc.

[0075] Thus, the operating conditions of the plurality of shock absorption units 22 can be changed by any combination of the detection results by the detection unit 26 and the monitoring results by the monitoring unit 23, and the corresponding shock absorption unit 22 may be operated based on the detection results by the detection unit 26 and / or the monitoring results by the monitoring unit 23.

[0076] In addition, as described above, a total of five feature parts may be specified, and in that case, the operating conditions of the plurality of shock absorption units 22 can be changed in detail.

[0077] Also, although it is preferable that all of the feature parts are specified, even when only some of the feature parts are specified, appropriate operation of the shock absorption unit 22 is possible. This can be said to be advantageous when it is difficult to specify all of the feature parts depending on the posture of a person as an object. For example, when the total number of feature parts to be specified is N (>3) and only M (1≦M<N) feature parts are specified, the corresponding shock absorption unit 22 may be operated based on the specification result.

[0078] In all or some of the cases exemplified in the first to fifth embodiments described above, some of the activated impact absorbing units 22 may be deleted, and other parts may be added. That is, within the scope of the spirit of the embodiment, partial changes may be made to the activation targets of the impact absorbing units 22 depending on the installation positions of the impact absorbing units 22, thereby enabling appropriate adjustment of the number of parts. For example, a plurality of impact absorbing units 22 corresponding to the front bumper 13 may be provided corresponding to the portions 10fLL, 10fCL, 10fCC, 10fCR, and 10fRR.

[0079] In the above description, for ease of understanding, each element is denoted by a name related to its function. However, each element is not limited to having the content described in the embodiment as its main function, and may have that function auxiliary to the content. Therefore, each element is not strictly limited to the expression, and the expression can be replaced with a similar expression. In the same spirit, the expression "apparatus" may be replaced with "unit," "component," "piece," "member," "structure," "assembly," etc., or may be omitted.

[0080] Similarly, processes such as determination, calculation, and identification illustrated in the flowcharts of the embodiments may be included in the concept of operation, and some of them may be expressed in other ways. For example, identification may be expressed as estimation, prediction, extraction, etc.

[0081] Some features of the above-described embodiments can be summarized as follows: [1] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle (e.g., 1), the vehicle comprising: a monitoring unit (e.g., 23) for monitoring the surrounding environment of the vehicle body (e.g., 10); a detection unit (e.g., 26) for detecting an impact on the vehicle body; a plurality of shock absorbing units (e.g., 22); and an actuation control unit (e.g., 27) that selectively actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on at least one of the monitoring result by the monitoring unit and the detection result by the detection unit. This allows the shock absorbing unit to operate with higher precision and speed, thereby realizing more appropriate protection of the object.

[0082] In a second aspect, Further provided with a vehicle speed sensor (e.g., 21) for detecting vehicle speed; The actuation control unit selectively actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units when the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor satisfies a standard. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0083] In a third aspect, Further, a determination unit (e.g., 24) is provided for determining whether an object that may come into contact with the vehicle body is a person or not, When the determination unit determines that the object is a person, the actuation control unit selectively activates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on a monitoring result by the monitoring unit regardless of a detection result by the detection unit. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0084] In another aspect, The determination unit performs the determination for the object located within a range according to the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0085] In another aspect, The plurality of impact absorbing units are installed to correspond to a plurality of portions of the vehicle body. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0086] In another aspect, At least some of the impact absorbing units are installed at different positions in the height direction. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0087] In another aspect, At least some of the impact absorbing units are installed at different positions in the vehicle width direction. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0088] In a fourth aspect, The plurality of shock absorbing units include: A first unit (e.g., 22) that operates in response to the front portion of the vehicle body CL ,twenty two CC ,twenty two CR )and, A second unit (e.g., 22, 22) that operates in correspondence with the front left side of the vehicle body LL )and, a third unit (e.g., 22, 22) that operates in correspondence with the front right side of the vehicle body; RR )and, Contains This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0089] In a fifth aspect, the determination unit is further capable of determining at which position of a front portion of the vehicle body the object may come into contact; The operation control unit selectively operates the first to third units based on the determination result. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0090] In a sixth aspect, Let V be the vehicle speed and V1 be the predetermined threshold value. When the determination unit determines that the object is a person, When V≦V1, the operation of the first to third units is suppressed. It is characterized in that. Thereby, the fifth aspect can be more appropriately realized.

[0091] In the seventh aspect, Taking another threshold value as V2 (V1 < V2), When V1 < V ≤ V2, the first to third units are operated based on the detection result by the detection unit It is characterized in that. Thereby, the sixth aspect can be more appropriately realized.

[0092] In the eighth aspect, Taking yet another threshold value as V3 (V2 < V3), When V2 < V ≤ V3, when the position where the object can contact the front part of the vehicle body meets the standard, the first to third units are selectively operated based on the monitoring result by the monitoring unit, and when the position does not meet the standard, the first to third units are selectively operated based on the detection result by the detection unit It is characterized in that. Thereby, the seventh aspect can be more appropriately realized.

[0093] In the ninth aspect, When V > V3, the operation of the first to third units is suppressed It is characterized in that. Thereby, the seventh aspect can be more appropriately realized.

[0094] In the tenth aspect, a bonnet hood (for example, 12), a front bumper (for example, 13), an A-pillar (for example, 17) located between the front glass (for example, 15) and the door glass (for example, 16), and further includes at least a part of the plurality of shock absorption units is installed corresponding to the bonnet hood, the front bumper and the A-pillar It is characterized in that. Thereby, the first aspect can be more appropriately realized.

[0095] In an eleventh aspect, The front part of the vehicle is an area for determining a contact position between the vehicle and an object that may come into contact with the vehicle body, A first region (for example, 10fCC) set within a predetermined range from the center in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle; A pair of left and right second regions (e.g., 10fCL, 10fCR) set in predetermined ranges outward from the left and right ends of the first region, A pair of left and right third regions (e.g., 10fLL, 10fRR) set outward from the pair of left and right second regions, respectively; Contains This makes it possible to more appropriately achieve the same effects as those of the fifth aspect.

[0096] In a twelfth aspect, When the contact position is in the first region, the operation control unit activates impact absorbing units corresponding to the bonnet hood and the front bumper. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eleventh aspect.

[0097] In a thirteenth aspect, When the contact position is in the second region, the operation control unit activates impact absorbing units corresponding to the A-pillar, the bonnet hood, and the front bumper. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eleventh aspect.

[0098] In a fourteenth aspect, When the contact position is in the third region and the object that may contact the vehicle body is a person, the operation control unit activates an impact absorbing unit corresponding to the A-pillar. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eleventh aspect. [2] A first aspect of the second aspect relates to a vehicle (e.g., 1), the vehicle comprising: a monitoring unit (e.g., 23) for monitoring the surrounding environment of the vehicle; a plurality of shock absorbing units (e.g., 22); a computing unit (e.g., 25) that identifies two or more characteristic parts of an object when the object may come into contact with the vehicle body based on the monitoring result of the monitoring unit, and identifies contact positions of each of the identified two or more characteristic parts with respect to the vehicle body; and an actuation control unit (e.g., 27) that selectively actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on the identified contact position. This allows the shock absorbing unit to operate with higher precision and speed, thereby realizing more appropriate protection of the object.

[0099] In a second aspect, Further, a determination unit (e.g., 24) is provided to determine whether the object is a person or not; The actuation control unit actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units (e.g., 22) when the determination unit determines that the object is a person. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0100] In a third aspect, The computing unit identifies a neck and a shoulder as the two or more characteristic parts when the determination unit determines that the object is a person. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0101] In a fourth aspect, The computing unit further identifies a leg as one of the two or more features. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the third aspect.

[0102] In a fifth aspect, The computing unit identifies which of the two or more characteristic portions may come into contact with the front front portion, the front left side portion, or the front right side portion of the vehicle body, and the operation control unit activates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on the identification result. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0103] In another aspect, The plurality of impact absorbing units are installed to correspond to a plurality of portions of the vehicle body. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0104] In another aspect, At least some of the impact absorbing units are installed at different positions in the height direction. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0105] In another aspect, At least some of the impact absorbing units are installed at different positions in the vehicle width direction. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0106] In a sixth aspect, The plurality of shock absorbing units include: A first unit (e.g., 22) that operates in response to the front portion of the vehicle body CL ,twenty two CC ,twenty two CR )and, A second unit (e.g., 22, 22) that operates in correspondence with the front left side of the vehicle body LL )and, a third unit (e.g., 22, 22) that operates in correspondence with the front right side of the vehicle body; RR )and, Contains This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0107] In a seventh aspect, the computing unit is further capable of identifying a position on the front part of the vehicle body that the object may come into contact with; The operation control unit selectively operates the first to third units based on the determination result. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0108] In an eighth aspect, Bonnet hood (e.g. 12) and Front bumper (e.g. 13) and An A-pillar (e.g., 17) located between the windshield (e.g., 15) and the door glass (e.g., 16), At least some of the impact absorbing units are installed to correspond to the bonnet hood, the front bumper, and the A-pillars. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the first aspect.

[0109] In a ninth aspect, When the contact position with respect to the vehicle body is the front part of the vehicle body for all of the two or more characteristic parts, The actuation control unit actuates impact absorbing units corresponding to the front bumper and the bonnet hood. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0110] In a tenth aspect, For some of the two or more characteristic parts, the contact position with the vehicle body is a front part of the vehicle body, and Regarding other characteristic parts, when the contact position with respect to the vehicle body is the front left side or the front right side of the vehicle body, The actuation control unit actuates impact absorbing units corresponding to the front bumper, the bonnet hood, and the A-pillar. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0111] In an eleventh aspect, a detection unit for detecting an impact to the vehicle body; For some of the two or more characteristic parts, the contact position with respect to the vehicle body is a front left side or a front right side of the vehicle body, and When the impact is detected by the detection unit, The actuation control unit actuates impact absorbing units corresponding to the front bumper, the bonnet hood, and the A-pillar. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0112] In a twelfth aspect, When the contact position with respect to the vehicle body is the front left side or the front right side for all of the two or more characteristic parts, The actuation control unit actuates an impact absorbing unit corresponding to the A-pillar. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0113] In a thirteenth aspect, The contact position with respect to the vehicle body for any of the two or more characteristic portions is not the front front portion, and When the contact position with respect to the vehicle body of a part of the two or more characteristic parts is a front left side part or a front right side part, The actuation control unit suppresses actuation of the plurality of impact absorbing units. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0114] In a fourteenth aspect, a detection unit for detecting an impact to the vehicle body; If the contact position with respect to the vehicle body for any of the two or more characteristic parts is not the front front part, For some of the two or more characteristic parts, the contact position with the vehicle body is a front left side part or a front right side part, and When the impact is detected by the detection unit, The actuation control unit actuates an impact absorbing unit corresponding to the A-pillar. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0115] In a fifteenth aspect, a detection unit for detecting an impact to the vehicle body; If the contact position with respect to the vehicle body for any of the two or more characteristic parts is not the front front part, For some of the two or more characteristic parts, the contact position with the vehicle body is a front left side part or a front right side part, and If the impact is not detected by the detection unit, The actuation control unit suppresses actuation of the plurality of impact absorbing units. This makes it possible to more appropriately realize the eighth aspect.

[0116] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1: vehicle, 22: impact absorption unit, 23: monitoring unit, 24: judgment unit, 25: calculation unit, 26: detection unit, 27: operation control unit.

Claims

1. A plurality of impact absorbing units installed corresponding to a plurality of parts of a vehicle body; a monitoring unit for monitoring the vehicle's surrounding environment, including the presence / absence of objects around the vehicle; a plurality of detection units arranged corresponding to the plurality of impact absorbing units to detect an impact on the vehicle body when contact between the object and the vehicle body occurs; an actuation control unit that selectively actuates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on at least one of the monitoring result by the monitoring unit and the detection results by the plurality of detection units, When the vehicle speed is V, the predetermined thresholds are V1, V2, and V3, and V1<V2<V3, When V≦V1 or V>V3, the operation control unit inhibits the operation of the plurality of impact absorbing units; In the case where V1<V≦V2, when an impact is detected in at least one detection unit of the plurality of detection units, the actuation control unit actuates at least one impact absorbing unit of the plurality of impact absorbing units corresponding to the at least one detection unit in which the impact is detected; When V2<V≦V3, the operation control unit identifies a contact position between the object and the vehicle body based on the monitoring result by the monitoring unit, and when a position at a front part of the vehicle body where the object that has contacted the vehicle body may contact satisfies a criterion, the plurality of impact absorbing units are selectively activated based on the monitoring result by the monitoring unit, and when the position does not satisfy the criterion, the plurality of impact absorbing units are selectively activated based on the detection result by the detection unit; the vehicle body includes a bonnet hood, a front bumper, and an A-pillar located between a windshield and a side window, and at least some of the plurality of impact absorbing units are installed to correspond to the bonnet hood, the front bumper, and the A-pillar; When the front part of the vehicle is divided into a first region set within a predetermined range from the center in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle as a region for determining a contact position between the vehicle and an object that may come into contact with the vehicle body, a pair of left and right second regions set within predetermined ranges outward from the left and right ends of the first region, and a pair of left and right third regions set outward from the pair of left and right second regions, When the contact position is in the first region, the operation control unit activates impact absorbing units corresponding to the bonnet hood and the front bumper, When the contact position is in the second region, the operation control unit activates impact absorbing units corresponding to the A-pillar, the bonnet hood, and the front bumper, When the contact position is in the third region and the object that may contact the vehicle body is a person, the actuation control unit actuates an impact absorbing unit corresponding to the A-pillar. A vehicle characterized by:

2. Further provided with a vehicle speed sensor for detecting vehicle speed.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1.

3. a determination unit that determines whether the object that may come into contact with the vehicle body is a person; When the determination unit determines that the object is a person, the actuation control unit selectively activates the plurality of impact absorbing units based on at least one of a monitoring result by the monitoring unit and a detection result by the detection unit.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The plurality of shock absorbing units include: a first unit that operates in response to a front portion of the vehicle body; a second unit that operates in correspondence with the front left side of the vehicle body; a third unit that operates in correspondence with the front right side of the vehicle body; Contains 4. The vehicle according to claim 3.

5. the determination unit is further capable of determining at which position of a front portion of the vehicle body the object may come into contact; The operation control unit selectively operates the first to third units based on the determination result.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4.

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