Pedestrian Protection Devices

Abstract

To provide a pedestrian protection device which, even if it is constituted to include a left airbag and a right airbag to be inflated on the left and the right of a wiper pivot disposed on a center side in a vehicle width direction, can cover an upper surface side of a cowl reliably and widely when inflation of the left airbag and the right airbag is completed.SOLUTION: A pedestrian protection device is constituted such that a left airbag 40L and a right airbag 40R are inflated on the left and the right of a wiper pivot 12R disposed on a center side in a vehicle width direction in a pair of a left wiper 10L and a right wiper 10R, respectively. The pedestrian protection device is also constituted such that upon completion of inflation, cowl cover parts 52L and 52R covering an upper surface side of a cowl 6 in the left airbag and the right airbag cause end side parts 55 and 60 on sides approaching each other to come into contact at a position above the wiper pivot. Upon completion of inflation, the end side part 55 of the cowl cover part 52R on one side covers an upper side of the wiper pivot in such a way as to be able to inhibit contact between a pedestrian and the wiper pivot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In the past, pedestrian protection devices disposed near the rear end of a vehicle's hood panel have been configured to include a left airbag and a right airbag that are separated into left and right airbags and are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction when fully inflated in order to compact the vehicle installation space. Specifically, in conventional pedestrian protection devices, the left airbag and the right airbag are configured to inflate on either side of a wiper pivot, which is located on the center side of the vehicle width direction of a pair of left and right wipers. Each of the left airbag and the right airbag has a cowl cover portion that is arranged substantially along the vehicle width direction when fully inflated and covers the upper part of the cowl. The ends of the two cowl cover portions that are closest to each other are brought close to each other, so that the two cowl cover portions cover the upper part of the cowl over substantially the entire length (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-177967 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this conventional pedestrian protection device, the cowl cover portion of the right airbag is configured to extend to the left of the wiper pivot and cover the upper part of the wiper pivot when fully inflated, while the cowl cover portion of the left airbag is configured to position its terminal to the left of the wiper pivot. In addition, in this conventional pedestrian protection device, the folded right or left airbag is housed in a case provided on the underside of the hood panel near the rear end. Upon deployment, the airbag inflates to protrude from the case, which has been moved upward, along with the hood panel, whose rear end is lifted by activation of the actuator. Therefore, even if the upper end of the wiper pivot partially protrudes above the top surface of the cowl, the cowl cover portion of the right airbag can easily cover the upper part of the wiper pivot. However, in a configuration in which the folded airbags (left airbag, right airbag) are stored in a position below the rear end of the hood panel (below the top surface of the cowl), if the left airbag and the right airbag are configured in the same way, the end portion of the cowl cover will ride up on the wiper pivot that partially protrudes from the top surface of the cowl, which may prevent the upper part of the cowl from being smoothly covered over a wide area.

[0005] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a pedestrian protection device that can accurately and widely cover the upper surface side of the cowl when the left airbag and right airbag are fully inflated, even if the pedestrian protection device is configured to include a left airbag and a right airbag that inflate on the left and right sides of a wiper pivot located on the central side in the vehicle width direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pedestrian protection device according to the present invention is provided with a left airbag and a right airbag which are disposed near a rear end of a hood panel of a vehicle and which are arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction when inflation gas is flowed into the left airbag and the right airbag are fully inflated, and A pedestrian protection device including a left airbag and a right airbag, both of which are arranged so as to be substantially aligned along a vehicle width direction when fully inflated, and a cowl cover portion that covers an upper surface side of a cowl, The left airbag and the right airbag are configured to inflate on the left and right of a wiper pivot disposed on the center side of the pair of left and right wipers in the vehicle width direction, respectively, When the cowl cover portions are fully inflated, the end portions of the cowl cover portions that approach each other are brought into contact with each other at a position above the wiper pivot, The end portion of at least one of the cowl cover portions is configured to cover the upper part of the wiper pivot when inflation is complete, thereby preventing contact between a pedestrian and the wiper pivot.

[0007] In the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, even if the left and right airbags are configured to inflate on the left and right sides of the wiper pivot, the cowl cover portions that cover the upper surface of the cowl when the left and right airbags are fully inflated are configured to inflate so that the end portions of the airbags that approach each other come into contact above the wiper pivot, so that the two cowl cover portions can smoothly and widely cover the upper surface of the cowl without being affected by the wiper pivot that partially protrudes upward from the upper surface of the cowl. Also, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, the end portion of at least one of the cowl cover portions is configured to cover above the wiper pivot when the airbags are fully inflated so as to prevent contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot, so that the pedestrian can be accurately protected from the wiper pivot even if the two cowl cover portions are configured to divide their protection areas near the location of the wiper pivot.

[0008] Therefore, even if the pedestrian protection device of the present invention is configured with a left airbag and a right airbag that inflate on the left and right sides of the wiper pivot located toward the center of the vehicle width, the upper surface side of the cowl can be appropriately and widely covered when the left airbag and the right airbag are fully inflated.

[0009] In the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, the end portion of one of the cowl cover portions is configured as a lower end portion, and the end edge thereof when the inflation is completed is adjacent to the wiper pivot, It is preferable that the end portion of the other cowl cover portion be configured as an upper end portion so as to cover an area from the wiper pivot to the lower end portion.

[0010] With this configuration of the pedestrian protection device, when the left and right airbags are fully inflated, the wiper pivot is disposed in a recessed region formed between the edge of the lower end portion and the underside of the upper end portion in the region where the lower end portion and the upper end portion vertically overlap. This reduces interference between the upper end portion and the wiper pivot, preventing the upper end portion from being raised above the wiper pivot. Furthermore, the upper end portion is disposed so as to cover the area from the wiper pivot to the lower end portion, i.e., the underside of the upper end portion is supported by the lower end portion. In other words, when the left and right airbags are fully inflated, the region where the lower end portion and the upper end portion vertically overlap is adjacent to the wiper pivot. Therefore, even if a pedestrian comes into contact with the area near the wiper pivot when the left and right airbags are fully inflated, the upper end portion and the lower end portion can effectively prevent contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot.

[0011] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device having the above configuration, the left airbag and the right airbag are each configured to include a vehicle body side wall portion that is disposed on the vehicle body side when inflation is complete, and a pedestrian side wall portion that is disposed on the pedestrian side, It is preferable to configure the upper end portion and the lower end portion so that a thickness-regulating member is disposed within the area that overlaps vertically when inflation is complete, connecting the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion to regulate the thickness when inflation is complete.

[0012] With the pedestrian protection device configured as described above, the upper end portion and the lower end portion are prevented from expanding to an excessively thick thickness by arranging a thickness-limiting member inside, and the shape when fully expanded is made approximately plate-like. Therefore, when fully expanded, the portions can be positioned so that they overlap widely on the vertical side, and the upper end portion can provide more stable and wide coverage above the wiper pivot.

[0013] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device configured as described above, if the upper end portion is configured to inflate at an angle so that the edge on the lower end portion side is lifted upward, this is preferable because it makes it easier to position the upper end portion so as to cover the upper side of the lower end portion when the left airbag and right airbag are deployed and inflated.

[0014] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the present invention, the end portions may be configured to come into contact with each other and press against each other at a position above the wiper pivot when inflation is complete. In such a configuration, the upper part of the wiper pivot is covered by both end portions, and since the end portions are in contact with each other and press against each other, even if a pedestrian comes into contact with this area, contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot can be appropriately suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an arrangement location of a wiper pivot in the vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a right airbag device in a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a right airbag used in a right airbag device in a state where the right airbag is deployed flat. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the right airbag of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of base materials that constitute the right airbag of FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a left airbag used in a left airbag device in a flat deployed state. [Figure 8] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the arrangement of base materials that constitute the left airbag of FIG. 8. [Figure 9] 1 is a plan view of a vehicle showing a state in which a left airbag and a right airbag have completed inflation in a pedestrian protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the right airbag has completed inflation in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overlapping end portions of the left and right airbags when the left and right airbags are fully inflated in the pedestrian protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the region of the left end side of a right airbag according to another embodiment of the present invention in a state in which the right airbag is deployed flat. [Figure 13] 13 is a schematic partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the right airbag of FIG. 12 in a state where it is inflated alone. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overlapping end portions of the right and left airbags in FIG. 12 when the airbags are fully inflated. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a vehicle showing a state in which the left and right airbags according to still another embodiment of the present invention have completed inflation. [Figure 16] 16 is a schematic partially enlarged plan view of the left and right airbags of FIG. 15 in a state where they are deployed flat. FIG. [Figure 17] 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the end portions of the right and left airbags of FIG. 15 at the time of completion of inflation. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A pedestrian protection device M according to the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle V, a so-called left-hand drive vehicle, in which the driver's seat is located on the left side, as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the pedestrian protection device M includes two airbag devices 20L, 20R disposed on both the left and right sides of a pair of left and right wipers 10L, 10R disposed below the rear end 8a of a hood panel 8, in this embodiment, in a portion of the cowl 6, with a wiper pivot 12R (described later) of the wiper 10R disposed on the right side (passenger seat side) between them. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions will be described as corresponding to the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions of the vehicle V, respectively.

[0017] The cowl 6 is composed of a cowl panel 6a on the body side that has high rigidity, and a cowl louver 6b made of synthetic resin above the cowl panel 6a.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wipers 10L and 10R are a pair of left and right wipers, each including a wiper body 11L and 11R disposed above the cowl louver 6b and a drive mechanism 15L and 15R disposed below the cowl louver 6b for driving the wiper body 11L and 11R. Each wiper body 11L and 11R includes a wiper pivot 12L and 12R connected to the drive mechanism 15L and 15R, and a long arm 13L and 13R pivotally connected at its base to the wiper pivot 12L and 12R. As shown in Figure 2, the wiper pivot 12L and 12R are configured such that their upper ends 12a, to which the arm 13L and 13R are connected, protrude above the cowl louver 6b. In this embodiment, the wiper pivot 12R of the wiper 10R disposed on the right side (passenger seat side) is disposed on the center side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Specifically, the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R is disposed at a position slightly left of the center of the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) of the cowl 6 (see FIG. 1).

[0019] The two airbag devices 20L, 20R are each disposed below the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8, and specifically, are disposed adjacent to each other in front of the cowl panel 6a (see FIG. 3). That is, each airbag device 20L, 20R is disposed below the upper surface of the cowl 6. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the left airbag device 20L disposed on the left side (driver's seat side) is disposed in a region between the wiper pivots 12L, 12R of the wipers 10L, 10R, and the right airbag device 20R disposed on the right side (passenger's seat side) is disposed to the right of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R. The left airbag device 20L and the right airbag device 20R have the same configuration except for the slightly different shapes of the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R when fully inflated and the slight differences in the size of the device itself (the size of the cases 22L and 22R, described below, specifically the width dimensions of the cases 22L and 22R in the left-right direction, see FIG. 1). Therefore, the same reference numerals are used with L or R added to the end, and the following embodiment will mainly be described using the right airbag device 20R located on the right side (passenger seat side). In the following embodiment, when the left airbag device 20L and the right airbag device 20R are activated, the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 is lifted upward by an actuator (not shown) (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0020] The right airbag device 20R includes a right airbag 40R, an inflator 28R that supplies inflation gas to the right airbag 40R, a case 22R as a storage portion that stores the folded right airbag 40R and the inflator 28R, and an airbag cover 26R that covers the folded right airbag 40R.

[0021] The case 22R is made of metal (sheet metal) and is fixed to a mounting portion 2R consisting of a flange or the like extending from the cowl panel 6a on the body 1 side of the vehicle V using bolts 32R and nuts 33R of a mounting bracket 31R for the inflator 28R (see FIG. 3). The case 22R has a generally rectangular box shape with an extension opening 22a at its upper end for allowing the right airbag 40R to protrude when inflated, and includes a bottom wall portion 23R in the form of a generally rectangular plate extending generally along the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle V, and a generally square cylindrical peripheral wall portion 24R extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall portion 23R. The case 22R is disposed on the front end side of the cowl 6, below the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8. More specifically, the case 22R is disposed in front of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R and in close proximity to the right side of the wiper pivot 12R (see FIG. 1). In addition, the arm portion 13R of the right wiper 10R is disposed in a rear area of ​​the case 22R in the cowl 6, as shown in FIG.

[0022] The airbag cover 26R is disposed so as to be substantially flush with the cowl louvers 6b and extend forward from the cowl louvers 6b so as to cover the projection opening 22a of the case 22R, and is attached to a front portion of the peripheral wall portion 24R of the case 22R. When the right airbag 40R housed in the case 22R inflates, the airbag cover 26R is pushed open by the right airbag 40R.

[0023] As shown by the two-dot chain lines in Figures 3 and 5, the inflator 28R has a generally cylindrical shape with its axial direction generally aligned with the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle V, and is configured with a gas discharge portion 29R that discharges inflation gas disposed at its tip end (the right end in this embodiment). In this embodiment, the inflator 28R is held by multiple (three in this embodiment) mounting brackets 31R, is wrapped around its periphery by an inner tube 75R, and is inserted into the right airbag 40R. The inflator 28R is fixed to the bottom wall portion 23R of the case 22R by bolts 32R of the mounting brackets 31R (see Figure 3). As described above, the bolts 32R of the mounting brackets 31R pass through the bottom wall portion 23R and are fastened with nuts 33R to the mounting portion 2R on the body 1 side of the vehicle V, thereby fixing the case 22R together with the inflator 28R to the mounting portion 2R (see Figure 3). Furthermore, since the inflator 28R is inserted into the right airbag 40R, when the mounting bracket 31R is attached to the mounting portion 2R, the right airbag 40R is also attached and fixed to the bottom wall portion 23R of the case 22R. The inflator 28R is configured to activate when a sensor (not shown) provided on the front bumper 3 of the vehicle V detects a collision between the vehicle V and a pedestrian.

[0024] The right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are configured with slight differences in the length of cowl cover portions 52L, 52R (described later) and the positions of case side portions 41L, 41R (described later) relative to the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R, but the basic configuration is substantially the same except that they are arranged symmetrically (see FIGS. 4 and 7). Therefore, the same components will be described with the suffix L or R added to the same reference numerals, and the same components will be omitted as appropriate.

[0025] Right airbag 40R As shown in FIG. 3, it is folded and stored at a position below the top surface of the cowl 6.4 and 5, the right airbag 40R includes a case-side portion 41R that is disposed from the case 22R side to the underside of the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 when inflation is complete, and a main body inflation portion 50R that is disposed so as to extend rearward from the case 22R when inflation is complete. The right airbag 40R has substantially the same external shape and includes a vehicle body-side wall portion 40a that is disposed on the body 1 side when inflation is complete, and a pedestrian-side wall portion 40b that is disposed opposite the vehicle body-side wall portion 40a, and is formed into a bag shape by joining (sewn) the outer peripheral edges of the vehicle body-side wall portion 40a and the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b together around the entire periphery.

[0026] The case-side portion 41R is formed to extend forward from a cowl cover portion 52R (described later) of the main inflation portion 50R. It is attached to the case 22R at a portion on the rear end side (the main inflation portion 50R side) of the case 22R when inflation is complete, and is configured to cover the upper portion of the area from directly above the case 22R to the front side, i.e., the area below the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 (see FIG. 10). The case-side portion 41R is narrower (has a smaller width in the left-right direction) than the cowl cover portion 52R of the main inflation portion 50R, and is formed to partially protrude forward from the cowl cover portion 52R. The width of the left-right side (vehicle width direction) of the case-side portion 41R is slightly smaller than the width of the case 22R when inflation is complete (see FIG. 9). An insertion opening 42R for inserting the inflator 28R is formed in the vehicle body side wall 40a in an area that forms the rear end side of the case-side portion 41R (see FIG. 5). The insertion opening 42R includes an insertion slit 43R for inserting the inflator 28R, whose outer periphery is surrounded by the inner tube 75R, into the right airbag 40R, an insertion hole 44R for inserting the bolt 32R of the mounting bracket 31R, and a cover panel 45R for closing the insertion slit 43R from the outer periphery. The insertion slit 43R is formed in a substantially linear shape extending substantially along the left-right direction, and the insertion hole 44R is formed in an area forward of the insertion slit 43R (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The cover panel 45R covers the outer surface of the insertion slit 43R, and its rear edge is connected to the vehicle body side wall portion 40a rearward of the insertion slit 43R. A mounting hole 45a, through which the bolt 32R of the mounting bracket 31R protrudes, is disposed at its front end in correspondence with the insertion hole 44R (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0027] The main body inflation portion 50R has a generally L-shaped external shape when fully inflated when viewed from the front, and includes a cowl cover portion 52R that is disposed generally along the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) so as to generally follow the lower portion 4a of the front windshield 4, and a pillar cover portion 51R that extends rearward from the outer end (right end) of the cowl cover portion 52R in the vehicle width direction to cover the lower portion 5a of the front surface of the right front pillar 5R. In this embodiment, the pillar cover portion 51R is wider than the cowl cover portion 52R when the right airbag 40R is deployed flat, and is configured to be able to widely cover the lower portion 5a of the front surface of the right front pillar 5R (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 9).

[0028] The cowl cover portion 52R is configured to cover the upper surface side (front surface side) from the cowl 6 to the lower part 4a of the front windshield 4 when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated, specifically, to cover from the right end of the cowl 6 to the area to the left of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated (see FIG. 9). Specifically, the cowl cover portion 52R is configured to bring a left end portion 55, which is a portion on the left airbag 40L side (more specifically, the side close to the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L, i.e., the left end 52a side), into contact with a right end portion 60 of the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated while mounted on the vehicle. In this embodiment, more specifically, the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R is configured to cover an area from the wiper pivot 12R to a right end portion 60 of the left airbag 40L inflated to the left of the wiper pivot 12R when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated. Specifically, the left end portion 55 is configured to extend rearward of the right end of the case portion 41L of the left airbag 40L when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated (see FIG. 9 ). Furthermore, the left end portion 55 is configured so that, when a pedestrian is received when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, the lower surface of the left end portion 55 is supported by the right end portion 60 of the left airbag 40L, thereby preventing contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot 12R.

[0029] In this embodiment, tethers 65R, 66R, 67R, and 69R are disposed inside the right airbag 40R to connect the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b and the vehicle-body-side wall portion 40a and regulate the thickness of the right airbag 40R at the time of full inflation (see FIGS. 4 to 6). The tether 65R is disposed in an area excluding the rear end side of the pillar cover portion 51R, and more specifically, is disposed continuously at a position that is approximately the center in the width direction of the pillar cover portion 51R. The tether 66R is partially disposed on the front edge side near the boundary between the cowl cover portion 52R and the pillar cover portion 51R. The tether 67R is disposed near the boundary between the case side portion 41R and the cowl cover portion 52R (main inflation portion 50R) and extends substantially along the left-right direction so as to partially cover this boundary. A plurality of (two in this embodiment) substantially rectangular openings 67a are arranged side by side on the left-right side (see FIG. 6). The length of the tether 67R is set smaller than the left-right width of the case side portion 41R when the tether 67R is deployed flat. Inflation gas flowing into the case side portion 41R flows into the main inflation portion 50R through gaps formed at both ends of the tether 67R and through the two openings 67a. The tether 69R is disposed within the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R and extends substantially along the front-rear direction. Specifically, the tether 69R is disposed in a position (a region that vertically overlaps with a right end portion 60, described later, of the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L) to the left of the wiper pivot 12R when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated, as shown in Fig. 10. The tether 69R is disposed as a thickness regulating member to prevent the left end portion 55 from being excessively thick in inflation and to form a plate shape when the right airbag 40R is fully inflated.

[0030] The inner tube 75R, which covers the outer periphery of the inflator 28R, has an insertion tube portion 75c into which the inflator 28R, with the mounting bracket 31R already attached, is inserted, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5. The insertion tube portion 75c has outlet ports 75a, 75b extending from the gas discharge portion 29R on both sides and extending toward the tip end thereof for discharging inflation gas. Mounting holes (reference numerals omitted) are formed in the insertion tube portion 75c, through which the bolts 32R of each mounting bracket 31R pass. The inner tube 75R is made of a tube base material 90R as shown in Fig. 6.

[0031] 6, the right airbag 40R of the embodiment is composed of a vehicle-body-side panel 80R that constitutes the vehicle-body-side wall portion 40a, a pedestrian-side panel 81R that constitutes the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b, tether substrates 83R, 84R, 85R, and 86R that constitute the tethers 65R, 66R, 67R, and 69R, and a tube substrate 90R that constitutes the inner tube 75R. These substrates are formed by cutting a coated fabric, which is made by weaving polyamide yarn, polyester yarn, or the like, and applying a coating agent for preventing gas leakage to the surface of the woven fabric, into a predetermined shape.

[0032] 9, the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L is configured to cover an area extending from the left end of the cowl 6 to the left of the wiper pivot 12R of the right wiper 10R when the left airbag 40L is fully inflated. The cowl cover portion 52L is configured to bring a right end portion 60, which is a portion on the right airbag 40R side (more specifically, the side adjacent to the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R, i.e., the right end 52b side), into contact with a left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R when the left airbag 40L is fully inflated while mounted on the vehicle. Specifically, when inflation is complete, the right end portion 60 of the cowl cover portion 52L is positioned so that its edge 60a (right edge) is adjacent to the wiper pivot 12R and so that it is below and overlaps the left end portion 55 of the right airbag 40R while making contact with the left end portion 55 (see FIGS. 9 and 10 ). Similar to the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R, a tether 69L is also disposed within the area of ​​the right end portion 60 of the cowl cover portion 52L as a thickness regulating member that connects the vehicle body side wall portion 40a and the pedestrian side wall portion 40b and regulates the thickness of the right airbag when inflation is complete. Similar to the tether 69R, the tether 69L disposed within the right end portion 60 is also disposed so as to extend substantially along the front-to-rear direction. More specifically, the tether 69L is disposed in a region that overlaps vertically with the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R when the airbag is fully inflated (see FIG. 10).

[0033] In the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the overlapping amount between the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R (the overlapping amount between the left end portion 55 and the right end portion 60) when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated is set to approximately 100 to 200 mm. In the embodiment, the right airbag device 20R on the passenger side is mounted to the right of the right wiper pivot 12R in a position that is approximately the center of the vehicle V in the vehicle width direction, and the left airbag device 20L on the driver side is mounted between the wiper pivots 12L, 12R in a position that is significantly offset to the left end side from the center of the vehicle V in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are configured so that the lengths of the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R are different in accordance with these mounting positions (see FIGS. 4 and 7). Due to the difference in length between the cowl cover portions 52L and 52R, the left airbag 40L has a smaller volume than the right airbag 40R.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 8, the left airbag 40L, like the right airbag 40R, is composed of a vehicle body side panel 80L that constitutes the vehicle body side wall portion 40a, a pedestrian side panel 81L that constitutes the pedestrian side wall portion 40b, tether substrates 83L, 84L, 85L, 86L that constitute each tether 65L, 66L, 67L, 69L, and a tube substrate 90L that constitutes the inner tube 75L.

[0035] To explain how the pedestrian protection device M of this embodiment is installed in a vehicle V, first, the right airbag 40R is folded so that it can be stored in the case 22R. Then, the inflator 28R, to which the mounting bracket 31R has been attached, is inserted into the inner tube 75R and inserted into the right airbag 40R using the insertion slits 43R. Then, the bolts 32R of each mounting bracket 31R, which protrude from the mounting holes (reference numerals omitted in the drawing) of the inner tube 75R, are caused to protrude from the insertion holes 44R of the right airbag 40R. Next, the cover panel 45R is closed so as to cover the insertion slits 43R, and the bolts 32R are inserted into the mounting holes 45a. Thereafter, the right airbag 40R and the inflator 28R are stored in the case 22R, and an airbag cover 26R is attached to the case 22R, thereby assembling the right airbag device 20R. Next, the case 22R is placed in a predetermined position on the vehicle V, the bolts 32R protruding from the case 22R are fastened to the mounting portions 2R with nuts 33R, and the inflator 28R is connected to an operating circuit (not shown), thereby enabling the right airbag device 20R to be mounted on the vehicle V. Similarly, the left airbag device 20L can be assembled and mounted on the vehicle V, allowing the pedestrian protection device M to be mounted on the vehicle V.

[0036] In the pedestrian protection device M of this embodiment, when an activation circuit (not shown) detects a collision between the vehicle V and a pedestrian based on an activation signal from a sensor (not shown) arranged in the front bumper 3, the inflators 28L, 28R are activated, and the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L are inflated by allowing inflation gas to flow into the right airbag 40R and the left airbag 40L. The right airbag 40R inflates to cover approximately the right half of the cowl 6 and the lower part 5a of the front surface of the right front pillar 5R, and the left airbag 40L inflates to cover approximately the left half of the cowl 6 and the lower part 5a of the front surface of the left front pillar 5L (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9).

[0037] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, even if the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are configured to inflate on the left and right sides of the wiper pivot 12R, respectively, the cowl cover portions 52L, 52R that cover the upper surface side of the cowl 6 when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are configured to inflate so that the left end portion 55 and the right end portion 60 that are closest to each other come into contact at a position above the wiper pivot 12R.Therefore, even if the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are configured to inflate while protruding from the cases 22L, 22R that are positioned below the upper surface of the cowl 6, the two cowl cover portions 52L, 52R can smoothly and widely cover the upper surface side of the cowl 6 without being affected by the wiper pivot 12R that partially protrudes upward from the upper surface of the cowl 6. Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment, the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R is configured to cover the upper part of the wiper pivot 12R when inflation is complete, so that contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot 12R can be suppressed. Therefore, even if the two cowl cover portions 52L, 52R are configured such that the protection area is divided near the location of the wiper pivot 12R, the pedestrian can be appropriately protected from the wiper pivot 12R.

[0038] Therefore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, even if it is configured with a left airbag 40L and a right airbag 40R that inflate on the left and right sides of the wiper pivot 12R that is located on the central side in the vehicle width direction, when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, they can accurately and widely cover the upper surface side of the cowl 6.

[0039] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the right end portion 60 of the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L is configured as a lower end portion with an edge 60a adjacent to the wiper pivot 12R, and the left end portion 55 of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R is configured as an upper end portion so as to cover an area from the wiper pivot 12R to the right end portion 60. Therefore, when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, the wiper pivot 12R is disposed in a recessed area formed between the edge 60a of the right end portion 60 and the underside of the left end portion 55 in a region where the right end portion 60 and the left end portion 55 vertically overlap (see FIG. 11 ). As a result, interference between the upper left end portion 55 and the wiper pivot 12R can be suppressed, and the left end portion 55 can be suppressed from being raised up more than necessary. Furthermore, the left end portion 55 is disposed so as to cover the area from the wiper pivot 12R to the right end portion 60, i.e., the lower surface of the left end portion 55 is supported by the right end portion 60. In other words, when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, a region that is inflated thickly so that the right end portion 60 and the left end portion 55 are vertically stacked is adjacent to the wiper pivot 12R. Therefore, even if a pedestrian comes into contact with the region near the wiper pivot 12R when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R are fully inflated, the left end portion 55 as the upper end portion and the right end portion 60 as the lower end portion can reliably prevent contact between the pedestrian and the wiper pivot 12R.

[0040] Furthermore, in the pedestrian protection device of the embodiment, tethers 69L, 69R are disposed inside the region where the left end portion 55 and the right end portion 60 are arranged to overlap each other in the vertical direction when fully inflated, and serve as thickness-restricting members that connect the vehicle body side wall portion 40a and the pedestrian side wall portion 40b, respectively, and restrict the thickness when fully inflated. Therefore, by disposing the tethers 69L, 69R inside the left end portion 55 and the right end portion 60, excessive expansion to a large thickness is prevented, and the shape when fully inflated is made substantially plate-like. Therefore, the left end portion 55 and the right end portion 60 can be arranged to overlap widely in the vertical direction when fully inflated, and the left end portion 55 can more stably and widely cover the area above the wiper pivot 12R. If such points are not taken into consideration, the configuration may be such that thickness-regulating members that connect the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion are not placed inside the left end portion (upper end portion) and the right end portion (lower end portion).

[0041] 12 and 13 may also be used as the right airbag 40AR. The right airbag 40AR is configured such that, in addition to a thickness-regulating tether 69R, a shape-regulating tether 92 is disposed inside the cowl cover portion 52AR so as to lift the edge 55a of the left end portion 55A upward when the airbag is fully inflated. Like the tether 69R, the shape-regulating tether 92 is a strip-like member extending substantially along the front-to-rear direction and disposed to the right of the left end portion 55A (to the right of the wiper pivot 12R when the airbag is installed on the vehicle). When the right airbag 40AR is deployed flat, a joining portion 93U that joins the upper edge 92a to the pedestrian-side wall portion 40b is positioned to the right of a joining portion 93D that joins the lower edge 92b to the vehicle body-side wall portion 40a. The shape-regulating tether 92 is disposed at an incline so that the upper edge 92a is positioned to the right of the lower edge 92b when the right airbag 40AR is fully inflated, and the cowl cover portion 52AR is bent starting from the upper edge 92a (joint portion 93U), so that the left end portion 55A is disposed at an incline with respect to the horizontal direction so that the edge 55a is lifted. If the right airbag 40AR is configured in this manner, the left end portion 55A (upper end portion) is likely to rise up when the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40AR are deployed and inflated, and the left end portion 55A is likely to be disposed so as to cover the upper side of the right end portion 60 (lower end portion) (see FIG. 14).

[0042] Furthermore, the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R may be configured as shown in Figures 15 and 16. The cowl cover portions 98L, 98R of the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R are configured so that the regions near the ends (near end portions 99L, 99R) on the sides where they approach each other are substantially symmetrical about the wiper pivot 12R when inflation is complete, and the end portions 99L, 99R are configured to come into contact with each other and press against each other at a position above the wiper pivot 12R when inflation is complete (see Figure 17). Like the left airbag 40L and the right airbag 40R described above, the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R have a vehicle body side wall portion 97a and a pedestrian side wall portion 97b that have substantially the same external shape, and are formed into a bag shape by sewing the outer peripheral edges of the vehicle body side wall portion 97a and the pedestrian side wall portion 97b together. Shape-restricting tethers 101L and 101R are disposed on the left and right outer sides of end portions 99L and 99R within the cowl cover portions 98L and 98R of the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R so as to lift the end edges 99a of the end portions 99L and 99R above when inflation is complete. The shape-restricting tethers 101L and 101R have the same configuration as the shape-restricting tether 92 provided in the right airbag 40AR described above, It is arranged to connect the vehicle body side wall portion 97a and the pedestrian side wall portion 97b.Each end portion 99L, 99R is inclined so that its end edge 99a faces upward when the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R are fully inflated. The end portions 99L, 99R are positioned such that they strongly interfere with each other across a wide area above and below the vehicle body side wall portion 97a at a position above the wiper pivot 12R when the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R are fully inflated (see FIG. 17). To achieve this strong interference state when the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R are fully inflated, the dimensions of the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R are set so that the end portions 99L, 99R of the cowl cover portions 98L, 98R partially overlap each other (so as to increase the amount of protrusion from the case-side portion (reference numeral omitted)) when the left airbag 97L and the right airbag 97R are deployed flat and placed in the vehicle mounting position, although not shown in detail. The widths of the shape-regulating tethers 101L, 101R are also set. Even when the left airbag 97L and right airbag 97R configured in this manner are used, the upper part of the wiper pivot 12R is covered by both end portions 99L, 99R, and the end portions 99L, 99R are in contact with each other so as to press against each other, so that even if a pedestrian comes into contact with this area, the two end portions 99L, 99R can reliably prevent the pedestrian from coming into contact with the wiper pivot. Furthermore, when the left airbag and right airbag are configured in this manner, although detailed illustrations are omitted, it is preferable to provide the two end portions with tethers or the like as appropriate to provide interlocking projections and recesses, which can further strengthen the contact state between the end portions when the left airbag and right airbag are fully inflated.

[0043] In the pedestrian protection device M of the embodiment, the length of the cowl cover portion 52R of the right airbag 40R disposed on the right side, which is the passenger seat side, is set to be larger than the cowl cover portion 52L of the left airbag 40L disposed on the left side, which is the driver seat side, so that when inflation is complete, the left end portion 55 is overlapped over the right end portion 60 of the left airbag 40L. Of course, the pedestrian protection device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and may be configured so that the end portion of the cowl cover portion of the airbag disposed on the driver seat side is overlapped over the end portion of the cowl cover portion of the airbag disposed on the passenger seat side. However, since the driver's side airbag must be housed in a case mounted in the gap between the wiper pivots of the two wipers, it is difficult to secure a large installation space for the driver's side airbag, which is mounted in a region laterally of the wiper pivot at the center of the vehicle width direction. Therefore, it is preferable to mount a large-volume airbag on the passenger side, where installation space can be easily secured even when increasing the volume. In addition, although the pedestrian protection device is mounted in a left-hand drive vehicle in the embodiment, it can also be mounted in a right-hand drive vehicle in which the driver's seat is located on the right side. In the case of a right-hand drive vehicle, the left and right wipers are mounted in an inverted manner compared to a left-hand drive vehicle, and if the end portions are arranged so as to overlap each other vertically, it is preferable to make the cowl cover portion of the airbag mounted on the left side (the passenger side) of the passenger's seat longer and to provide an upper end portion on this cowl cover portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 6...cowl, 8...hood panel, 8a...rear end, 10L, 10R...wiper, 12L, 12R...wiper pivot, 40L...left airbag, 40R, 40AR...right airbag, 40a...vehicle body side wall portion, 40b...pedestrian side wall portion, 52L, 52R, 52AR...cowl cover portion, 55, 55A...left end portion (upper end portion), 60...right end portion (lower end portion), 69L, 69R...tether (thickness restriction member), 92...shape restriction tether, 97L...left airbag, 97R...right airbag, 98L, 98R...cowl cover portion, 99L, 99R...end portion, 101L, 101R...shape restriction tether, V...vehicle, M...pedestrian protection device.

Claims

1. The vehicle includes a left airbag and a right airbag disposed near a rear end of a hood panel, and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction when inflation gas is flowed into the left airbag and the right airbag is fully inflated, a cowl cover portion that covers an upper surface side of a cowl, the left airbag and the right airbag being disposed so as to be substantially aligned along a vehicle width direction when fully inflated; The left airbag and the right airbag are folded and stored at positions below an upper surface of the cowl, and are configured to inflate on the left and right sides of wiper pivots that are arranged on the center side of the pair of left and right wipers in the vehicle width direction, When the cowl cover portions are fully inflated, their end portions that approach each other are brought into contact with each other at a position above the wiper pivot, an end portion of one of the cowl cover portions is configured as a lower end portion, and an edge thereof when the inflation is complete is adjacent to the wiper pivot; The pedestrian protection device is characterized in that the other end portion of the cowl cover portion is configured as an upper end portion to cover the area from the wiper pivot to the lower end portion, and is configured to prevent contact between a pedestrian and the wiper pivot when inflation is complete.

2. The left airbag and the right airbag are each configured to include a vehicle body side wall portion that is disposed on the vehicle body side when fully inflated, and a pedestrian side wall portion that is disposed on the pedestrian side, 2. The pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness-restricting member that connects the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion to restrict the thickness at the time of complete inflation is disposed within an area where the upper end portion and the lower end portion are arranged to overlap each other in the vertical direction at the time of complete inflation.

3. 3. The pedestrian protection device according to claim 2, wherein the upper end portion is configured to inflate at an angle so that an edge of the lower end portion is lifted upward.

4. The vehicle includes a left airbag and a right airbag disposed near a rear end of a hood panel, and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction when inflation gas is flowed into the left airbag and the right airbag is fully inflated, a cowl cover portion that covers an upper surface side of a cowl, the left airbag and the right airbag being disposed so as to be substantially aligned along a vehicle width direction when fully inflated; The left airbag and the right airbag are configured to inflate on the left and right of a wiper pivot that is disposed on the center side of the pair of left and right wipers in the vehicle width direction, respectively, and are configured to include a vehicle body side wall portion that is disposed on the vehicle body side when inflation is complete, and a pedestrian side wall portion that is disposed on the pedestrian side, a shape-regulating tether is disposed inside each of the cowl cover portions at end portions that approach each other when inflation is complete, the shape-regulating tether connecting the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion, and enabling the edge of each of the end portions to be lifted upward when inflation of the left airbag and the right airbag is complete; The pedestrian protection device is characterized in that, when inflation is complete, each of the end side portions is arranged at an incline so that its end edge faces upward, and is configured to contact and press against each other at a position above the wiper pivot, covering the upper part of the wiper pivot and preventing contact between a pedestrian and the wiper pivot.

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