JP2007320462A - Vehicle collision detecting device and occupant crash protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle collision detecting device capable of securely detecting collision by an inexpensive configuration by using an existing on-vehicle speaker in a vehicle, and an occupant crash protection system using the vehicle collision detecting device. <P>SOLUTION: A microcomputer 41 inside an airbag ECU 40 acquires electrical signals from the on-vehicle speaker 10 mounted inside a vehicle door 50, and occurrence of collision is determined based on the acquired electrical signals. Thus, by the inexpensive configuration using the existing on-vehicle speaker 10 in the vehicle, vehicle collision can be detected. When occurrence of collision is determined, an occupant crash protection device 60 for side collision is operated so as to protect occupants. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle collision detection device that detects occurrence of a collision with a vehicle and an occupant protection system using the same.

Conventionally, in order to protect an occupant from a collision between an object and a vehicle, a technique for operating a occupant protection device such as a front airbag or a side airbag by determining the presence or absence of a collision has been put into practical use. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a device that deploys a side airbag by detecting a pressure fluctuation such as an impact load in a sealed space (air tank) of a side door with a pressure sensor.
JP-A-2-249740

  However, in the prior art, in order to detect a vehicle collision, a large number of impact detection sensors such as the above-described pressure sensor or G sensor are mounted, which causes a problem of an increase in cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a vehicle collision detection device capable of reliably detecting a collision with an inexpensive configuration by using an existing in-vehicle speaker in a vehicle, and the same Providing a used occupant protection system is an issue to be solved.

  Hereinafter, each means suitable for solving the above-described problems will be described with additional effects and the like as necessary.

1. In a vehicle collision detection device that detects the occurrence of a collision with a vehicle,
An in-vehicle speaker mounted on the vehicle;
Signal acquisition means for acquiring an electrical signal from the in-vehicle speaker;
A collision detection apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a collision determination unit configured to determine the presence or absence of a collision based on the electrical signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit.

  According to the means 1, when the vehicle collides with a structure such as a utility pole or another vehicle, an electric signal is generated from the in-vehicle speaker mounted on the vehicle. That is, since the in-vehicle speaker includes a coil, a magnet provided inside the coil, and a diaphragm, for example, in a configuration in which the in-vehicle speaker is mounted in the door of the vehicle, when a collision occurs in the door In addition, the air in the hollow portion of the door vibrates, and the vibration is transmitted to the diaphragm of the in-vehicle speaker. Furthermore, when the coil moves in the axial direction due to vibration of the diaphragm, the relative position between the coil and the magnet fluctuates, and an electromotive force is generated in the coil to generate an electrical signal. Therefore, the signal acquisition unit can acquire an electrical signal from the in-vehicle speaker, and the collision determination unit can reliably determine the presence or absence of a collision based on the electrical signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit. Then, when it is determined by the collision determination means that there is a collision, the occupant protection device can be activated to protect the occupant. Moreover, since air vibrations are instantaneously transmitted to the loudspeaker when a collision occurs in any part of the vehicle, a method of detecting the occurrence of a collision in the entire vehicle is also conceivable. Furthermore, since the vehicle is configured by using an existing vehicle-mounted speaker, the cost of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

  2. The in-vehicle speaker is connected to an audio device mounted on the vehicle, and switches the connection destination of the in-vehicle speaker to the signal acquisition unit based on a signal from another sensor unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle. The vehicle collision detection apparatus according to the means 1, further comprising a switching means.

  According to the means 2, since the vehicle-mounted speaker is connected to the audio device mounted on the vehicle, the audio signal supplied from the audio device is input to the vehicle-mounted speaker to generate sound. On the other hand, since the switching means switches the connection destination of the in-vehicle speaker to the signal acquisition means based on the signal from the other sensor means for detecting the behavior of the vehicle, the signal acquisition means reliably receives only the electric signal from the in-vehicle speaker. The collision determination unit can acquire the collision accurately based on the electrical signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit.

3. The signal acquisition unit and an audio device mounted on the vehicle are connected to a terminal on the vehicle-mounted speaker side, and the signal acquisition unit acquires an audio signal before being input from the audio device to the vehicle-mounted speaker. Configured and possible
The collision determination means determines whether or not there is a collision based on a difference between an electrical signal from the terminal acquired by the signal acquisition means and an audio signal before being input to the in-vehicle speaker. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1.

  According to the means 3, the signal acquisition means acquires the electrical signal from the terminal on the vehicle-mounted speaker side, and acquires the audio signal before being input to the vehicle-mounted speaker from the audio device mounted on the vehicle. The collision determination unit determines whether or not there is a collision based on the difference between the electrical signal from the terminal acquired by the signal acquisition unit and the audio signal before being input to the vehicle-mounted speaker. That is, since the electric signal and the audio signal generated in the vehicle-mounted speaker due to the collision are superimposed on the electric signal acquired from the terminal on the vehicle-mounted speaker by the signal acquiring unit, the collision determination unit is connected from the terminal. It is possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of a collision based only on the electrical signal from the in-vehicle speaker that does not include the audio signal component that is the difference between the current electric signal and the audio signal before being input to the in-vehicle speaker.

  4). 4. The collision detection device for a vehicle according to any one of means 1 to 3, wherein the collision determination means determines the presence or absence of a collision on a vehicle side surface.

  According to the means 4, since the collision determination means determines the presence or absence of a collision on the side of the vehicle, the vehicle collision detection device is used for side collision detection, and a side collision occupant protection device such as a side airbag or a curtain airbag is used. Can be configured to operate.

5). An occupant protection device mounted on the vehicle;
A vehicle collision detection device according to any one of means 1 to 4,
An occupant protection system configured to activate the occupant protection device when occurrence of a collision with a vehicle is detected by the vehicle collision detection device.

  According to the means 5, when the occurrence of a collision with the vehicle is detected by the vehicle collision detection device, the occupant protection device such as an airbag is activated, so that the occupant can be reliably protected.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle collision detection device embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle collision detection device 1 includes an in-vehicle speaker 10, a switching circuit 20, an audio device 30, and an airbag ECU (Electronic Control Unit: hereinafter simply referred to as an ECU). 40. The vehicle collision detection device 1 and the side collision occupant protection device 60 such as a side airbag or a curtain airbag mounted on the vehicle constitute the occupant protection system of the present invention.

  The in-vehicle speaker 10 is a known audio speaker that is attached to an opening portion of the inner panel 51 that constitutes the inner surface of the door 50 of the vehicle, and includes a coil 11, a magnet 12 provided inside the coil 11, and a coil 11. On the other hand, it has a cone-shaped diaphragm 13 attached to the vehicle compartment side. The coil 11 of the in-vehicle speaker 10 is connected to the switching circuit 20 via the signal line 15.

  The switching circuit 20 is an electric circuit for switching the connection destination of the in-vehicle speaker 10 between the audio device 30 and the airbag ECU 40, and constitutes the switching means of the present invention. The switching circuit 20 is extended from the airbag ECU 40 and the terminal 21 to which the signal line 15 extended from the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 is connected, the terminal 22 to which the signal line 35 extended from the audio device 30 is connected. And a terminal 23 to which the signal line 45 is connected, and a switching control signal can be input from the airbag ECU 40. In the switching circuit 20, the terminals 21-22 are usually connected. On the other hand, when a switching control signal is input from the airbag ECU 40, the switching circuit 20 switches the connection destination of the terminal 21 from the terminal 22 to the terminal 23 so that the terminals 21-23 are connected.

  The audio device 30 is a known audio device mounted on a vehicle, and outputs an audio signal for driving the in-vehicle speaker 10. A signal line 35 extends from the audio device 30 and is connected to the terminal 21 of the switching circuit 20. Then, in a normal state where the terminals 21-22 of the switching circuit 20 are connected, the audio signal output from the audio device 50 is transmitted through the signal line 35, the terminal 22, the terminal 21, and the signal line 15. Thus, the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 is driven to generate a sound based on the audio signal.

  The airbag ECU 40 is a signal processing circuit that incorporates a microcomputer 41 and a G sensor 42 that detects acceleration. The microcomputer 41 switches to the switching circuit 20 via a signal line 46 according to the acceleration detected by the G sensor 42. By inputting a control signal, the connection destination of the terminal 21 is switched from the terminal 22 to the terminal 23. With the terminals 21-23 thus connected, the microcomputer 41 receives an electrical signal from the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 via the signal line 15, the terminal 21, the terminal 23, and the signal line 45, and Detects whether a collision has occurred. For example, it is determined that a collision has occurred when the level of the electrical signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When it is determined that a collision has occurred, the airbag ECU 40 outputs an operation signal to the side collision occupant protection device 60 such as a side airbag or a curtain airbag.

  Next, the flow of collision detection processing executed by the microcomputer 41 of the airbag ECU 40 and the operation of each part in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the collision detection process. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of the in-vehicle speaker 10 showing the movement of the coil at the time of a door collision, and FIG. 3B is a graph showing an example of an electric signal (voltage change) generated from the coil at the time of a door collision.

  First, acceleration data detected by the G sensor 42 is acquired (step 1. Hereinafter, step 1 is abbreviated as S1. The same applies to other steps). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the acceleration detected by the G sensor 42 satisfies a predetermined condition (S2). The predetermined condition is a condition for determining whether or not the behavior of the vehicle is normal. For example, the predetermined condition may be that the absolute value of the acceleration data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Here, when the vehicle comes into contact with or collides with a structure such as a utility pole or another vehicle, a large acceleration (deceleration) is generated, so that a predetermined condition is satisfied. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied in S2 (S2: No), the process returns to S1. When the normal behavior of the vehicle such as normal running / stopping is continued, No is always obtained in S2, and S1 to S2 are repeated.

  When a predetermined condition is satisfied in S2 (S2: Yes), a switching control signal is input to the switching circuit 20 via the signal line 46 (S3). Thereby, in the switching circuit 20, the connection destination of the terminal 21 is switched from the terminal 22 to the terminal 23.

  Subsequently, the microcomputer 41 takes in an electrical signal output from the in-vehicle speaker 10 (S4). That is, when the outer panel 52 constituting the outer surface of the door 50 collides with a utility pole or the like, the air in the hollow portion 53 of the door 50 vibrates and the vibration is transmitted to the diaphragm 13 of the in-vehicle speaker 10. Then, when the coil 11 moves in the axial direction by the vibration of the diaphragm 13 (see FIG. 3A), the relative position between the coil 11 and the magnet 12 fluctuates, and an electromotive force is generated in the coil 11 to generate an electric signal. Occurs (see FIG. 3B). On the other hand, in the switching circuit 20, since the terminals 21-23 are connected in S3, the electrical signal generated in the coil 11 of the in-vehicle speaker 10 is transmitted via the signal line 15, the terminal 21, the terminal 23, and the signal line 45. Input to the microcomputer 41.

  And it is determined whether the level of the electric signal taken in from the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 is more than a predetermined threshold value (S5). The predetermined threshold value is set based on whether or not the impact of the side collision occupant protection device 60 such as a side airbag is necessary. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (S5: Yes), it is determined that a collision that requires the operation of the side collision occupant protection device 60 has occurred, an operation signal is output to the side collision occupant protection device 60, and this routine is executed. finish. In this case, side airbags, curtain airbags, and the like are deployed to protect the occupant from impact caused by side collision.

  On the other hand, when the level of the electric signal from the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 is less than the predetermined threshold (S5: No), the process returns to S1 without outputting the operation signal to the side collision occupant protection device 60. In this case, the side airbag or the like is not activated.

  The step S4 executed by the microcomputer 41 functions as a signal acquisition unit of the present invention, and the step S5 functions as a collision determination unit.

  As is clear from the above detailed description, according to the present embodiment, the microcomputer 41 in the airbag ECU 40 acquires an electrical signal from the in-vehicle speaker 10 mounted in the door 50 of the vehicle, and the acquired electrical Since the presence or absence of a collision is determined based on the signal, it is possible to detect a collision in the vehicle with an inexpensive configuration using the existing in-vehicle speaker 10 in the vehicle. When it is determined that there is a collision, the side collision occupant protection device 60 can be operated to protect the occupant. In addition, even if a collision occurs in any part of the door 50, the air vibration is instantaneously transmitted to the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 to generate an electrical signal, so that the occurrence of the collision can be detected in the entire door 50.

  In particular, since the switching circuit 20 normally connects the in-vehicle speaker 10 to the audio device 30, an audio signal supplied from the audio device 30 is input to the in-vehicle speaker 10 to generate sound. On the other hand, since the switching circuit 20 switches the connection destination of the in-vehicle speaker 10 to the airbag ECU 40 based on the signal from the G sensor 42, the microcomputer 41 reliably acquires only the electric signal from the in-vehicle speaker 10 and acquires it. The presence or absence of a collision can be accurately determined based on the electrical signal.

  Here, about the result of having performed the collision test which is the operation requirement of the passenger protection device 60 for side collision, the door impact (impacting the door) test which is a non-operation requirement, and the door close-close (strongly close the door) test, This will be described with reference to the graph of FIG. In the graph of FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents an electrical signal (voltage, unit: mV) detected by the microcomputer 41, and the horizontal axis represents time elapsed after a collision, door impact, or door close. From the graph, the absolute value of the detected voltage is about 8000 mV at the maximum in the collision test, whereas it is 5000 mv or less in the door impact test and the door close-close test. Therefore, by setting the threshold voltage to, for example, about 6000 mV, it is possible to reliably determine the collision that is the operation requirement and the door impact and the door close closing that are the non-operation requirements.

  Next, a vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 'according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as said 1st embodiment, and detailed description about them is abbreviate | omitted. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 ′ of the second embodiment. The vehicle collision detection device 1 ′ and the side collision occupant protection device 60 constitute an occupant protection system according to the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, when the acceleration detected by the G sensor 42 satisfies a predetermined condition, the connection destination of the in-vehicle speaker 10 is switched from the audio device 20 to the airbag ECU 40 to obtain the electric power obtained from the in-vehicle speaker 10. The vehicle collision detection device 1 ′ according to the present embodiment is configured to always connect the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 and the airbag ECU 40 to the vehicle-mounted speaker 10. The presence / absence of a collision is determined based on the difference between the electrical signal obtained from the audio signal and the audio signal before being input from the audio device 20 to the vehicle-mounted speaker 10.

  That is, in the vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 ′ of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the switching circuit 20 in the vehicle collision detection apparatus 1 of the first embodiment is not provided, and is connected to the signal line 15. A signal line 35 and a signal line 45 are connected to the speaker terminal 25. Therefore, the audio signal output from the audio device 50 can always be input to the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 via the signal line 35, the speaker terminal 25, and the signal line 15. Further, the microcomputer 41 of the airbag ECU 40 can always receive an electrical signal from the speaker terminal 25 via the signal line 45. Further, the audio signal before being input to the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 is configured to be input from the audio device 30 to the airbag ECU 40 via the signal line 46. The speaker terminal 25 constitutes the terminal on the vehicle-mounted speaker of the present invention.

  Next, the flow of collision detection processing executed by the microcomputer 41 of the airbag ECU 40 and the operation of each part in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the microcomputer 41 acquires an electrical signal from the in-vehicle speaker 10 via the signal line 45, the terminal 25, and the signal line 15 (S11), and audio before the input from the in-vehicle speaker 10 through the signal line 46. A signal is acquired (S12). Next, collision calculation data is obtained by removing the audio signal component obtained in S12 from the electrical signal from the speaker terminal obtained in S11 (S13).

  Here, normally, the electric signal obtained from the speaker terminal in S11 is substantially the same as the audio signal obtained in S12, and the collision calculation data has a value close to zero.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle door 50 collides with a pole such as a utility pole, the air in the hollow portion 52 of the door 50 vibrates. The air vibration in the door hollow portion 52 is transmitted to the diaphragm 13 of the in-vehicle speaker 10, and the coil 11 moves in the axial direction by the vibration of the diaphragm 13. Thereby, since the relative position of the coil 11 and the magnet 12 fluctuates, an electromotive force is generated in the coil 11. Therefore, the electrical signal obtained from the speaker terminal in S11 is an electrical signal in which the electrical signal resulting from the electromotive force of the coil 11 due to the collision is superimposed on the audio signal from the audio device 20. Therefore, by removing the audio signal component from the electrical signal from the speaker terminal in S13, only the electrical signal resulting from the electromotive force of the coil 11 due to the collision is obtained as the collision calculation data.

  7A is a graph showing an example of an electrical signal obtained from the in-vehicle speaker 10, FIG. 7B is a graph showing an example of an audio signal obtained from the audio device 30, and FIG. It is a graph which shows an example of the data for collision calculation which is the difference of the signal of () and the signal of (b).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the collision calculation data obtained in S13 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S14). If the collision calculation data is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (S14: Yes), it is determined that a collision requiring the operation of the side collision occupant protection device 60 has occurred, and side collision such as a side airbag or curtain airbag is performed. An operation signal is output to the occupant protection device 60, and this routine ends. In this case, the side airbag or the like is deployed, and the occupant is protected from the impact caused by the side collision.

  On the other hand, when the collision calculation data obtained in S13 is less than the predetermined threshold value (S14: No), the process returns to S11 without outputting the operation signal to the side collision occupant protection device 60. Does not work.

  The steps S11 and S12 executed by the microcomputer 41 function as signal acquisition means of the present invention, and the steps S13 and S14 function as collision determination means.

  As is clear from the above detailed description, according to the present embodiment, the microcomputer 41 of the airbag ECU 40 before the electric signal acquired from the speaker terminal 25 and the in-vehicle speaker 10 acquired from the audio device 30 are input. Whether or not there is a collision is determined based on collision calculation data that is a difference from the audio signal. That is, since the electrical signal generated from the speaker terminal 25 is superimposed on the electrical signal generated in the in-vehicle speaker 10 due to the collision and the audio signal, the electrical signal from the speaker terminal 25 and the in-vehicle speaker 10 are superimposed. The presence or absence of a collision can be accurately determined based only on collision calculation data (electric signal from the vehicle-mounted speaker 10) that does not include an audio signal component that is a difference from the audio signal before being input.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to each embodiment mentioned above, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the switching control signal is input to the switching circuit 20 based on the signal from the G sensor 42 in the airbag ECU 40. However, another type of collision detection that detects the behavior of the vehicle. A touch sensor may be installed in the vicinity of the door 50 as a safing sensor for use, and a switching control signal may be input to the switching circuit 20 based on a signal from the touch sensor.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the example set as the structure which detects the side collision using the vehicle-mounted speaker 10 mounted in the door 50 was shown, the vehicle-mounted speaker mounted in parts other than the door 50 of a vehicle is shown. A frontal collision may be detected by use, and a frontal occupant protection device such as a front airbag or a seat belt with a pretensioner may be activated based on the detection result.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a vehicle collision detection device for detecting a collision that is an operation requirement of an occupant protection device such as an airbag in a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-mounted speaker, and an occupant protection system using the same.

It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the vehicle collision detection apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the collision detection process in 1st embodiment. (A) is a schematic diagram of the vehicle-mounted speaker which shows the movement of the coil at the time of a door collision, (b) is a graph which shows an example of the electrical signal generated from a coil at the time of a door collision. It is a graph which shows the result of having performed the impact test, the door impact test, and the door close-close test. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the collision detection apparatus for vehicles of 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the collision detection process in 2nd embodiment. (A) is a graph showing an example of an electric signal obtained from an in-vehicle speaker, (b) is a graph showing an example of an audio signal obtained from an audio device, (c) is a signal of (a) and (b) of FIG. It is a graph which shows an example of the data for collision calculation which is a difference with a signal.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1 'vehicle collision detection device 10 in-vehicle speaker 20 switching circuit (switching means)
25 Speaker terminal (terminal on the vehicle speaker side)
30 Audio Device 40 Airbag ECU
41 Microcomputer (collision discrimination means)
42 G sensor (other sensor means)

Claims (5)

In a vehicle collision detection device that detects the occurrence of a collision with a vehicle,
An in-vehicle speaker mounted on the vehicle;
Signal acquisition means for acquiring an electrical signal from the in-vehicle speaker;
A collision detection apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a collision determination unit configured to determine the presence or absence of a collision based on the electrical signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit.   The in-vehicle speaker is connected to an audio device mounted on the vehicle, and switches the connection destination of the in-vehicle speaker to the signal acquisition unit based on a signal from another sensor unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle. The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit. The signal acquisition unit and an audio device mounted on the vehicle are connected to a terminal on the vehicle-mounted speaker side, and the signal acquisition unit acquires an audio signal before being input from the audio device to the vehicle-mounted speaker. Configured and possible
The collision determination unit is configured to determine the presence or absence of a collision based on a difference between an electrical signal from the terminal acquired by the signal acquisition unit and an audio signal before being input to the in-vehicle speaker. Item 2. The vehicle collision detection device according to Item 1.   The vehicle collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the collision determination unit determines whether there is a collision on a side surface of the vehicle. An occupant protection device mounted on the vehicle;
A vehicle collision detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An occupant protection system configured to activate the occupant protection device when occurrence of a collision with a vehicle is detected by the vehicle collision detection device.

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