JP4568344B2 - Vehicle side collision detection device and vehicle occupant protection system including the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle side collision detection device that detects that an object has collided with a side door.

As a conventional vehicle side collision detection device in which a detection sensor is mounted on a side door, for example, there is one described in JP-A-5-93735 (Patent Document 1). In the vehicular side collision detection device described in Patent Literature 1, the detection sensor is attached to the side plate of the side door through a support leg fixed to the inner plate so as to be close to the reinforcing member. . The detection sensor is arranged on the inner plate side with respect to the reinforcing member, and when the object collides with the side door, the reinforcing member is deformed to the inner plate side, so that the detection sensor receives an impact caused by the deformation of the reinforcing member. Operate. Thereby, the vehicle side collision detection device can detect the collision of the object with the vehicle based on the detection signal sent from the detection sensor. Note that an impact sensor or an electric coil is used as the detection sensor.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-93735

  However, a space for opening and closing the door glass of the side door is provided between the reinforcing member and the inner plate. A stay for fixing the door glass and driving it up and down is provided on the lower side of the door glass (FIG. 1), and the stay moves up and down as the door glass opens and closes. Therefore, it is difficult to arrange the detection sensor in the range in which the door glass and the stay move up and down by the method described in Patent Document 1. If it is arranged at a position where it does not interfere with the stay in space, the position where the detection sensor is arranged is limited to the front and rear positions of the side door in the vehicle, and it is difficult to detect a wide range of collisions in the vehicle front-rear direction of the side door. There's a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a side for detecting a collision between a vehicle and an object based on a change in the distance of a side door member using a distance sensor, particularly a magnetic flux of a coil. An object of the collision detection apparatus is to provide a vehicle side collision detection apparatus that can detect a wide range of collisions of an object with a side door, save space, and facilitate arrangement.

<First invention: An invention that switches the collision determination method between the vehicle and the object in accordance with the position of the stay>
A vehicle side collision detection device according to a first aspect of the invention includes an outer plate of a side door mounted on a vehicle,
An inner plate of the side door that is spaced apart from the outer plate on the vehicle interior side of the outer plate;
A reinforcing member disposed between the outer plate and the inner plate and spaced apart from the inner plate, and having a bending rigidity higher than that of the outer plate;
The inner plate is disposed on the reinforcing member side of the inner plate facing the reinforcing member, or on the inner plate side of the reinforcing member facing the inner plate, and is attached to the inner plate and the inner plate. A distance sensor that detects a separation distance between the inner plate side member that is at least one of the members and the reinforcing member;
A door glass of the side door that can be inserted between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member ;
A stay for vertical movement between the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member is away隔距separation detecting area of the distance sensor in order to vertically move the door glass to fix the door glass,
In the vehicle side collision detection device having
A position sensor for detecting the position of the door glass of the side door or the position of the stay ;
Determining means for determining a collision between the vehicle and an object based on output values of the distance sensor and the position sensor;
It is characterized by providing.

  In the vehicle side collision detection device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the distance sensor is separated from the inner plate side member that is at least one of the inner plate and the inner member attached to the inner plate, or the reinforcing member. Are arranged. The distance sensor detects the separation distance between the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member. Further, the vehicle side collision detection device is provided with a position sensor, and the position sensor detects the position of the door glass or the position of the stay for fixing the door glass and moving the door glass up and down. . The determination means determines whether or not the vehicle and the object collide based on the separation distance detected by the distance sensor. Here, if a stay exists between the distance sensor and the inner plate side member or between the distance sensor and the reinforcing member, the distance sensor may not be able to accurately detect the separation distance. That is, an error may occur in the determination of the collision between the vehicle and the object. However, according to the vehicle side collision detection device of the present invention, the collision determination is performed in consideration of the position of the door glass or the stay detected by the position sensor, so that the collision determination error is prevented from occurring. it can. In addition, as a distance sensor, it is arrange | positioned away from a detection member, and detects the displacement of a detection member, The thing using light rays, such as a laser, etc. can be considered using a magnetism.

  Here, as a preferred aspect of the first invention, the determination means of the vehicle side collision detection device is configured such that the vehicle and the object are in accordance with the position of the door glass or the position of the stay detected by the position sensor. It is the structure which switches the determination method of a collision. In this way, by changing the determination method according to the position of the door glass or the stay, the influence of the stay can be surely eliminated when the collision is determined. In particular, high-speed determination is possible.

Further, the determination means is configured to detect the separation distance per unit time detected by the distance sensor when the stay is detected by the position sensor when the stay is positioned between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member. Determining a collision between the vehicle and an object based on the amount of change;
When the position sensor detects that the stay is located at a position other than between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member, the separation distance detected by the distance sensor or the amount of change per unit time of the separation distance Based on the above, a collision between the vehicle and the object is determined.

  With this configuration, in the present invention, the position of the stay is detected by the position sensor, and the collision determination method is switched based on the detected position of the stay. When the stay is located between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member, the distance sensor detects the separation distance between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member as described above. The separation distance cannot be accurately detected. However, if the collision is determined based on the amount of change per unit time of the separation distance detected by the distance sensor, even if the distance sensor detects the separation distance between the reinforcing member and the stay, it is detected by the distance sensor. The collision can be accurately detected regardless of the separation distance itself.

  Also, if the stay is not positioned between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member, it is accurate whether it is determined based on either the separation distance detected by the distance sensor or the amount of change per unit time of the separation distance. Can be obtained.

  Therefore, even if the distance sensor is arranged at a position where the stay may exist between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member depending on the open / close state of the door glass, it is possible to accurately determine the collision, and the arrangement of the distance sensor The position is not limited by the presence of the stay, and can be arranged in a wide range. The detection of the position of the door glass is also for knowing the position of the stay in the vehicle vertical direction from the position of the door glass.

<Other preferred embodiments of the first invention>
In the configuration of the first invention, the inner plate side member is made of a metal body or a magnetic body, and the distance sensor is fixed to the reinforcing member to generate a magnetic field, and the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member It is a coil that detects a magnetic flux that changes with a change in the separation distance, and the determination means may be configured to determine a collision between the vehicle and an object based on the magnetic flux of the coil.

  Alternatively, in the configuration of the first invention, the reinforcing member is made of a metal body or a magnetic body, and the distance sensor is fixed to the inner plate side member to generate a magnetic field, and the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member The coil may be configured to detect a magnetic flux that changes with a change in the separation distance, and the determination unit may determine a collision between the vehicle and an object based on the magnetic flux of the coil.

  In this configuration, the magnetic field generated by the coil as the distance sensor is generated between the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member. When the coil is fixed to the reinforcing member, if the object collides with the outer plate and the reinforcing member is deformed to the vehicle interior side and moves so that the reinforcing member approaches the inner plate, Due to the magnetic field generated by the eddy current, an eddy current flows through the inner plate or the inner member as the inner plate side member. Alternatively, if an eddy current has been generated before this movement, the amount of eddy current changes (increases) with the movement. When the magnetic field due to the generation or increase of the eddy current is generated or increased, the magnetic flux of the coil changes. Thus, the magnetic flux of the coil changes according to the separation distance between the inner plate side member and the coil. Further, when the coil is fixed to the inner plate side member, if the object collides with the outer plate and the reinforcing member is deformed to the vehicle interior side and moves so that the reinforcing member approaches the inner plate, the reinforcing member Eddy current flows due to the magnetic field generated by the coil. That is, according to this aspect in which the range of the magnetic field generated by the coil is the side collision detectable range, the effect of the first invention becomes significant.

  That is, the range in which the side collision detection can be performed by the vehicle side collision detection device of this aspect is not held by a support leg or the like as in the sensor described in Patent Document 1, and therefore the location of the sensor is not limited. In addition, since the influence of the position of the stay in the vehicle vertical direction can be reduced, a wide range can be achieved. Even when the range in which the side collision can be detected is wide, it is sufficient to install one or a small number of coils. As a result, space saving and easy arrangement can be achieved.

  Furthermore, the magnetic flux changes depending on the distance between the coil attached to the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member, or changes depending on the distance between the coil attached to the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member. Since the side collision detection is performed based on the magnetic flux of the coil to be operated, even if the outer plate is deformed, the separation distance between the coil and the inner plate side member does not change as long as the impact does not deform the reinforcing member. Therefore, it can be determined that the vehicle has not collided and the occupant protection device is not activated. On the other hand, if the reinforcing member is deformed and an impact is applied that changes the separation distance between the coil and the inner plate side member, it is considered that occupant protection is necessary. The collision can be detected by changing.

  Furthermore, when the stay is made of a metal body or a magnetic body, and the coil is applied as a distance sensor as described above, the present invention may be applied. In general, the stay is often formed of a metal body or a magnetic body. In such a case, if the collision determination is performed by the magnetic flux of the coil, the influence of the stay on the magnetic flux of the coil is very large. Therefore, by determining the collision according to the position detected by the position sensor, even if there is a stay having a great influence, the collision can be reliably determined.

  Further, as a preferred aspect, the separation distance detected by the distance sensor corresponds to the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux, and the amount of change per unit time of the separation distance detected by the distance sensor is It corresponds to the amount of change of magnetic flux per unit time.

  That is, the vehicle side collision detection device according to the present aspect has a method of detecting a separation distance from the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux detected by the coil and a change per unit time of the magnetic flux detected by the coil as means for detecting a collision. And a method of detecting a separation distance from the quantity. Since both methods are selected according to the position of the stay, the side collision can be detected accurately and reliably. In addition, when both methods are used in combination, in addition to the above effects, side collision can be detected even earlier.

  That is, when the stay does not exist between the coil and the inner plate side member or the reinforcing member, the magnitude of the magnetic flux detected by the coil is the separation distance between the coil and the inner plate side member or the reinforcing member. Is accurately reflected. Therefore, an accurate determination can be made regardless of whether the collision is determined based on the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux or the amount of change of magnetic flux per unit time.

  On the other hand, when the stay exists between the coil and the inner plate side member or the reinforcing member, the stay that is a magnetic body affects the amount of magnetic flux detected by the coil. Therefore, the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux detected by the coil does not accurately reflect the separation distance from the inner plate side member. However, if the determination is made based on the amount of change of magnetic flux per unit time, the distance between the coil and the inner plate side member or the reinforcing member becomes zero (the amount of change of magnetic flux per unit time is also zero). Since the amount of magnetic flux changes, it is possible to detect a collision.

  Furthermore, as a preferred aspect, the vehicle vertical direction width of the coil may be set larger than the vehicle vertical direction width of the stay. By setting the coil vertical width of the coil to be larger than the vehicle vertical width of the stay, even if the stay is positioned between the coil and the inner plate side member due to the open / closed state of the door glass, the stay magnetic flux is affected. Can be reduced. Thereby, even when the stay is located between the coil and the inner plate side member, it is possible to use a determination method for detecting the separation distance between the coil and the inner plate side member based on the magnetic flux.

  Further, as a preferable aspect in this case, in the vehicle side collision detection device, the coil is wound a plurality of times on the same plane, and the vehicle vertical direction width at the innermost periphery of the coil is It may be set larger than the vehicle vertical direction width of the stay. In a coil wound a plurality of times on the same plane, the magnetic flux is more strongly distributed toward the inner peripheral side. That is, the influence of the inner peripheral side shape of the coil is increased. Therefore, by setting as described above, the influence on the magnetic flux of the stay can be further reduced.

  Alternatively, the coil may be wound a plurality of times on the same plane, and the vehicle vertical width at the outermost periphery of the coil may be set larger than the vehicle vertical width of the stay. The size of the entire coil affects the detection range. Therefore, by setting as described above, it is possible to reduce the influence on the magnetic flux of the stay while preventing a decrease in detection sensitivity.

  As described above, in the vehicle side collision detection device configured to set the relationship between the vehicle vertical width of the coil and the vehicle vertical width of the stay, the determination method based on the magnitude of the magnetic flux described above and the magnetic flux A collision determination method based on the amount of change per unit time, and either determination method may be used.

<Vehicle occupant protection system>
The collision determination result of the vehicle side collision detection device configured as described above can be used as a trigger when operating the occupant protection device. Here, the occupant protection device is a device that operates when a vehicle collision occurs and protects the occupant from an impact, such as an air bag or a seat belt tensioner.

  According to the present invention, in a vehicle side collision detection device provided with a distance sensor using a magnetic flux or the like of a coil arranged in a side door, a stay and a space that move up and down with the opening and closing of the door glass. Vehicle side collision detection that is arranged so that it does not interfere with each other and has little influence on the coil that detects magnetic flux, and vehicle deformation due to collision that requires occupant protection can be detected reliably and over a wide range An apparatus can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail.

<First embodiment>
The vehicle side collision detection device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The first embodiment is a form in which the planar coil 21 is directly attached to the reinforcing member 13 and detects a change in the separation distance between the planar coil 21 and the inner plate 12.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view (II cross-sectional view of FIG. 2) in which the side door 1 of FIG. In FIG. 1, the upper side and the lower side of the side door 1 are omitted for convenience. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the side door 1 to which the present invention is applied as viewed from the vehicle interior side, and shows a state in which a part of the inner plate 12 is removed for convenience of explanation. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the coil 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship of the inductance Ls of the planar coil 21 with respect to the separation distance between the inner plate 12 and the planar coil 21. FIG. 5 is a circuit configuration diagram showing the vehicle side collision detection device. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 and the amount of magnetic flux detected by the coil 2. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the absolute value of the amount of change (time differential value) per unit time of the amount of magnetic flux with respect to the elapsed time since the occurrence of the collision. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut vertically in the vehicle left-right direction, and is an explanatory view of the positional relationship between the coil 2 and the stay 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side door 1 includes an outer plate 11 located on the outer side of the vehicle, and a magnetic body (see FIG. 1) spaced from the outer plate 11 toward the vehicle interior and facing the outer plate 11. Or an inner plate 12 of a metal body). Further, the side door 1 is formed in a columnar bar shape, and is disposed on the outer plate 11 side between the outer plate 11 and the inner plate 12 so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction and substantially at the center in the vehicle vertical direction. The reinforcing member 13 is provided. That is, the reinforcing member 13 is spaced apart from the inner plate 12. The reinforcing member 13 has a bending rigidity higher than at least the bending rigidity of the outer plate 11. That is, when the outer plate 11 with low bending rigidity is deformed when an object collides with the outer plate 11, the entire side door 1 is prevented from being deformed by the reinforcing member 13. Here, in the first embodiment, the inner plate 12 is an inner plate-side member in the present invention.

  A space in which the door glass 30 moves up and down is provided between the reinforcing member 13 and the inner plate 12. A stay 31 of a power window mechanism (not shown) is located to be fixed to the lower side of the door glass 30 and to move the door glass 30 up and down. In FIG. 1, a state in which the door glass 30 is located at the upper part (a state in which the window is closed) is indicated by a solid line, and a state in which the door glass 30 is located at the lower part (a state in which the window is open) is indicated by a dashed line. Is shown.

  Accordingly, the door glass 30 and the stay 31 move up and down between the reinforcing member 13 and the inner plate 12 of FIG. 1 as the window is opened and closed. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a position sensor 32 is disposed below the side door 1 and below the stay 31 so as to face the stay 31. The position sensor 32 detects the distance of the stay 31 from the position sensor 32 and sends the distance data to the collision determination means 60 (FIG. 5). The position sensor 32 may detect the position of the door glass 30 in the vehicle vertical direction. When the position sensor 32 detects the position of the door glass 30, the position of the stay 31 is calculated by the collision determination means 60 from the position of the door glass 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the planar coil 2 is disposed on the inner plate 12 side of the reinforcing member 13. The coil 2 is supplied with an AC voltage from a transmitter (not shown) and applies a magnetic field in the normal direction of the coil 2 (coil axial direction of the coil 2), that is, in the direction of the inner plate 12 facing the planar coil 2. It has occurred. The coil 2 corresponds to the distance sensor in the present invention.

  Next, the coil 2 of this embodiment will be described. The reinforcing member 13 is spaced apart from the inner plate 12 and has a bending rigidity higher than at least the bending rigidity of the outer plate 11. That is, when the outer plate 11 with low bending rigidity is deformed when an object collides with the outer plate 11, the entire side door 1 is prevented from being deformed by the reinforcing member 13. However, when the collision is such that the reinforcing member 13 is deformed to the inner plate 12 side, the coil 2 attached to the reinforcing member 13 also moves to the inner plate 12 side. Therefore, the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 which is the inner plate side member changes. This change in the separation distance is detected by a detection circuit (corresponding to the detection means of the present invention) as a change in the amount of magnetic flux in the coil 2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the coil 2 is formed in a planar shape as a whole. The coil 2 includes a planar coil 21 and a pair of films 22. The planar coil 21 is formed by pattern printing so as to be wound in a planar shape with a conductive material such as copper, for example. The pair of films 22 sandwich the planar coil 21 from both sides and cover the planar coil 21 so that the planar coil 21 is not exposed. The film 22 is formed in a thin film shape from a flexible material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate). That is, the film 22 is freely bendable. Further, the planar coil 21 itself can be bent and deformed. Therefore, the coil 2 as a whole can be bent and deformed, and is very flexible. That is, since at least the coil 2 is more flexible than the reinforcing member 13, even if the reinforcing member 13 is bent, the coil 2 is bent without being damaged.

  The relationship between the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 of the present embodiment and the magnetic flux of the coil 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, when an object collides with the outer plate 11 of the side door 1, the outer plate 11 is deformed to the vehicle interior side. When this impact is great and the reinforcing member 13 is deformed to the vehicle interior side, the coil 2 is also moved to the inner plate 12 side together with the reinforcing member 13. Thereby, the separation distance between the coil 2 attached to the reinforcing member 13 and the inner plate 12 is shortened. Then, due to the magnetic field generated by the coil 2, eddy current flows through the inner plate 12 and a magnetic field is generated at the inner plate 12. The direction of the magnetic field is a direction in which the inner plate 12 and the coil 2 face each other. That is, the magnetic field linked to the coil 2 generated by the eddy current generated in the inner plate 12, that is, the magnetic flux passing through the coil 2, increases as the separation distance between the inner plate 12 and the coil 2 is shortened by the collision. . Since this magnetic flux acts to reduce the magnetic flux of the coil 2, the inductance of the coil 2 is reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the separation distance between the inner plate 12 and the planar coil 2 and the inductance Ls of the coil 2. In the graph of FIG. 4, for example, when the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 before the collision is d and the separation distance after the collision is shortened to d1, the inductance Ls of the coil 2 is As shown, it decreases from A before the collision to A1 after the collision. Thus, the inductance Ls of the coil 2 changes in accordance with the change in the separation distance between the inner plate 12 and the coil 2. Even when an object collides with the outer plate 11 of the side door 1, the inductance Ls of the coil 2 does not change unless the reinforcing member 13 is deformed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle side collision detection device of this embodiment includes an oscillation circuit 40, a detection circuit 50, a collision determination unit 60, and a position sensor 32. The collision determination means 60 corresponds to the determination means of the present invention.

  The detection circuit 50 includes a coil 2 and a detection resistor Ro. The coil 2 corresponds to a series circuit of an inductance Ls and a resistance Rs. One end of the coil 2 is connected to the oscillation circuit 40, and the other end is connected to the detection resistor Ro and the collision determination means 60. The oscillation circuit 40 applies an AC voltage Vi having an oscillation frequency F to the detection circuit 50. Here, as described above, when the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 decreases due to the collision, the inductance Ls of the coil 2 decreases. As the inductance Ls of the coil 2 decreases, the impedance of the coil 2 decreases. Therefore, the detection voltage Vo of the detection resistor Ro becomes relatively large. The collision determination unit 60 determines whether or not an object has collided based on the detection voltage Vo output from the detection circuit 50.

  Next, the collision determination means of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 and the amount of magnetic flux detected by the coil 2. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the moving distance of the coil 2 toward the inner plate 12 side. The vertical axis represents the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux intermingled with the coil 2. As shown in FIG. 6, since the distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 does not change until the collision, the magnitude of the displacement of the magnetic flux does not change and is constant, but when the coil 2 approaches the inner plate 12 due to the collision, the magnetic flux The magnitude of the quantity is reduced. That is, the greater the moving distance of the coil 2 (the closer the coil 2 is to the inner plate 12), the smaller the amount of magnetic flux. In this embodiment, when the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux becomes smaller than a predetermined value (first threshold in FIG. 6), it is determined that a collision has occurred. Note that the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux in the coil 2 is detected as the detection voltage Vo of the detection resistor Ro of the detection circuit 50 shown in FIG. 5 as described above. Therefore, in the detection circuit of the present embodiment, the greater the moving distance of the coil 2 (the closer the coil 2 approaches the inner plate 12), the smaller the amount of magnetic flux and the smaller the self-inductance Ls of the coil 2. Therefore, the detection voltage Vo increases.

  Furthermore, the collision determination means of this embodiment determines whether or not there is a collision also by the following method. FIG. 7 shows the amount of change per unit time in the amount of the coil 2 based on the detection voltage Vo. The vertical axis represents the amount of time change in the amount of magnetic flux, and the horizontal axis represents the time since the collision. As shown in FIG. 7, the amount of magnetic flux intermingled with the coil 2 does not change until the collision, so the amount of change in the amount of magnetic flux with time is zero. However, immediately after the collision, the amount of time change in the amount of magnetic flux is large (the coil 2 rapidly moves to the inner plate 12 side), and when the deformation is completed, the amount of time change becomes zero again. Here, a threshold value (second threshold value in FIG. 7) is set to the amount of time change in the amount of magnetic flux, and when the threshold value is exceeded, it is determined that the deformation is caused by a collision.

  As described above, the present embodiment includes two collision determination methods. The feature of the present embodiment is that the two collision determination methods are in the vehicle vertical direction of the stay 31 (the vertical direction of the side door 1). The determination method is selected according to the position. Hereinafter, a description will be given based on FIG. 1 and FIG.

  The stay 31 (solid line and alternate long and short dash line) illustrated in FIG. 1 is not included in the upper and lower range (h) of the coil 2. In this case, in the present invention, the stay is defined as being in a position other than between the coil and the inner plate side member. On the other hand, when even a part of the stay 31 falls within the upper and lower range (h) of the coil 2 as shown in FIG. 8, it is defined that the stay is located between the coil and the inner plate side member. The upper and lower width (h) of the coil 2 is the upper and lower width of the outermost periphery of the coil (winding) wound like the planar coil 21 in FIG.

  When the stay 31 is not located between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 that is the inner plate side member, the collision is determined using one of the two collision determination methods. Alternatively, both of the two collision determination methods may be used, and the collision may be determined by a determination method that is earlier in time. When both methods are used in combination and the collision determination is performed using the earlier determination method, the collision determination can be performed earlier.

  On the other hand, when the stay 31 is located between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 which is the inner plate side member, the collision is performed by the determination method based on the amount of change in the amount of magnetic flux with time among the two collision determination methods. Judgment of By adopting such a configuration, the present invention accurately detects the change in the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 due to the detection of the amount of magnetic flux even if the stay enters the magnetic flux detection space of the coil 2. Even if it is not possible, the collision can be accurately detected by the collision determination method based on the amount of change in the amount of magnetic flux with time. Accordingly, the collision detection coil 2 can be arranged in a wide range. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the position of the stay 31 in the vertical direction of the vehicle is below the side door 1 and is the same vertical plane as the vertical plane on which the stay 31 moves up and down. The stay 31 is detected by a position sensor arranged so as to look up vertically. The detected position data is sent to the collision determination means 60 (FIG. 5).

<Modification of First Embodiment>
The vehicle side collision detection device according to this modification will be described with reference to FIG. The difference from the first embodiment of the present modification is that the coil 2 is attached to the reinforcing member 13 via the shield member 100. Therefore, only the differences will be described in this section. Note that, similarly to the first embodiment, this modified mode is a mode in which a change in the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 is detected.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut perpendicularly in the left-right direction of the vehicle. In the first embodiment, the coil 2 is directly attached to the reinforcing member 13, but in the present modification, the coil 2 is attached to the shield member 100. The shield member 100 has a rectangular planar shape, and is made of, for example, a metal body such as iron or a magnetic body. Alternatively, the shield member 100 may be a resin film containing metal powder or a plastic plate coated with metal powder. The shield member 100 is attached to the reinforcing member 13 so as to face the inner plate 12. That is, the coil 2, the shield member 100, and the reinforcing member 13 have substantially the same vertical position in the vehicle.

  The outer shape of the coil 2 is smaller than the outer shape of the shield member 100. The coil 2 is a planar coil so that the coil 2 does not protrude from the outer edge of the shield member 100, that is, as viewed from the axial direction of the planar coil 21 (as viewed in the axial direction) as shown by the arrows in FIG. The shield member 100 is attached to the surface on the inner plate 12 side so that 21 falls within the outer edge of the planar auxiliary plate 100.

  Furthermore, the shield member 100 and the coil 2 are integrally formed in an adjacent state (or simply in an approached state) so as to have the above-described positional relationship. At this time, the planar shield member 100 and the coil 2 are integrally molded so that they are not electrically connected. For example, a film-like resin or the like is interposed between the shield member 100 and the coil 2. The shield member 100 is interposed between the coil 2 and the reinforcing member 13.

  The collision detection in this case is the same as in the first embodiment. However, when the coil 2 is directly attached to the reinforcing member 13 as in the first embodiment, the inductance Ls at the initial stage of mounting the coil 2 may vary depending on the shape of the reinforcing member 13. However, in this modification, by attaching the coil 2 to the shield member 100, it is possible to prevent or reduce the variation in the initial inductance Ls of the coil 2 due to the shape of the reinforcing member 13.

  Furthermore, the coil 2 and the shield member 100 are integrally formed, so that the attachment state of the coil 2 can be stabilized. As a result, variation in the initial inductance Ls of the coil 2 can be further reduced. In addition, by integrating the two, it is easy to attach the integrated member to the reinforcing member 13.

<Second embodiment>
Next, the vehicle side collision detection device of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is a form in which the coil 2 is attached to the reinforcing member 13 and detects a change in the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner member 110.

  The difference of this embodiment from the first embodiment is that the inner plate 12 has a flat plate shape that does not have a through hole. However, in this embodiment, the inner plate has a through hole such as a service hole. It is. Therefore, only the differences will be described in this section. Other detection means, stay position detection method, determination means, selection of the collision determination means based on the position of the stay in the vehicle vertical direction, and the like are substantially the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut vertically in the vehicle left-right direction. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut perpendicularly in the vehicle front-rear direction. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the side door 1 as seen from the vehicle interior side.
In the first embodiment, the inner plate 12 has a flat plate shape having no through hole. However, in the present embodiment, the inner plate 112 has a through hole such as the service hole 112a. The service hole 112a is provided for assembling and adjusting a power window mechanism and a speaker disposed inside the side door 1, and for assembling and adjusting the coil 2 attached to the reinforcing member 13.

  In this case, if the service hole 112 a is located at a position facing the coil 2, the service hole 112 a affects the amount of magnetic flux detected by the coil 2. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, an inner member 110 made of a metal body or a magnetic body such as iron so as to cover at least a part of the service hole 112 a and to face the planar coil 21. Is attached to the outer surface of the inner plate 12 (the surface on the outer plate 12 side). Thereby, the influence of the service hole 112a can be suppressed.

  Here, the inner member 110 is formed larger than the outer shape of the coil 2, and is disposed so as to face the coil 2. As a result, the amount of magnetic flux intermingled with the coil 2 can be increased. That is, the sensitivity of side collision detection can be improved.

<Modification of Second Embodiment>
As a modification of the second embodiment, the inner member 110 is attached to the inner plate 12 even when the inner plate 12 is made of a nonmagnetic material such as a resin module, regardless of whether the inner plate 12 has a through hole. Thus, the coil 2 can reliably detect a change in the amount of magnetic flux. When the inner plate 12 is a resin module, the amount of magnetic flux intermingled with the coil 2 does not change according to the separation distance between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12. In such a case, the side collision can be reliably detected by using the metal or magnetic inner member 110.

  In addition, the characteristic part in 1st embodiment or its deformation | transformation aspect can also be applied to 2nd embodiment or its deformation | transformation aspect. In this case, the effect of the configuration of the first embodiment or its modified mode and the effect of the configuration of the second embodiment or its modified mode can be achieved.

<Third embodiment>
Next, the vehicle side collision detection device of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The third embodiment is a form in which the coil 2 is directly attached to the inner plate 12 and detects a change in the separation distance between the coil 2 and the reinforcing member 13.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut vertically in the vehicle left-right direction. In the first embodiment, the coil 2 is attached to the reinforcing member 13. However, in the third embodiment, the coil 2 is attached to the outer surface of the inner plate 12 (the surface facing the outer plate 11). Install. Specifically, the coil 2 is attached to a position facing the reinforcing member 13 on the outer surface of the inner plate 12.

  Here, in the third embodiment, the inner plate 12 does not need to be a metal body or a magnetic body, but the reinforcing member 13 needs to be a metal body or a magnetic body. That is, in the first embodiment, the amount of magnetic flux intermingled with the coil 2 changes according to the change in the separation distance between the planar coil 21 and the inner plate 12, but in the third embodiment, the coil 2 The amount of magnetic flux in the coil 2 changes according to the change in the separation distance between the reinforcing member 13 and the reinforcing member 13. Although there are differences, other detection means, stay position detection method, determination means, selection of collision determination means based on the position of the stay in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the like are substantially the same as in the first embodiment.

<Modification of Third Embodiment>
Next, a vehicle side collision detection device according to a modification of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. In this modification, the coil 2 is attached to the inner plate 12 via the planar shield member 120, and a change in the separation distance between the coil 2 and the reinforcing member 13 is detected. In the modification of the first embodiment, the coil 2 is attached to the reinforcing member via the shield member, whereas this modification differs only in that it is attached to the inner plate via the shield member. Other configurations, effects, and the like are the same as those of the modification of the first embodiment. Therefore, only the differences will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut vertically in the vehicle left-right direction. In the third embodiment, the coil 2 is directly attached to the outer surface of the inner plate 12. In the present embodiment, the coil 2 is attached to the inner plate 12 via the shield member 120. Here, the shield member 120 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and is made of, for example, a metal body such as iron or a magnetic body. The shield member 120 is attached to the outer surface of the inner plate 12 so as to face the reinforcing member 13. That is, the coil 2, the shield member 120, and the reinforcing member 13 have substantially the same vertical position in the vehicle. FIG. 15 shows a case where there is a service hole in the inner plate, and the shield member 120 is attached to the position of the service hole 112a of the inner plate 112, but there is no service hole when there is a service hole due to the effect of the shield member. There is no difference in case. Moreover, the inner plate comprised with a nonmagnetic material may be sufficient.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, the vehicle side collision detection apparatus of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The fourth embodiment is a form in which the coil 2 is directly attached to the inner plate 12 and detects a change in the separation distance between the coil 2 and the reinforcing member inner member 140.

  FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut vertically in the vehicle left-right direction. In the third embodiment, nothing is attached to the reinforcing member 13, and the coil 2 generates a magnetic field with the reinforcing member 13. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the reinforcing member inner member 140 is attached to the reinforcing plate 13 on the inner plate 12 side. Here, the reinforcing member inner member 140 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and is made of, for example, a metal body such as iron or a magnetic body. The reinforcing member inner member 140 is attached to the reinforcing member 13 so as to face the inner plate 12. In the fourth embodiment, the reinforcing member 13 may not be a metal or a ferromagnetic material.

  The outer shape of the planar coil 21 of the coil 2 is smaller than the outer shape of the reinforcing member inner member 140. That is, the reinforcing member inner member 140 is larger than the outer diameter of the planar coil 21 at least in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Further, although not shown, the reinforcing member inner member 140 is preferably larger than the outer diameter of the planar coil 21 in the vehicle front-rear direction (vehicle front-rear direction when the side door 1 is closed). The coil 2 is attached to a region of the inner plate 12 that faces the reinforcing member inner member 140 (therefore, the coil 2 and the reinforcing member inner member 140 are substantially at the same position in the vertical direction of the vehicle). ). That is, the coil 2 is disposed between the inner plate 12 and the reinforcing member inner member 140 and generates a magnetic field in a direction in which the inner plate 12 and the reinforcing member inner member 140 face each other.

  The collision detection in this case is the same as in the third embodiment. However, the reinforcing member inner member 140 has an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the planar coil 21. Therefore, the change in the magnetic field due to the deformation of the reinforcing member 13 increases, and as a result, the change in the amount of magnetic flux intermingled with the coil 2 increases. That is, the detection sensitivity is increased.

  In addition, the characteristic part in 3rd embodiment or its deformation | transformation aspect can also be applied to 4th embodiment. In this case, the effects of the configuration of the third embodiment or its modification and the effects of the configuration of the fourth embodiment can be achieved.

  In the above-described embodiment, a planar plate-like (sheet-like) member is used as the shield member, but this shape is not necessarily required. For example, a lattice shape, a mesh shape, or a wave shape may be used. Furthermore, it is conceivable to further improve the shielding performance by grounding the shield member (electrical connection to a vehicle body ground such as a metal reinforcing member or a door).

<Fifth embodiment>
A vehicle side collision detection apparatus according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the first to fourth embodiments described above and the modifications thereof, the determination method is selected according to the position of the stay 31 in the vehicle vertical direction (vertical direction of the side door 1) for the two collision determination methods. Thereby, the detection of the collision using the magnetic flux of the coil is made accurate and wide range. On the other hand, the invention of the fifth embodiment does not select a determination method according to the position of the stay, and the width of the coil in the vertical direction of the vehicle (vertical width) is greater than the width of the stay in the vertical direction of the vehicle (vertical width). By enlarging, the influence when the stay enters the magnetic flux detection range of the coil is reduced. Therefore, the configuration of the detection circuit of the present embodiment is obtained by removing the position sensor 32 from the circuit configuration diagram of FIG.

  FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the side door 1 cut perpendicularly in the vehicle left-right direction. As shown in the figure, the coil 2 is attached to a reinforcing member 13. The door glass 30 and the stay 31 fixed to the door glass 30 may be positioned between the coil 2 and the inner plate 12 (that is, in a magnetic flux detection area by the coil 2 depending on the open / closed state of the door glass 30. When located in the detection area, the determination method based on the amount of magnetic flux (the determination method in FIG. 6) of the two determination methods described above has many errors. The influence of the stay in detecting the magnitude of the magnetic flux of the coil by making the width of the coil 2 in the vehicle vertical direction (vertical width: H0) larger than the width of the stay in the vehicle vertical direction (vertical width: S0). With this configuration, the vehicle side collision detection device according to this embodiment can use two determination methods at any position of the stay.Also, the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment. It is not necessary to install a position sensor that is Oite arranged.

  Here, the size of the entire coil 2 affects the detection range. And in this embodiment, the vehicle up-down direction width H0 of the coil 2 is made into the vehicle up-down direction width | variety in an outermost periphery supposing that the coil is wound in multiple times on the same plane.

  Further, in the planar coil 2 wound a plurality of times on the same plane, the magnetic flux is more strongly distributed toward the inner peripheral side. And the influence of the inner peripheral side shape of the coil 2 becomes large. Therefore, the vehicle up-down direction width of the innermost circumference of the coil 2 may be set as the vehicle up-down direction width H0 of the coil 2. Thereby, detection sensitivity can be made higher.

<Embodiment of vehicle occupant protection system including vehicle side collision detection device of the present invention>
The vehicle side collision detection device of the present invention configured as described above can be used as follows. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of a vehicle occupant protection system. The vehicle occupant protection system 300 includes an airbag module 400. The airbag module 400 protects a vehicle occupant from impact due to a collision by deploying the airbag when a collision occurs. Here, the vehicle side collision detection device in FIG. 18 may be any of the vehicle side collision detection devices already described. The airbag module 400 is mounted near a side surface of a seat (not shown) mounted on the vehicle (for example, a side door or a side surface portion of the seat), and is electrically connected to the vehicle side collision detection device. Then, the vehicle side collision detection device determines whether or not there is a collision that requires occupant protection at an early stage when there is a vehicle collision that requires occupant protection, and a deployment command is issued to the airbag module 400. Is output. Receiving this, the airbag module 400 deploys the airbag. Thereby, the impact of the collision which acts on a passenger | crew is reduced.

It is sectional drawing (II sectional drawing of FIG. 2) which cut | disconnected the side door 1 in 1st embodiment perpendicularly | vertically in the vehicle left-right direction. It is the perspective view seen from the vehicle interior side of the side door 1, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state which removed some inner plates. 2 is a side view showing a coil 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship of the inductance Ls of the coil 2 with respect to the separation distance of the inner plate 12 and the coil 2. FIG. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the side collision detection apparatus for vehicles. It is a figure which shows the quantity of the magnetic flux which the coil 2 detected with respect to the movement distance to the inner-plate 12 side of the coil 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the absolute value of the time variation | change_quantity (time differential value) of the quantity of the magnetic flux with respect to the elapsed time from a collision. It is sectional drawing which shows the relationship between the stay and coil of 1st embodiment. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the side door 1 in the deformation | transformation aspect of 1st embodiment perpendicularly | vertically in the vehicle left-right direction. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle left-right direction of the side door 1 in 2nd embodiment. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle front-back direction of the side door 1 of 2nd embodiment. It is the perspective view seen from the vehicle interior side of the side door 1 of 2nd embodiment. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle left-right direction of the side door 1 in 3rd embodiment. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle left-right direction of the side door 1 in the deformation | transformation aspect of 3rd embodiment. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle left-right direction of the side door 1 in the deformation | transformation aspect of 3rd embodiment. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle left-right direction of the side door 1 in the deformation | transformation aspect of 4th embodiment. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected perpendicularly | vertically of the vehicle left-right direction of the side door 1 in 5th embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the passenger | crew protection system for vehicles.

Explanation of symbols

1: Side door 11: Outer plate 12, 112: Inner plate, 112a: Service hole, 13: Reinforcing member 2: Coil (distance sensor), 21: Planar coil, 22: Film 30: Door glass, 31: Stay 32: Position sensor 40: Oscillation circuit 50: Detection circuit 60: Collision determination means 100, 120: Planar shield member 110: Inner member
140: Inner member for reinforcing member 300: Vehicle occupant protection system 400: Airbag module

Claims (11)

A side door skin mounted on the vehicle;
An inner plate of the side door that is spaced apart from the outer plate on the vehicle interior side of the outer plate;
A reinforcing member disposed between the outer plate and the inner plate and spaced apart from the inner plate, and having a bending rigidity higher than that of the outer plate;
The inner plate is disposed on the reinforcing member side of the inner plate facing the reinforcing member, or on the inner plate side of the reinforcing member facing the inner plate, and is attached to the inner plate and the inner plate. A distance sensor for detecting a separation distance between the inner plate side member which is at least one of the members and the reinforcing member;
A door glass of the side door that can be inserted between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member ;
A stay for vertical movement between the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member distance is distance detection area of the sensor in order to vertically move the door glass to fix the door glass,
In the vehicle side collision detection device having
A position sensor for detecting the position of the door glass of the side door or the position of the stay ;
Determining means for determining a collision between the vehicle and an object based on output values of the distance sensor and the position sensor;
A vehicle side collision detection device comprising:   2. The vehicle side collision detection device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit switches a method of determining a collision between the vehicle and an object according to a position of the door glass or a position of the stay detected by the position sensor. . The determination means includes
Based on the amount of change per unit time of the separation distance detected by the distance sensor when the stay is detected by the position sensor when the stay is positioned between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member. The collision between the object and the object,
When the position sensor detects that the stay is located at a position other than between the reinforcing member and the inner plate side member, the separation distance detected by the distance sensor or the amount of change per unit time of the separation distance The vehicle side collision detection device according to claim 2, wherein a collision between the vehicle and an object is determined based on the vehicle. At least a part of the inner plate side member is made of a metal body or a magnetic body,
The distance sensor is a coil that is fixed to the reinforcing member, generates a magnetic field, and detects a magnetic flux that changes with a change in a separation distance between the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member,
The vehicle side collision detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination unit determines a collision between the vehicle and an object based on the magnetic flux of the coil. The reinforcing member is made of a metal body or a magnetic body,
The distance sensor is a coil that is fixed to the inner plate side member, generates a magnetic field, and detects a magnetic flux that changes with a change in a separation distance between the inner plate side member and the reinforcing member,
The vehicle side collision detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination unit determines a collision between the vehicle and an object based on the magnetic flux of the coil.   The vehicle side collision detection device according to claim 4, wherein the stay is made of a metal body or a magnetic body. The separation distance detected by the distance sensor corresponds to the magnitude of the amount of magnetic flux,
The vehicle side collision detection device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a change amount per unit time of the separation distance detected by the distance sensor corresponds to a change amount per unit time of the magnetic flux. .   The vehicle side collision detection device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein a vehicle vertical width of the coil is set larger than a vehicle vertical width of the stay. The coil is wound a plurality of times on the same plane,
The vehicle side collision detection device according to claim 8, wherein a vehicle vertical width in the innermost circumference of the coil is set larger than a vehicle vertical width of the stay.   The vehicle side collision detection device according to claim 8, wherein a vehicle vertical direction width of the outermost periphery of the coil is set larger than a vehicle vertical direction width of the stay. The vehicle side collision detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
An occupant protection device that operates based on the determination of the vehicle side collision detection device and protects the vehicle occupant from impact caused by a collision;
A vehicle occupant protection system comprising:

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