Mazda Motor Corporation

Motoharu Sato

Tsutomu Watanabe

Susumu Kuroda

Yuji Nakanishi

Ryouji Funahashi

Toshihiko Tomita

Toshiro Kondo

Hiroaki Takeshita

Nobuhiro Komatsu

Motoharu Hirata

Masaya Watanabe

Yusuke Nakamura

Mitsuru Fujinaka

Mitsutoshi Yamanishi

Eiichiro Iida

Takashi Nagatani

Hiroshi Sakai

Kenji Kinnou

A pedestrian protecting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a right air bag device, a left air bag device, G sensors (collision position detector), a vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detector), a steering angle sensor (steering angle detector), and an ECU (controller) configured to control operations of the air bags. The air bags and include respective tip end portions which vertically overlap each other at a middle portion of the vehicle when the air bags and are deployed. The ECU estimates a movement direction of a pedestrian who has collided with the vehicle. Based on a result of this estimation, the ECU determines an operation target from the air bag devices and an operation timing of the operation target. Based on a result of this determination, the ECU controls operations of the air bag devices.

Pedestrian protecting device

A pedestrian protecting device that includes a right air bag device, a left air bag device, G sensors, and an ECU. The air bags include respective tip end portions which vertically overlap each other at a middle portion of a vehicle when the air bags are deployed. The ECU executes a time difference deployment control operation of: when a pedestrian collision position is located at a left side of the middle portion of the vehicle, operating the air bag devices such that a deployment of the right air bag is completed before a deployment of the left air bag is completed; and when the collision position is located at a right side of the middle portion of the vehicle, operating the air bag devices such that the deployment of the left air bag is completed before the deployment of the right air bag is completed.

A pedestrian protecting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a right air bag device including a right air bag configured to be deployed at a right region of the windshield; and a left air bag device including a left air bag configured to be deployed at a left region of the windshield. A wiper device includes a right wiper and a left wiper including a turning fulcrum located closer to a middle portion of a vehicle than a turning fulcrum of the right wiper. The right and left air bags and include respective tip end portions that vertically overlap each other at the middle portion of the vehicle. The right air bag of the air bag device is deployed before the left air bag of the air bag device is deployed.

A rear part structure of a vehicle includes a lift gate; a light source device to be covered by the lift gate when the lift gate is closed; a lens member mounted in such a manner as to cover an opening portion in the lift gate, and configured to transmit light from the light source device when the lift gate is closed; at least one of a light source mounting portion for movably mounting the light source device with respect to a vehicle body, and a lens mounting portion for movably mounting the lens member with respect to the lift gate; and a positioning portion which causes, when the light source device and the lens member do not have a predetermined positional relationship therebetween, at least one of the light source device and the lens member to move into the predetermined positional relationship when the lift gate is closed.

Structure for rear part of vehicle

A seatback panel forms a seatback which is configured to be selectable between a rising-up position and a falling-down position. The seatback panel is made of a metal-made plate material, and embossed portions and bead portions surrounding the embossed portions are formed in areas at its flat face. The bead portions are provided to protrude on one side of the panel and the embossed portions are provided to protrude on the other side of the panel. A protrusion height of the bead portion is configured to be different from a protrusion height of the embossed portion. Either one of the bead portion and the embossed-portion which has a smaller projection height is configured to protrude on a back-face side of the panel having the rising-up position.

Seatback panel

A seat back structure includes a seat back panel, a cushion member disposed on a seating surface side of the seat back panel, and an intermediate member inserted into a space between the panel and the cushion member. The panel is comprised of a metal plate member and formed with an embossed portion protruding at the seating surface side, and a bead portion protruding at an opposite side from the embossed portion at a position surrounding the embossed portion. The intermediate member has a lower specific gravity than the cushion member and a higher hardness than the cushion member. The intermediate member is formed with a contacting portion contacting the embossed portion and a concaved portion denting toward the cushion member at a position corresponding to the bead portion. A space is formed between the concaved portion and the panel, at a position adjacent to the contacting portion.

Seat back structure

Disclosed is an airbag apparatus which comprises: a first airbag configured to be deployed rearwardly from a steering wheel during an oblique collision of a vehicle; and a second airbag configured to be deployed rearwardly and upwardly from a position below a steering shaft during the oblique collision of the vehicle. The second airbag comprises an upward deployment portion capable of, in its deployed state, extending upwardly via a lateral side of the steering shaft, wherein the upward deployment portion is disposed between a lateral portion of the first airbag in its deployed state and an instrument panel.

Airbag apparatus

An automobile power plant includes an engine with a crankshaft mounted transversely in an engine compartment, a differential disposed behind the engine, and a transmission which is transversely mounted between and below the engine and differential so as to place its input, primary output and counter output shafts in parallel with the crankshaft.

Power plant for automobile

A vehicle rear suspension mounting structure for mounting, to a vehicle body, the other end of a rear suspension. The rear suspension includes a suspension link, one end of which is coupled to a wheel support member for rotatably supporting a vehicle wheel and which extends substantially in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The mounting structure has a vehicle body coupling end formed on the other end of the suspension link, a link bracket for supporting the vehicle body coupling end, and a joint member for joining the link bracket to a rear quarter panel constituting a rear wheel house portion.

Growing community of inventors

Aki-gun, Japan

Motoharu Sato