Mazda Motor Corporation

Tsutomu Watanabe

Takayuki Nakamae

Hiroshi Sogabe

Motoharu Hirata

Motoharu Sato

Arihiro Furumoto

Hiroaki Nakao

Hideharu Saiki

Susumu Kuroda

Masatoki Kito

Tsuyoshi Yamagiwa

Shouichirou Hidaka

Ryuma Murakami

Ryouji Funahashi

Hirofumi Takada

Yuji Nakanishi

Akihiro Kobayashi

Tetsuya Umeki

Hideaki Kikkawa

Jiyunsuke Inoue

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 pair of right-and-left brackets which extend obliquely downward and forward from respective front portions of a pair of right-and-left side frames are provided. A stiffener which extends in a vehicle width direction below a bumper beam is attached to respective front ends of the pair of right-and-left brackets. The stiffener is configured such that its front end portion slants downward and forward and has an open cross section, and its rear end portion thereof has a closed cross section. An obstacle can be prevented from coming in below a vehicle-body front portion, and also the sufficient energy absorption in a collision and the prompt flicking-up of an obstacle can properly achieved.

Vehicle-body front structure of vehicle

A protecting member comprises a pair of right-and-left brackets extending obliquely downward and forward from front portions of a pair of right-and-left side frames and a stiffener extending in a vehicle width direction below a bumper beam and attached to front ends of the brackets. The stiffener has a closed cross section extending in the vehicle width direction, and an upper face of its central portion in the vehicle width direction has a concaved portion. A lower face of the stiffener extends horizontally substantially straightly. It is preferable that the closed cross section of the central portion of the stiffener be configured such that its vertical distance is relatively small and its longitudinal width is relatively large, compared with the other part of the stiffener.

Front vehicle-body structure of vehicle

A protecting member includes a pair of right-and-left brackets which extend obliquely downward and forward from front portions of a pair of right-and-left side frames and a stiffener which extends in a vehicle width direction below a bumper beam and attached to front ends of the pair of right-and-left brackets. The protecting member has a load/deformation characteristic including a first stage from a collision start, a second stage after the first stage, and a third stage after the second stage. Herein, the first stage is set so as to restrain the obstacle from coming in below a vehicle-body front portion, the second stage is set so as to absorb collision energy to restrain a local deformation of the obstacle, and the third stage is set so as to flick the obstacle up.

A middle pillar trim and a rear pillar trim positioned to the front and rear of a side window glass are each harder than a roof trim. A curtain air bag fixed to a rear pillar is deployed in a vehicle cabin while a predetermined end edge of the front of the rear pillar trim in the widthwise direction of a vehicle is deformed toward the front. The separation distance of the curtain air bag in a stored state from the side window glass in the widthwise direction of the vehicle is L(L) in the portion of the curtain air bag along the rear edge of the side window glass, and Lin the portion of the curtain air bag at the upper edge of the side window glass near the middle pillar trim, and the separation distance L(L) is smaller than the separation distance L

Rear structure of vehicle provided with curtain air bag apparatus

A structure of a rear portion of a vehicle furnished with a curtain airbag apparatus includes a rear pillar, a soft roof trim, a rear pillar trim harder than the roof trim, and a cover constituting part of the rear pillar trim and covering a specific area of a front face portion of the rear pillar trim. The curtain airbag apparatus includes a curtain airbag and an inflator for inflating and deploying the curtain airbag into the vehicle interior along side window glass. The cover of the rear pillar trim can easily be displaced frontward along an airbag deployment joint. When inflated, the curtain airbag fixed to a vehicle body along an upper edge and a rear edge of the side window glass in a retracted position deploys into the vehicle interior upon separating and displacing the cover of the rear pillar trim frontward from the other part thereof.

Structure of rear portion of vehicle furnished with curtain airbag apparatus

There is provided a lower space portion at a pad member of a seat back, which is positioned at a lower portion of an airbag that is folded in an airbag unit. Accordingly, an inflation of the lower portion (waist protection portion) of the airbag in the airbag unit provided at a side portion of the seat back can be improved properly.

Seat with airbag unit for vehicle

A vehicle rear structure with a curtain air bag device is provided which is capable of, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, effectively restraining a front upper end of a rear pillar trim from breaking and scattering, and spreading a curtain member properly. The air bag device includes a curtain member which is fixed to the body of a vehicle, inflates with a gas pressure supplied when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and spreads so as to cover the interior surface of a side window glass at least from a side end of a roof trim up to a predetermined lower position in the front surface of the rear pillar; a roof side trim is provided between the vicinity of the upper end of the side window glass and the roof trim, and a rear end of the roof side trim is disposed to overlap with the front upper end of the rear pillar trim; and the curtain member spreads from the inner in the vehicle width directions through the boundary part between the rear end of the roof side trim and the front upper end of the rear pillar trim toward a cabin space of the vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Tsutomu Watanabe