Vehicle front structure, activation controller for occupant protection apparatus, and method of production of vehicle front structure

• US 7,201,249 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kosaka, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan; Ruth
• Application Number:
  US11/293,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20060082124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 180/274, 280/735, 280/784, 701/45, 296/187.09, 296/203.01, 296/203.02, 296/187.03
• US Class Current: 180/274
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/152 Front or rear frames

Abstract

A vehicle front structure of the present invention has a pair of side members longitudinally located on right and left sides of a vehicle, and a pair of sub side members juxtaposed to the respective side members and adapted to receive a impact load in the event of a frontal collision after the side members receive the impact load. In this vehicle front structure, the side members first receive the impact load and then the sub side members juxtaposed to the side members also receive the impact load after a certain interval, in collaboration with the side members. Therefore, vehicle deceleration increases in two stages. Since the vehicle front structure has such sub side members, the magnitude of deceleration in the second stage upon collision can be made greater than that in the first stage, and it becomes feasible to make a decision on activation of occupant protection apparatus well.

Claims

1. An activation controller for occupant protection apparatus, which is set in a vehicle with the vehicle front structure comprising a pair of side members longitudinally located on right and left sides of a vehicle, and a pair of sub side members juxtaposed to the respective side members and adapted to receive an impact load in the event of a frontal collision after the side members receive the impact load,

said activation controller comprising:

deceleration detecting means for detecting a deceleration of the vehicle; and

activation determining means for determining activation of the vehicle protection apparatus, based on the magnitude and time of the deceleration of the vehicle in a second stage detected by the deceleration detecting means.

2. The activation controller according to claim 1, wherein said activation determining means determines activation of the vehicle protection apparatus when the magnitude of the deceleration becomes greater than predetermined magnitude within a given time in the second stage.

3. The activation controller according to claim 1, wherein said activation determining means determines activation of the vehicle protection apparatus when the magnitude of the deceleration in the second stage becomes greater than the magnitude of the deceleration in a first stage.