Patent Application
20160200274
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and to an activation device for activating a personal protection device for a motorcycle, to a corresponding computer program product, to a personal protection system, to a motorcycle having a personal protection system, and to a method for producing a motorcycle having a personal protection device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motorcycles are by far the most dangerous motorized mode of transportation. This is clear from a comparison of the accident statistics for motorized two-wheeled vehicles and automobiles. Thus, the GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study) database indicates that for motorcyclists the risk of suffering a severe or fatal accident is about 16 times greater than it is for automobile occupants. This is due, inter alia, to the different driving physics and the constantly labile state of equilibrium, and to the particular physical and mental stress placed on motorcyclists. In addition, motorcycles do not have a protective body structure. In collisions or crashes, motorcyclists are unprotected traffic participants, despite protective clothing.
Although in recent years great progress has been made in the area of passive safety in passenger cars, in particular through the introduction of airbags, until now motorcyclists have seen little benefit from these developments. This is due not least to the ongoing lack of prevalence of passive safety systems in motorcycles. Passive safety systems for motorized two-wheeled vehicles are largely limited to personal protective equipment of the rider, such as helmet or clothing, and passive constructive elements on the motorcycle, such as safety bars. Systems such as airbags or safety belts having belt tighteners, long part of the minimal equipment in passenger cars, are still not universally standard series production equipment in motorcycles.
Published German patent application document DE 197 29 627 A1 describes a conventional safety system for a motorcycle. This is the only airbag system for motorcycles obtainable in current production.
All conventional systems have in common that they are situated between the passenger and the front windshield of the vehicle, and that the airbag is deployed from the tank or from a module situated behind the front windshield.
Against this background, the present invention provides a method and an activation device for activating a personal protection device for a motorcycle, a corresponding computer program product, a personal protection system, a motorcycle having a personal protection system, and a method for producing such a motorcycle.
A method is presented for activating a personal protection device for a motorcycle. Here, the personal protection device has at least one airbag that can be deployed in a region that faces away from a driver of the motorcycle, in front of a front fork and/or in front of a front windshield and/or in front of a front headlight of the motorcycle. The method includes the following steps:
reading in of a collision signal, the collision signal representing an impending collision of the motorcycle; and
provision of an activation signal using the collision signal in order to activate the personal protection device in order to deploy the at least one airbag.
A personal protection device can be understood as a device installed in a motorcycle that is fashioned to protect a driver of the motorcycle from injury in particular during a collision of the motorcycle. In addition or alternatively, the personal protection device can be fashioned to protect other motorcycle passengers and/or other traffic participants during the collision. For this purpose, the personal protection device can for example have one or more airbags that can be capable of being deployed in different regions of the motorcycle.
The personal protection device can have further safety devices such as belt tighteners that can be activated when there is an activation of the personal protection device. The motorcycle can be a motorized two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motorcycle or a motorized scooter, or a motor trike or quad motorcycle. An airbag can be understood as a sack that can be filled with a gas that is fashioned to be deployed upon activation of the personal protection device. The at least one airbag can be capable of being deployed in a region facing away from the driver of the motorcycle, in front of the front fork and/or in front of a front windshield and/or in front of a front headlight of the motorcycle, so that the front fork and/or the front windshield and/or the front headlight is situated between the at least one airbag and the driver when the at least one airbag is deployed. A driver can be understood as a person seated on the motorcycle.
The collision signal can be understood as a signal that is provided by a corresponding sensor, for example an acceleration sensor or image sensor installed in the motorcycle, in response to an impending collision of the motorcycle. An activation signal can be understood as a signal that is provided by a control device that has a corresponding interface for reading in the collision signal, using the collision signal.
The present approach is based on the recognition that conventional airbags for motorcycles can be fashioned to deploy in a region between a driver and a front windshield of a motorcycle in response to recognition of a danger of a collision. Using the present approach, the passive safety of the driver and/or of an additional passenger can be significantly increased by deploying the airbag, in response to the recognition of the danger of collision, in a region in front of the front windshield and/or in front of a front fork and/or in front of a front headlight. This has the advantage that in order to absorb collision energy the airbag can be supported on an object collided with. In addition, in this way a lifting up of a rear wheel of the motorcycle can be counteracted. In order to recognize the danger of collision, a collision signal can be read in. Using the collision signal, an activation signal can then be provided for activating a personal protection device that is fashioned to deploy the airbag upon activation. Using the present approach, an existing personal protection system can be usefully expanded and improved using simple technical auxiliary means that can be provided at low cost.
Also advantageous is a computer program product having program code that can be stored on a machine-readable carrier such as a semiconductor memory, a hard drive memory, or an optical memory, and that is used to carry out the method according to the specific embodiment described above when the program product is executed on a computer or on a device.
The present approach also provides an activation device for activating a personal protection device for a motorcycle. Here, the personal protection device has at least one airbag that is capable of being deployed in a region facing away from the driver of the motorcycle in front of a front fork and/or in front of a front windshield and/or in front of a front headlight of the motorcycle. The activation device has the following features:
a read-in unit for reading in a collision signal, the collision signal representing an impending collision of the motorcycle; and
a provision unit for providing an activation signal using the collision signal in order to activate the personal protection device in order to deploy the at least one airbag.
An activation device can be understood in the present context as an electrical apparatus that processes sensor signals and, as a function thereof, outputs control signals and/or data signals. The device can have an interface that can be realized as hardware and/or as software. In the case of a hardware realization, the interfaces can for example be part of a so-called system ASIC that contains a wide variety of functions of the device. However, it is also possible for the interfaces to be separate integrated circuits, or to be made up at least partly of discrete components. In the case of a realization as software, the interfaces can be software modules present for example on a microcontroller alongside other software modules. Through these variant embodiments of the present approach, the object underlying the present approach can be achieved rapidly and efficiently.
In addition, the present approach provides a personal protection system having the following features:
a personal protection device for a motorcycle, the personal protection device having at least one airbag that is capable of being deployed in a region facing away from a driver of the motorcycle, in front of the front fork and/or in front of a front windshield and/or in front of a front headlight of the motorcycle; and
an activation device according to a specific embodiment described above in order to activate the personal protection device in order to deploy the at least one airbag.
A personal protection system can be understood as a system integrated in the motorcycle for protecting the driver and/or the passenger and/or other traffic participants from injuries during a collision. The personal protection system can have the personal protection device and the activation device. In addition, the personal protection system can include a plurality of additional personal protection devices that are fashioned to be activated by the activation device. Through the personal protection system, the safety of the driver and/or of the passenger and/or of other traffic participants can be significantly increased.
According to a specific embodiment of the present approach, a major portion of an impact surface of the at least one airbag can be oriented toward a main direction of travel of the motorcycle when the at least one airbag is deployed. A main direction of travel can be understood as a direction of travel of the motorcycle in which the motorcycle travels when it is moved forward. An impact surface can be understood as a surface of the at least one airbag that is fashioned to absorb an impact energy of an impact of the motorcycle against an object. For example, the impact surface can be significantly larger than a front surface of the motorcycle. In this way, the impact can be efficiently damped.
According to a specific embodiment of the present approach, a predetermined portion of a surface of the at least one airbag can be oriented toward the driver of the motorcycle when the at least one airbag is deployed. For example, the predetermined portion can be 20%, 30%, or 40% of the surface of the at least one airbag. The at least one airbag can for example be capable of being deployed in such a way that when there is a collision the driver of the motorcycle meets the predetermined portion of the surface. In this way, a forward acceleration of the driver can for example be prevented. Because the at least one airbag in addition fulfills the function of a driver airbag, a costly installation of an additional driver airbag can be done without.
The present approach further provides a motorcycle having a personal protection system according to one of the specific embodiments described above.
According to a specific embodiment of the present approach, the main portion of the impact surface of the at least one airbag can be situated above a center of gravity of the motorcycle when the at least one airbag is deployed. A lifting up of a rear wheel of the motorcycle can be counteracted due to the fact that during the collision the at least one airbag can be supported on the object, by the impact surface, above a center of gravity of the motorcycle.
According to a specific embodiment of the present approach, the at least one airbag can be attached to a frame element of the motorcycle. A frame element can be understood as an element of a bearing chassis of the motorcycle. For example drive elements, steering elements, energy storage elements, seats, and cover parts of the motorcycle can be attached to the chassis. The raising up of the rear wheel can be counteracted with a particularly strong force due to the fact that the impact energy is introduced into the frame element via the impact surface of the at least one airbag.
According to a specific embodiment of the present approach, the at least one airbag can be integrated in a front cover plate of the motorcycle. A front cover plate can be understood as a cover plate of a chassis of the motorcycle fashioned in a front area of the motorcycle. In this specific embodiment, the at least one airbag can be realized in a manner that is particularly space-saving and cost-saving.
Finally, the present approach creates a method for manufacturing a motorcycle having a personal protection device for a motorcycle. Here, the personal protection device has at least one airbag that is capable of being deployed in the region facing away from a driver of the motorcycle, in front of a front fork and/or in front of a front windshield and/or in front of a front headlight of the motorcycle. The method includes a step of manufacture of the motorcycle. Here, the manufacture of the motorcycle takes place in such a way that the at least one airbag is capable of being deployed in the region in front of the front fork and/or in front of the front windshield and/or in front of the front headlight of the motorcycle.
In the following, the present invention is explained in more detail in relation to examples on the basis of the accompanying drawings.
In the following description of advantageous exemplary embodiments of the present invention, identical or similar reference characters are used for the elements shown in the various Figures and having similar function, and repeated description of these elements is omitted.
According to this exemplary embodiment, the collision signal is provided by a sensor 130 connected to read-in unit 120 via a further interface of activation device 110. Sensor 130 is for example realized as an acceleration sensor for acquiring the deceleration of the motorcycle caused by the crash, or as a camera for acquiring a surrounding environment of the motorcycle.
In addition, personal protection device 105 has an example a driver airbag 135 situated adjacent to a driver of the motorcycle, and two further safety devices 140, such as a passenger airbag or a belt tightener. Personal protection device 105 is fashioned in this exemplary embodiment to activate, in addition to airbag 115, driver airbag 135 and additional safety devices 140, in response to the reception of the activation signal.
The personal protection system has activation device 110 shown in
According to this exemplary embodiment, airbag 115 is provided with an impact surface 240 that is oriented in a main direction of travel of motorcycle 200. In
In addition, impact surface 240 is situated above a center of gravity 245 of motorcycle 200. In
When motorcycle 200 makes impact, a region of front wheel 225 situated at the height of a hub of front wheel 225 makes contact with the wall. This point of contact forms a lower load path 247 via which an impact energy of the impact is transmitted at least partially to motorcycle 200. Lower load path 247 is represented by two arrows pointing counter to one another.
In addition, a main portion of impact surface 240 makes contact with the wall. Here, the main portion corresponds, as an example, to a total surface of impact surface 240. Via impact surface 240, airbag 115 is supported on the wall over a large surface. Here, airbag 115 forms an upper load path 250 via which the impact energy is transmitted to motorcycle 200, in addition to lower load path 247, in such a way that upon impact rear wheel 201 lifts off from the roadway only slightly. Upper load path 250 is also represented by two arrows pointing counter to one another. In order to better absorb the impact energy, airbag 115 is fixedly connected, via airbag housing 215, to a frame element 255 of motorcycle 200. Frame element 255 is fashioned to bear a main portion of a weight of the motorcycle. Frame element 255 is shown schematically in
Driver airbag 135 is situated, as an example, above a tank of motorcycle 200, between driver 205 and front fork 230. A driver airbag housing 260 of driver airbag 135 is integrated into the tank. Driver airbag 135 is fashioned to brake a forward movement of driver 205 caused by the impact.
According to this exemplary embodiment, airbag 115 extends horizontally from steering element 305 up to the wall, and vertically from a front protective plate of scooter 300 up to a head region of a driver 320 of scooter 300. Here, driver 320 is seated upright on scooter 300. Similar to motorcycle 200 shown in
A predetermined portion 325 of a surface of airbag 115 is oriented toward driver 320. Predetermined portion 325 extends for example over a region above steering element 305. Predetermined portion 325 is fashioned to support the head of driver 320 if driver 320 is accelerated forward during an impact. Thus, airbag 115 shown in
It is also conceivable for airbag 115 to be divided into two chambers through suitable constructive measures, so that the pressure in the part facing the driver (“driver airbag part”) is different than it is in the part facing the wall (“up-front airbag part”). The aim of this is to optimize the forces occurring during the crash in such a way that both the vehicle and the driver are optimally decelerated.
In the following, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in summary fashion again on the basis of
An airbag system 100 for a motorized two-wheel vehicle 200, 300 is fashioned to deploy an airbag 115 in front of a front windshield 235, a front fork 230, 310, and/or above a front wheel 225 of two-wheeled vehicle 200, 300. Airbag system 100 can also be designated personal protection system 100 or system 100. Two-wheeled vehicle 200, 300 can also be designated vehicle 200, 300, motorcycle 200, 300, motorcycle 200, or motorized scooter 300. In addition, airbag 115 can also be referred to as up-front airbag 115, front airbag 115, or bag 115. Airbag 115 is for example deployed from a module 215 integrated into a front structure of two-wheeled vehicle 200, 300. Module 215 can also be designated airbag housing 215 or housing 215.
Using system 100, the passive safety of a rider can be increased, in particular in a front crash. In addition, system 100 is also suitable for small vehicles such as the motorized scooter 300 shown in
Analogous to known motorcycle airbag systems, the proposed airbag system 100 is made up of an airbag control device 110 (also called activation device 110). If warranted, airbag system 100 may also have a look-ahead sensor system (also called sensor 130) that is fashioned to continuously monitor the driving state of two-wheeled vehicle 200, 300 and to trigger restraint means as needed. In addition, airbag system 100 has airbag 115 that, in contrast to the known systems, is situated in the front structure of the motorcycle and is supported on a bearing frame part 255 (also called frame element 255).
Up-front airbag 115 reduces a lifting up of vehicle 200, 300 during frontal impact against an obstacle, because a contact point of vehicle 200, 300, normally a front wheel, with an accident counterpart is situated below a center of gravity of vehicle 200, 300. Due to the occurring forces, during the impact a torque is induced that causes the rear of the vehicle to lift up. As shown in
The lifting up of vehicle 200, 300 occurs in particular in combination with a belt system, and absolutely must be prevented, because the head of the rider moves toward the object collided with, so that the risk of injury increases.
Several functional variants of system 100 are conceivable. According to a first variant, up-front airbag 115 is fashioned to absorb energy and in this way to reduce a force impact acting on the rider. According to a second variant, up-front airbag 115 is fashioned to take over the function of a crash box and to reduce the lifting up of the vehicle. According to a third variant, up-front airbag 115 is fashioned to take over the function of a crash box and at the same time the function of a classical motorcycle airbag such as driver airbag 135 shown in
In addition, a defined force level in upper load path 250 can be set via a characteristic of airbag 115. This results in an improved dismantling of energy, analogous to a crush zone of an automobile. In combination with other restraint systems, such as a belt system for the rider or an additional airbag, in this way the force acting on the rider can be suitably modeled in order to reduce the risk of injury. If no other restraint system is present, up-front airbag 115 can be realized such that after a certain degree of forward displacement the rider meets bag 115. In this way, a direct contact, for example with a vehicle collided with, is avoided.
In contrast, the system shown in
The method 500 can be used to manufacture a motorcycle as shown in the preceding Figures.
The exemplary embodiments described and shown in the Figures have been selected only as examples. Different exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another in their entirety or with regard to individual features. An exemplary embodiment can also be supplemented by features of another exemplary embodiment.
In addition, method steps according to the present invention can be repeated, and can be executed in a sequence differing from that described.
If an exemplary embodiment has an “and/or” linkage between a first feature and a second feature, this is to be read as meaning that according to a specific embodiment the exemplary embodiment has both the first feature and the second feature, and according to another specific embodiment the exemplary embodiment has either only the first feature or only the second feature.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102013216711.3 | Aug 2013 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/067922 | 8/22/2014 | WO | 00 |
