JP2019146518A - Pet protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pet protection device that secures safety of a pet regardless of a way of riding on a vehicle.SOLUTION: A pet protection device comprises: a cage 110; a cage air bag 120 for protecting a pet P in the cage; a pet air bag 130 for protecting a pet P outside the cage; a transmitter 140 to be attached to a pet for transmitting a radio wave; an in-cage receiver 150 for receiving the radio wave from the transmitter while covering the inside of a cage as a reception area; an in-vehicle receiver 160 for receiving the radio wave from the transmitter while covering the inside of a vehicle as a reception area; and a control unit 170 for determining whether the pet is inside or outside the cage based on reception states of the in-cage receiver and in-vehicle receiver. The control unit sets an in-cage mode in which the cage air bag is in a standby state when it is determined that the pet is inside the cage, and sets an out-of-cage mode in which the pet air bag is in a standby state when it is determined that the pet is outside the cage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a pet protection device for protecting a pet in a vehicle compartment from a collision.

  As a conventional occupant protection device, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. The occupant protection device of Patent Document 1 detects a vehicle collision from a change in an acceleration signal obtained by an acceleration sensor, deploys an airbag, and protects the occupant in the passenger compartment. In the occupant protection device of Patent Document 1, the airbag deployment method (rapid deployment or multistage deployment) is controlled in accordance with the magnitude of the collision of the vehicle, thereby enabling more appropriate occupant protection. It has become.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-278000

  However, the occupant protection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 protects occupants (people) seated in a seat such as a driver's seat or a passenger seat. Here, in the recent pet boom, there are many people who recognize that pets are members of a family, and there are cases where pets ride in vehicles. There are cases where pets ride in the vehicle when they are brought into the vehicle in a cage or when they enter the passenger compartment like a person, and a uniform protective device like a passenger airbag. Then, the safety of the pet cannot be secured sufficiently.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a pet protection device that can ensure the safety of a pet regardless of the form of riding.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

In the present invention, a pet (P) cage (110) that can be carried in a vehicle (10),
A cage airbag (120) provided in the cage and deployed when a vehicle collision occurs to protect pets in the cage;
A pet airbag (130) that is attached to a pet and that is deployed when a vehicle collision occurs and protects the pet inside the vehicle outside the cage;
A transmitter (140) attached to a pet and transmitting radio waves;
An in-cage receiver (150) that is provided in the cage and receives radio waves from the transmitter using the inside of the cage as a receiving area;
An in-vehicle receiver (160) that is provided in the vehicle and receives radio waves from a transmitter with the inside of the vehicle as a receiving area;
A control unit (170) for determining whether the pet is in the cage or in the vehicle outside the cage from the reception state in the in-cage receiver and the in-vehicle receiver,
When it is determined that the pet is in the cage, the control unit sets the cage airbag to the in-cage mode in which the pet is in the standby state, and when the pet is determined to be in the vehicle outside the cage, the control unit sets the pet airbag in the standby state. It is characterized by setting to the outside-cage mode.

  According to the present invention, it is determined by the control unit (170) whether the pet (P) is inside the cage (110) or outside the cage (110). When the pet (P) is in the cage (110), the cage airbag (120) is set to the standby state by the in-cage mode, and even if the vehicle (10) collides, the cage airbag (120) is actuated to ensure the safety of the pet (P). Further, when the pet (P) is outside the cage (110), the pet airbag (130) is put into a standby state by the outside-cage mode, and even if the vehicle collides, the pet airbag (130) Is activated to ensure the safety of the pet (P). In this way, it is possible to ensure the safety of the pet (P) regardless of the form of the pet (P) riding on it.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means of embodiment description mentioned later.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the protection apparatus for pets in a vehicle. It is a map for determining the position of a pet. It is a flowchart which shows the control content which a control part performs.

  A plurality of modes for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to the matters described in the preceding embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each mode, the other modes described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. Not only combinations of parts that clearly indicate that the combination is possible in each embodiment, but also a combination of the embodiments even if they are not clearly specified unless there is a problem with the combination. It is also possible.

(First embodiment)
A pet protection device 100 according to a first embodiment is shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the pet protection device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 10 together with the airbag device 20.

  The airbag device 20 is a device for protecting a driver's seat or a passenger's seat passenger when a collision of the vehicle 10 occurs. The airbag device 20 includes a collision detection sensor 21, an airbag ECU 22, and airbags 23 and 24. The airbag 23 is built in the steering 11, and the airbag 24 is built in the dashboard 12 on the passenger seat side.

  When a collision of the vehicle 10 occurs, a collision signal is output to the airbag ECU 22 by the collision detection sensor 21. When the airbag ECU 22 determines the level of the collision from the collision signal and determines that the airbags 23 and 24 need to be inflated, the airbag ECU 22 operates the inflator (gas generator) to instantly turn the airbags 23 and 24 on. It is designed to inflate (deploy). The deployed airbags 23 and 24 receive the occupant and protect the occupant.

  The pet protection device 100 is a device that protects the pet P when the collision of the vehicle 10 occurs when the pet P is in the vehicle 10. The pet protection device 100 includes a cage 110, a cage airbag 120, a pet airbag 130, a transmitter 140, an in-cage receiver 150, an in-vehicle receiver 160, a control unit 170, and the like.

  The cage 110 is a so-called pet cage that can be carried into the vehicle 10 and has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, a fixed portion 111 is provided on a side surface (a side surface in the vehicle left-right direction) of the cage 110. By connecting the fixing portion 111 to the seat belt 13 of the vehicle 10, the position of the cage 110 in the vehicle 10 is fixed.

  The cage airbag 120 is the same as the airbag device 20 and is provided in the cage 110 so that the airbag portion is deployed when a collision of the vehicle 10 occurs to protect the pet P in the cage 110. It has become. The airbag portion of the cage airbag 120 is provided, for example, on a pair of opposing surfaces among the six surfaces forming the rectangular parallelepiped cage 110 (籠). FIG. 1 shows an example in which the airbag portion is provided on the side surface of the cage 110 on the vehicle front side and the side surface on the vehicle rear side. The operation of the cage airbag 120 is interlocked with the operation of the airbag device 20.

  The pet airbag 130 is directly attached to the pet P, and is deployed when a collision of the vehicle 10 occurs to protect the pet P inside the vehicle 10 outside the cage 110. The pet airbag 130 has the same configuration as, for example, a motorcycle airbag. The pet airbag 130 has a tube (elongated balloon) built in a region corresponding to the neck, chest, back, buttocks and the like of the jacket 131 for the pet P, a cartridge cylinder, and the like. When the vehicle collision occurs, the pet airbag 130 is linked with the airbag device 20 so that air is injected into the tube by the cartridge cylinder, and the pet P is protected by expanding the tube. Yes.

  The transmitter 140 is attached to the pet P and transmits radio waves for wireless communication based on the position of the pet P. The transmitter 140 is provided, for example, on the collar 141 for the pet P. As the oscillated radio wave, for example, an LF (low frequency) wave as a long wave is used.

  The in-cage receiver 150 is a receiver that uses the inside of the cage 110 as a reception area, receives radio waves from the transmitter 140, and outputs the radio waves to the control unit 170 described later. The in-cage receiver 150 is formed as a receiving antenna that receives outgoing radio waves.

  The in-vehicle receiver 160 is a receiver that receives the radio wave from the transmitter 140 and outputs it to the control unit 170 described later, with the inside of the vehicle 10 as a receiving area. The in-vehicle receiver 160 is formed as a receiving antenna that receives outgoing radio waves.

  The control unit 170 determines (collates) whether the pet P is in the cage 110 or in the vehicle 10 outside the cage 110 from the reception state in the in-cage receiver 150 and the in-vehicle receiver 160. Yes. The control unit 170 has a pet position determination map (FIG. 2), and determines the position of the pet P from this map (details will be described later). The transmitter 140, the in-cage receiver 150, the in-vehicle receiver 160, and the control unit 170 form a collation system that collates the position of the pet P in the vehicle 10.

  The control unit 170 can communicate with the airbag ECU 22 and sets the operation mode of the cage airbag 120 and the pet airbag 130 according to the position of the pet P (FIG. 3). The set operation mode is instructed to the airbag ECU 22 (details will be described later).

  The configuration of the pet protection device 100 of the present embodiment is as described above, and the operation and effect will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The form in which the pet P rides on the vehicle 10 together with the owner (occupant) can be in the state of entering the cage 110 (the pet P displayed on the right side in FIG. 1) or directly in the rear seat without entering the cage 110. It is divided into the state (pet P displayed on the left side in FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the pet P is in the cage 110, the in-cage receiver 150 and the in-vehicle receiver 160 both receive radio waves from the transmitter 140 attached to the pet P. When the pet P is inside the vehicle 10 outside the cage 110, the in-cage receiver 150 does not receive the radio wave from the transmitter 140, and only the in-vehicle receiver 160 receives the radio wave from the transmitter 140. . Further, when the pet P is outside the vehicle 10, both the in-cage receiver 150 and the in-vehicle receiver 160 do not receive radio waves from the transmitter 140 attached to the pet P.

  From such a radio wave reception state, the control unit 170 determines (collates) whether the pet P is inside the cage 110, outside the cage 110 inside the vehicle 10, or outside the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, the control unit 170 sets the operation mode of the cage airbag 120 and the pet airbag 130 based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S <b> 100 of the flowchart, the control unit 170 determines whether or not the pet P is in the vehicle 10. When it is determined negative in step S100 (outside of the vehicle 10), since the collision protection for the pet P is unnecessary, the control for the airbags 120 and 130 is not performed.

  However, if an affirmative determination is made in step S100, that is, it is determined that the pet P is in the vehicle 10, the control unit 170 determines whether the pet P is in the cage 110 in step S120. If it is determined in step S120 that the pet P is in the cage 110, the control unit 170 sets an in-cage mode in which the cage airbag 120 is set in the standby state in step S130. Mode) is output to the airbag ECU 22.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S120 that the pet P is not in the cage 110, that is, outside the cage 110, the control unit 170 sets the pet airbag 130 in the standby state in step S140. The outside cage mode is set, and this setting signal (outside cage mode) is output to the airbag ECU 22.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, whether the pet P is inside the cage 110 or outside the cage 110 is determined (verified) by the control unit 170. When the pet P is in the cage 110, the cage airbag 120 is set to the standby state by the in-cage mode, and even if the vehicle 10 collides, the cage airbag 120 is activated and the pet P Safety will be ensured. Further, when the pet P is outside the cage 110, the pet airbag 130 is put into a standby state by the outside-cage mode, and even if the vehicle collides, the pet airbag 130 is activated and the pet P is safe. Will be secured. In this way, it is possible to ensure the safety of the pet P regardless of the form (position) of the pet P traveling together.

  Also, depending on the position of the pet P, either one of the cage airbag 120 or the pet airbag 130 is set in the standby state, and when one of the airbags is in the event of a collision of the vehicle 10, Is activated, so that the other airbag is not unnecessarily deployed. Therefore, the trouble of resetting the airbag that has been unnecessarily deployed can be saved.

  Further, the cage airbag 120 is provided on the opposite surface of the cage 110. Thereby, the impacts when the airbag is deployed can be canceled with each other, and the cage 110 is prevented from being thrown away.

  In addition, the cage 110 has a fixing portion 111 that can be fixed to the seat belt 13 of the vehicle 10. This further prevents the cage 110 from being blown by the impact force generated when the vehicle 10 collides.

  The pet airbag 130 has a tube built in the pet jacket 131, and the tube is inflated when the vehicle 10 collides. Thereby, it can be set as the airbag which diverted the jacket 131 usually put on the pet P, and the effort which attaches a special airbag to the pet P is unnecessary.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
In contrast to the first embodiment, the airbag portion of the cage airbag 120 is not limited to two opposing surfaces, and is provided on, for example, a total of five surfaces including the four side surfaces and the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped cage 110. Also good. The airbags provided on the four side surfaces cancel each other's impacts when the airbags are deployed by those facing each other, and the impacts when the airbags on the upper surface are deployed are received by the seat surface of the seat Therefore, the cage 110 is prevented from being skipped. In addition, the protection function of the pet P can be improved by the added airbag.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above embodiments, a plurality of airbag portions of the cage airbag 120 are provided in the cage 110. However, a single airbag portion may be provided.

  Further, the fixing portion 111 in the cage 110 may be abolished.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 13 Seatbelt 100 Pet protective device 110 Cage 111 Fixing part 120 Cage airbag 130 Pet airbag 131 Jacket 140 Transmitter 150 In-cage receiver 160 In-vehicle receiver 170 Control part P Pet

Claims (5)

A cage (110) for a pet (P) that can be brought into the vehicle (10);
A cage airbag (120) provided in the cage and deployed when the vehicle collides to protect the pet in the cage;
A pet airbag (130) attached to the pet and deployed when a collision of the vehicle occurs to protect the pet inside the vehicle outside the cage;
A transmitter (140) attached to the pet and transmitting radio waves;
An in-cage receiver (150) that is provided in the cage and receives the radio wave from the transmitter with the inside of the cage as a reception area;
An in-vehicle receiver (160) provided in the vehicle for receiving the radio wave from the transmitter with the inside of the vehicle as a receiving area;
A controller (170) for determining whether the pet is in the cage or in the vehicle outside the cage from the reception state in the in-cage receiver and the in-vehicle receiver,
When the control unit determines that the pet is in the cage, the control unit sets the cage airbag to an in-cage mode in which the pet is in a standby state. When the control unit determines that the pet is in the vehicle outside the cage, the pet Pet protection device that sets the air bag to the standby mode.   The pet protection device according to claim 1, wherein the cage airbag is provided on an opposing surface of the cage.   2. The pet protection device according to claim 1, wherein the cage airbag is provided on a total of five surfaces including four side surfaces and an upper surface of the cage.   The said cage has the fixing | fixed part (111) which can be fixed to the seatbelt (13) of the said vehicle, The protection apparatus for pets as described in any one of Claims 1-3.   The said pet airbag has the tube incorporated in the said jacket (131) for said pets, The said tube was inflated at the time of the collision of the said vehicle, The structure of any one of Claims 1-4 The protective device for pets described in 1.

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