Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Patent
1990-04-04
1991-11-26
Noland, Tom
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
73509, 73517R, 180270, 180282, 280735, 307 101, 307121, 307130, 324548, 340653, 374141, B60R 2132, B60R 1602
Patent
active
050686402
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to safety devices for motor vehicles and, in particular, to methods and apparatus for actuating passenger restraint devices, such as air bags and seat belt tighteners.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A safety device for vehicle occupants is shown in DE-A-28 51 333. A device for storing electrical energy is provided for safety reasons. Electrically actuated tripping devices actuate the safety device if, for example, the connection to the main source of energy of the vehicle, typically the vehicle battery, is interrupted.
Ignition tablets, which are electrically actuated, are frequently used as tripping devices. The electric current flowing through an ignition tablet generates heat which, in turn, initiates a pyrotechnical reaction. One problem with ignition tablets, however, is that after ignition occurs, they are prone to shunts. A shunt can drain the limited energy reserve of the storage device. As a result, the amount of available energy is frequently insufficient to actuate additional tripping devices necessary to successively trip corresponding inertial restraining devices.
German Patent Application P 37 29 785.6 suggests measuring the energy supplied to a tripping device after it is actuated with an evaluating device, and then interrupting the energy supply to that tripping device if a specified energy limit value is reached. However, if the storage device for electrical energy is defective, the evaluating device can incorrectly calculate the available energy of the storage device. As a result, the evaluating device can interrupt the flow of electric current to the ignition tablet before it is ignited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method of actuating a safety device for a motor vehicle. The safety device includes an electric storage device coupled to a voltage source. Both the electric storage device and the voltage source are coupled to tripping devices for actuating inertial restraining devices on the motor vehicle. The method comprises the following steps: monitoring the electric storage device to determine if it is defective; if the storage device is defective, interrupting the flow of electric current from the storage device to the tripping devices; and directing electric current from the voltage source to at least one tripping device for a predetermined period of time to actuate the respective tripping device.
In one method of the present invention, the predetermined period of time is the same for each tripping device. In another method of the present invention, the predetermined period of time is varied depending upon the respective tripping device to be actuated. One method of the present invention further comprises the steps of measuring the ambient temperature of the safety device; and basing the predetermined period of time on the temperature measurement.
The present invention is also directed to a safety device for actuating a plurality of inertial restraining devices on a motor vehicle. The safety device comprises a voltage source and an electric storage device coupled to the voltage source to receive electric energy therefrom. A plurality of tripping devices are each coupled to the voltage source, the electric storage device, and to a respective inertial restraining device. Each tripping device is actuated to in turn actuate a respective inertial restraining device, by passing electric current from either the voltage source or the electric storage device therethrough.
The safety device further comprises an acceleration sensor for generating output signals indicative of the acceleration of the vehicle. An evaluating device is coupled to the acceleration sensor and to the tripping devices. The evaluating device is adapted to control the flow of electric current to each respective tripping device in response to the output signals generated by the acceleration sensor. The evaluating device is also coupled to the voltage source and to the electric storage device. The evaluating device is further adapted to d
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Burger Wilfried
Nitschke Werner
Taufer Peter
Weller Hugo
Noland Tom
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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