Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-03-27
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C701S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206416
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle safety system that includes a plurality of electrically actuatable occupant safety devices located at different occupant seating positions in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known vehicle occupant safety system includes a plurality of actuatable safety devices, such as air bag modules or seat belt pretensioners. The safety system also includes a plurality of sensors for sensing crash parameters and occupant condition parameters. The sensors and the actuatable devices are hard wired together along with other vehicle electric circuitry including an electronic control unit (ECU). Upon the occurrence of a vehicle event for which protection of one or more vehicle occupants may be desired, the ECU actuates selected ones of the plurality of safety devices, depending on the sensed parameters.
In this known type of safety system, a separate cabling harness is run from the ECU to each separate safety device. Such a cabling harness can possibly be cut in a vehicle accident, thus disabling the associated safety device. The cabling harnesses can add significant weight to a vehicle. The safety system also requires large and complicated harness connections at the ECU.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,253 describes a vehicle safety system including a crash sensor that energizes an radio frequency (RF) transmitter. The RF transmitter sends an RF signal to one or more RF receivers in the vehicle, each associated with an actuatable safety device. The RF signal actuates all the safety devices simultaneously. The system does not have the capability to actuate only selected ones of a plurality of separate safety devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a vehicle safety system comprising a first vehicle occupant safety device including a first pyrotechnic device that is electrically energizable in response to a first electrical actuation signal. The system also comprises a second vehicle occupant safety device including a second pyrotechnic device that is electrically energizable in response to a second electrical actuation signal. The system comprises at least one sensor for sensing a first occupant or vehicle condition and for providing a first output signal indicative of the sensed first condition. An ECU receives the first output signal and in response to the first output signal determines whether one or both of the first and second safety devices should be actuated. An RF transmitter electrically connected with the ECU is selectively actuatable by the ECU to transmit first and second individually coded RF signals. The system comprises a first RF receiver electrically connected with the first safety device for receiving the first individually coded RF signal and for providing a first actuation signal for energizing the first pyrotechnic device. The system also comprises a second RF receiver electrically connected with the second safety device for receiving the second individually coded RF signal and for providing a second actuation signal for energizing the second pyrotechnic device.
In a preferred embodiment, the first RF receiver is part of a first RF transceiver that is operable to transmit individually coded information about the safety device to the ECU.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3767002 (1973-10-01), Gillund
patent: 4977623 (1990-12-01), DeMarco
patent: 5362098 (1994-11-01), Guill
patent: 5571253 (1996-11-01), Blackburn et al.
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patent: 5626359 (1997-05-01), Steffens, Jr. et al.
patent: 5658011 (1997-08-01), Byon
patent: 5670853 (1997-09-01), Bauer
patent: 5799972 (1998-09-01), Handman et al.
patent: 5979935 (1999-11-01), Van Wynsberghe et al.
Erike Eric C.
Esterberg Dean M.
Faigle Ernst M.
Shirk Bryan W.
Swann Timothy A.
Jasmin Lynda
Mai Lanna
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
TRW Inc.
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