Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-08
2001-03-06
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C701S045000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196578
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device that is arranged to control activation of such a passive safety device as an air bag system for protecting the occupant in a vehicle in the event of a crash thereof.
2. Related Background Art
In the conventional activation controlling apparatus for controlling the activation of the passive safety device, the impact exerted on the vehicle is normally detected as deceleration by an acceleration sensor set on the floor tunnel, an arithmetic value is calculated based on the deceleration thus detected, the arithmetic value is compared with a preset threshold, and firing of a squib is controlled based on the comparison result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Crash modes of vehicle are classified under the frontal crash as shown in
FIG. 8A
, oblique crash as shown in
FIG. 8B
, pole crash as shown in
FIG. 8C
, offset crash as shown in
FIG. 8D
, under-ride crash as shown in
FIG. 8E
, and so on, depending upon ways of crash, directions of crash, types of the object against which the vehicle clashes, and so on. On the occasion of the frontal crash among them, the vehicle receives the impact due to the crash by the two side members left and right, so that great deceleration appears on the floor tunnel equipped with the floor sensor, within a predetermined time after the crash. In contrast with it, on the occasion of the crashes except for the frontal crash, the way of receiving the impact is different from the above, and the deceleration is not so large on the floor tunnel in the predetermined time after the crash.
It is thus conceivable that satellite sensors are located in the front part of the vehicle and the activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device is arranged to perform determination on activation of the passive safety device using a lowered threshold when the satellite sensors detect the impact equal to or greater than a reference value.
The satellite sensors might detect the impact not less than the reference value upon reception of local impact, however, in the cases except for the car crash; for example, in the case where a tow hook interferes with a level difference or the like on the road when the car runs on the rough road as shown in FIG.
8
F. In such cases the threshold is desired to be maintained in the high level.
An object of the present invention is to provide an activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device that can accurately prevent activation of the passive safety device during a non-crash period of vehicle.
An activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to the present invention is an activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising: impact measuring means mounted at a predetermined position in a vehicle, for measuring an impact exerted on the vehicle; activation controlling means for comparing a value obtained based on a measured value by the impact measuring means with a threshold and for controlling activation of a passive safety device, based on a result of the comparison; impact detecting means mounted ahead of the impact measuring means in the vehicle, for detecting whether an impact not less than a predetermined reference value is exerted on the vehicle; and threshold altering means for lowering the threshold when the impact detecting means detects the impact not less than the reference value, the activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising: determining means for determining whether the value obtained based on the measured value by the impact measuring means is smaller than a predetermined value, when the impact detecting means detects the impact not less than the reference value; and threshold alteration disabling means for disabling the threshold altering means from lowering the threshold when the determining means determines that the value obtained based on the measured value is smaller than the predetermined value.
In this activation controlling apparatus, when the impact detecting means detects an impact not less than the reference value, exerted on the vehicle, the determining means determines whether a value obtained based on a measured value by the impact measuring means is smaller than the predetermined value; when it is determined that the value obtained based on the measured value is smaller than the predetermined value, the threshold alteration disabling means disables the threshold altering means from lowering the threshold. The passive safety device can be prevented well from being activated during the non-crash period accordingly.
Another activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device preferably comprises: impact measuring means mounted at a predetermined position in a vehicle, for measuring an impact exerted on the vehicle; activation controlling means for comparing a value obtained based on a measured value by the impact measuring means with a threshold and for controlling activation of a passive safety device, based on a result of the comparison; impact detecting means mounted ahead of the impact measuring means in the vehicle, for detecting an impact exerted on the vehicle; and threshold setting means for setting the threshold on the basis of the value obtained based on the measured value by the impact measuring means and a value obtained based on a detected value by the impact detecting means.
In this activation controlling apparatus, the threshold setting means sets the threshold for controlling activation of the passive safety device on the basis of the value obtained based on the measured value by the impact measuring means and the value obtained based on the detected value by the impact detecting means. The prevention of activation of the passive safety device can be accurately carried out during the non-crash period accordingly.
More preferably, the threshold setting means comprises threshold altering means for altering the threshold by a predetermined amount when the impact detecting means detects an impact not less than a reference value, and threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means for adjusting the predetermined amount according to the value based on the measured value by the impact measuring means.
In this activation controlling apparatus, the threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means adjusts the predetermined amount of the threshold altered by the threshold altering means in accordance with the value based on the measured value by the impact measuring means, so that the determination on the crash can be performed using the threshold of an appropriate value and the prevention of activation of the passive safety device can be accurately performed during the non-crash period.
More preferably, the threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means has determining means for determining whether the value based on the measured value by the impact measuring means is smaller than a predetermined value, and wherein the threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means sets the predetermined amount to zero when the determining means determines that the value based on the measured value is smaller than the predetermined value.
In this activation controlling apparatus, when the determining means determines that the value based on the measured value by the impact measuring means is smaller than the predetermined value, the predetermined amount of the threshold altered by the threshold altering means is set to zero; therefore, the determination on the crash can be performed with the high threshold and the prevention of activation of the passive safety device can be accurately carried out during the non-crash period.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, i
Dunn David R.
Kenyon & Kenyon
Swann J. J.
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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