Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Patent
1996-06-05
1998-09-01
Chin, Gary
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
340436, 280735, 180282, 307 101, B60R 2132
Patent
active
058024808
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuation apparatus for actuating protective devices mounted on a vehicle for safety of vehicle occupants. More particularly, the present invention relates to an actuation apparatus which enables vehicles producted by process of mass production to be used for crash tests. The crash tests are done for obtaining parameters to be set in the actuation apparatus for actuating the protective devices.
2. Background of the Invention
One actuation apparatus for actuating the protective devices mounted on a vehicle for safety vehicle occupants is known as prior art, which comprises an accelerometer which outputs a deceleration signal at a time of a crash, a central processing unit (CPU) for processing the signal received from the accelerometer and judging a severity of the crash, a MASK ROM connected to the CPU, and an ignition circuit for triggering the protective devices such as an air bag on the basis of a signal received from the CPU. The CPU and the MASK ROM are formed into a one-chip microcomputer. The MASK ROM includes an algorithm for judging the severity of the crash and different parameters different for each type of vehicle. The CPU judges the severity of the crash using arithmetic operations in an algorithm using the aforesaid different parameters. When the CPU judges that the severity of the crash requires an actuation of the protective devices, an actuating signal is fed to the protective devices.
In the prior art, both the algorithm and parameters are written on the MASK ROM which is a read only memory. The writing task is carried out by masking during a manufacturing process of the MASK ROM.
It takes a long time to design a circuit on the one-chip microcomputer on which the algorithm together with the parameters will be masked. Further, it takes a long time to manufacture the one-chip microcomputer. It is common to take a few months for the one-chip microcomputer to be completed.
It takes another three months or so to test a reliability of the one-chip microcomputer as an integrated circuit (IC). After the reliability of the one-chip microcomputer is assured, preparations for the mass production of the vehicle will be started. The mass-producted vehicle will be equipped with the actuation apparatus for actuating the protective devices having the one-chip microcomputer.
In order to preset parameters for various types of vehicles, data have to be obtained from crash tests. Typically, more than twenty vehicles have to be subjected to the crash tests for each vehicle type. All vehicles subjected to the crash tests are trial products because the crash tests are done within 2-6 months before necessary preparations for the mass production of the vehicles. This creates a problem wherein a cost of one trial product is very expensive as compared with a cost of one vehicle produced by a process of mass production. Therefore, determining parameters by the crash tests results in high costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described problem, the primary object of the invention is providing an actuation apparatus for actuating a protective device for safety of vehicle occupants, which determines parameters by crash tests using vehicles produced by a process of mass production. Another object of the present invention is to provide an actuation apparatus for actuating a protective device for safety of vehicle occupants, which enables a period required for a development of a new vehicle model to be shortened and enables a cost of the development to be drastically reduced.
The actuation apparatus which is the subject of the present invention includes; accelerometer S undergoes arithmetic operations; 16; and a signal received from the central processing unit 16.
In one aspect of the present invention the memory means for the central processing unit 16 is divided into the first memory 17 and the second memory 18. The first memory 17 is a read only memory, included in a one-chip microcomputer 2 together with the cen
REFERENCES:
patent: 5073860 (1991-12-01), Blackburn et al.
patent: 5164901 (1992-11-01), Blackburn et al.
patent: 5495414 (1996-02-01), Spangler et al.
patent: 5638274 (1997-06-01), Konishi et al.
Chin Gary
Sensor Technology Co. Ltd.
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