Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-20
2001-03-06
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C280S728100, C280S735000, C340S438000, C180S271000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198999
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an airbag deployment mode selection system.
In an existing airbag system, the airbag deployment mode is divided into a full deployment mode in which the airbag is deployed with full pressure, and a tailored deployment mode, in which the airbag is deployed in a plurality of timed stages or with a pressure that is smaller than the full deployment mode. By making tailored deployment of the airbag when a passenger is near the airbag deployment port, the passenger is protected from the vehicle collision shock and also from the shock from the shock imparted to the body when the airbag deploys, and by making full deployment of the airbag when the passenger is at a position distant from the airbag deployment port, the passenger is protected from the collision shock.
In this airbag system of the past, a distance sensor for sending the position of a passenger was mounted on an instrument panel or at some other appropriate position. This distance sensor generates a range-finding signal directed at the passenger and receives a returning signal that is reflected from the passenger, the spatial propagation time between the generation of the range-finding signal and the reception of the reflected signal being used to determine the position of the passenger. If this position indicates that the passenger is nearer to the airbag deployment port than a prescribed distance, the airbag is deployed in the tailored deployment mode.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-noted distance sensing function, the distance sensor has a range-finding signal generator that generates a range-finding signal at a fixed period, and a receiving sensor for receiving the corresponding reflected signal. The time difference from the range-finding signal generation until reception of the reflected signal is used to determine the distance to the passenger.
The airbag is caused to deploy when a vehicle collides with an object in its path of travel. In most cases, the driver applies the brakes immediately before the impact, causing the body of the driver to move forward, so that the driver's body is placed into proximity to the deployment port of an airbag installed with the steering wheel or instrument panel. This being the case, it is necessary to soften the shock occurring when the airbag deploys. Because the distance sensor in an airbag system of the past measures the distance to the passenger with a time period that is fixed, it is difficult to accurately ascertain the distance from the airbag deployment port to the passenger, thereby leading to the danger that the full deployment mode will be selected even if the passenger is very close to the airbag deployment port.
The present invention was made in consideration of the above-noted problem in the related art, and has as an object to provide an airbag deployment mode selection system that measures the distance from an airbag deployment port to a passenger with a time period that shortens as this distance shortens, thereby properly determining the distance from the passenger to the deployment port immediately before operation of the airbag so as to make a proper selection of the airbag deployment mode.
An aspect of an airbag deployment mode selection system has a distance sensor with a range-finding signal generator for generating a range-finding signal directed toward the seated direction of a passenger and a reflected signal receiver for receiving range-finding signal that is returned by reflection from the passenger, and determines the distance from an airbag deployment port to the passenger based on the time difference between the range-finding signal generation and the reception of the reflected signal. This aspect of the invention also has a signal generation timing controller for causing the range-finding signal generator to generate a next range-finding signal immediately after reception of the reflected signal from the previously generated range-finding signal from the distance sensor, and a deployment mode selector for issuing an instruction that selects the full deployment mode when the distance of the passenger from the airbag deployment port exceeds a prescribed distance, and issues an instruction that selects the tailored deployment mode when this distance is shorted than the prescribed distance.
In the above-described airbag deployment mode selection system, a range-finding signal generator disposed on an instrument panel or at some other appropriate position generates a range-finding signal directed at the seated direction of the passenger, and a signal receiving sensor receives the reflected range-finding signal from the passenger, the distance from the airbag deployment port to the passenger being determined by the spatial propagation time between generation the return of the range-finding signal. The signal generation timing controller causes the range-finding signal generator to generate a next range-finding signal immediately after the reception of the reflected signal from the previous range-finding signal.
The deployment mode selector selects the full deployment mode if the distance from the airbag deployment port to the passenger detected by the distance sensor is greater than a prescribed value and selects a tailored deployment mode if this distance is less than the prescribed value, issuing a corresponding instruction to an external airbag deployment controller.
According to this aspect of the present invention, as the passenger approaches the airbag deployment port, the amount of time required between the generation of the range-finding signal by the range-finding signal generator and the reception of the returning reflection by the reflected signal receiver becomes commensurately shorter, and immediately triggers the generation of the next range-finding signal by the range-finding signal generator. Thus, the closer the passenger comes to the airbag deployment port, the shorter becomes the period of measurement by the distance sensor of the distance therebetween, thereby enabling a more accurate measurement of the distance of the passenger to the airbag deployment port for use in selecting an appropriate airbag deployment mode. In particular, this enables the avoidance of full deployment of the airbag when the body of the passenger is in extreme proximity to the airbag deployment port
REFERENCES:
patent: 5490069 (1996-02-01), Gioutsos et al.
patent: 5540461 (1996-07-01), Nitschke et al.
patent: 5782485 (1998-07-01), Takeda et al.
patent: 5868423 (1999-02-01), Takimoto et al.
Beaulieu Yonel
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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