Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-28
2001-04-10
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C180S282000, C280S728100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216070
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passenger protecting apparatus, which inflates an air bag for protecting the passenger in an instant, when a vehicle has an accident such as a collision. More specifically, the present invention relates to a controlling unit of a squib for inflating an air bag. A “squib” is herein defined as a detonator for inflating an air bag and/or for tightening the seat belt, in this specification and Claims.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 8
shows a block diagram of a controlling unit of a squib, in the prior art, of a squib in such a passenger protecting apparatus.
An ignition switch
102
, a DC/DC converter
103
, a diode
104
for counter-current prevention, a first switching transistor
106
(first switching circuit), a squib
107
, a second transistor
108
(second switching circuit) are connected in series between both of the terminals of a battery
101
. The line connecting the diode
104
and the first switching transistor
106
is connected through a back up capacitor
105
with large capacity to the ground line.
In a collision, first and second acceleration sensors
109
,
111
generate acceleration signals. The acceleration signal from the first acceleration sensor
109
is provided to a collision judging means
110
, and the acceleration signal from the second acceleration sensor
111
is provided to a comparing means
112
. When the acceleration signal from the second acceleration sensor
111
exceeds a standard value, a high level signal is provided to an input terminal of an AND gate means
113
and to the collision judging means
110
as a switch signal.
The procedure of the collision judging algorithm in the collision judging means
110
begins at the moment, when a trigger signal, which corresponds to the standing up edge of the high level signal, is given. It estimates the accident whether the accident is so grave that it leads to an injury of the passenger(s). When it estimates that the accident can lead to a grave injury of the passenger(s), the collision judging means
110
supplies a high level signal to the other input terminal of the AND gate means
113
.
The base terminal of the first switching transistor
106
is connected with the output terminal of the AND gate means
113
through an inverter
114
, and the base terminal of the second switching transistor
108
is connected with the output terminal of the AND gate means
113
directly.
When the accident is estimated to be grave, the AND gate means receives high level signals from the collision judging means
110
and comparing means
112
simultaneously. As a result, the first and second switching transistors
106
,
108
turn on. The back up capacitor supplies the electric energy stored therein to the squib
107
, then the squib actuates the air bag to inflate.
In the aforementioned passenger protecting apparatus, only one AND gate means
113
is used, and both switching transistors
106
,
108
are driven, depending on the output of the AND gate means.
There is a problem in constructing the controlling unit by a micro computer containing a CPU, and a soft ware program equivalent to the collision judging unit
110
, the AND gate
113
, the inverter and the comparing means
112
.
When the output of the AND gate means becomes to a high level, due to malfunction in the soft ware program or due to a false signal caused by external noise, the first and second switching transistors connected to the both sides of the squib turn on simultaneously. This can lead to an erroneous operation of the squib.
FIG. 9
is a block diagram of another example of a controlling unit of a squib in a passenger protecting apparatus that is disclosed in a Japanese Patent Application, which has not yet been published.
The controlling unit comprises a controlling unit for a front air bag
201
(it is called also as a pre-tensioned unit), a controlling unit for a side air bag at the conductor's seat
202
and a controlling unit for a side air bag at the seat next to the driver
203
, which communicate to each other using a multi-superposition communication system, using the power supply wire as a signal line.
At first, the controller unit for the front air bag is explained.
First, second and third voltage increasing circuits
206
,
207
,
208
convert the input voltage, which is supplied from a battery
204
through an ignition switch
205
, to a higher voltage and charge a first, second and third back up capacitor
209
,
210
,
211
, which are respectively connected.
The input terminals of a first, second and third switching circuit
212
,
213
,
214
are connected respectively with the output terminal of the corresponding first, second and third voltage increasing circuits
206
,
207
,
208
, and their output terminals are connected respectively with a corresponding squib
215
,
216
,
217
.
When the ignition switch
205
is put on, the first, second and third back up capacitor
209
,
210
,
211
are charged from the battery
204
through the first, second and third voltage increasing circuits
206
,
207
,
208
, and a micro computer
220
in the controlling unit for front air bag
201
starts its procedure. Simultaneously, the voltage regulating circuit
223
begins to supply electric power to the controlling units for the side air bag at the driver's seat
202
and the controlling unit for side air bag at the seat next to the driver' seat
203
.
When an igniting signal is provided to the input terminal of one of the first, second and third switching circuits
212
,
213
,
214
from the micro computer
220
, an ignition current from the corresponding back up capacitor
209
,
210
,
211
flows through the corresponding first, second and third squibs
215
,
216
,
217
.
Reference numeral
218
denotes a mechanical acceleration sensor, which is connected with the first squib
215
in series and turns on when an acceleration over a predetermined value is detected. On the other hand, the longitudinal direction acceleration sensor
219
is an electric acceleration sensor, which detects the longitudinal acceleration at an collision of vehicle.
Reference numeral
220
denotes a micro computer, having a collision judging function. It estimates the accident as to whether it is grave or not, on the basis of the acceleration signal from the longitudinal acceleration sensor
219
. When it estimates that the accident is grave, it turns on the first switching circuit
212
. Hence, the charge stored in the first back up capacitor
209
flows as an ignition current through the first squib
215
and the mechanical acceleration sensor
218
, which are connected in series. As a result, the front air bag for a front collision of vehicle is inflated, or the pre-tensioned unit is actuated. In this manner, the air bag and so like is inflated protecting the passenger(s) at the front collision of vehicle.
The controlling unit for the side air bag at the driver's seat
202
comprises of a first transverse acceleration sensor
230
, a micro computer
231
, an acceleration switch
232
, a second sending circuit
233
, a resistor
234
and a second receiving circuit
235
. On the other hand, The controlling unit for the side air bag at the seat next to the driver's seat
203
comprises a second transverse acceleration sensor
240
, a micro computer
241
, an acceleration switch
242
, a third sending circuit
243
, a resistor
244
and a third receiving circuit
245
. The corresponding components in both of the units are identical.
The transverse acceleration sensors
230
,
240
have an identical structure as the longitudinal acceleration sensor
219
, however, they are configured so as to detect the acceleration in the direction differed 90 degrees from the detection direction of the longitudinal acceleration sensor
219
, namely they detect the acceleration in the transverse direction of vehicle. They provide their outputs to the micro computer
231
,
241
, respectively.
The micro computer
231
,
241
have a collision judging function
Hayashi Haruyoshi
Kaneko Kunihiro
Saito Yasuo
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Gibson Eric M.
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
Zanelli Michael J.
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