Restraint system especially for an occupant of a vehicle

Details Restraint system especially for an occupant of a vehicle Restraint system especially for an occupant of a vehicle

1999-09-14

2001-02-13

English, Peter C. (Department: 3619)

Motor vehicles

With means for promoting safety of vehicle, its occupant or...

Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...

C280S735000, C701S045000, C342S072000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06186261

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holding-back system, or restraint system, which has one or more restraint devices for vehicle occupant and is equipped with at least one seat position, with which a change in the seat position of at least one vehicle occupant can be ascertained, wherein a control unit forms a first criterion for tripping one or more restraint devices if the rate of change of the seat position exceeds a predeterminable threshold.
2. Prior Art
One such restraint system is known from German Patent Disclosure DE 40 05 598 A1. In this known restraint system, in addition to a first tripping criterion, which is derived from a certain change in seat position of a vehicle occupant, a second tripping criterion is obtained, which depends on whether the vehicle acceleration, measured by an acceleration sensor, exceeds a predetermined limit value. Thus if an actual tripping of one or more restraint devices (such as an airbag or belt tightener) is to occur, two tripping criteria must be simultaneously met. This increases the operational safety of a restraint system, because the two tripping criteria together make it possible to make a more reliable decision about a vehicle collision that requires the restraint devices to be tripped.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved restraint system, especially an improved restraint system for an occupant of a vehicle.
According to the invention, along with a first tripping criterion, which depends on the change in the seat position of at least one vehicle occupant, a second criterion for tripping one or more restraint devices is formed that is furnished by one or more precrash sensors. Accordingly if one or more precrash sensors detect an incipient collision and if furthermore a seat position sensor detects a rapid change in the seat position of a vehicle occupant (caused for instance by a braking maneuver), then one or more restraint devices can be tripped correspondingly earlier. The system of the invention makes do without acceleration sensors. Since acceleration sensors do not output a signal dependent on the vehicle acceleration or deceleration until the collision is already occurring, there is only a very brief reaction time available for tripping restraint devices. The reaction time for tripping restraint devices is considerably longer if recourse can be had to signals of precrash sensors, which make an early detection of whether a crash is about to occur. To guarantee that a change in seat position of a vehicle occupant can in fact be a scribed to a braking event, that is highly likely to be associated with an incipient crash, tripping of restraint devices is not done until, in addition to the tripping criteria, a braking datum is present. The braking datum may be furnished by a brake light switch.
Advantageous further features of the invention are defined by the dependent claims.
According to these dependent claims, the seat position and also the precrash sensor can be embodied either by optical sensors or ultrasonic sensors or microwave sensors. The control unit, which evaluates the precrash and seat positions, is advantageously accommodated together with the seat position sensor or seat position sensors in the same housing.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5118134 (1992-06-01), Mattes et al.
patent: 5398185 (1995-03-01), Omura
patent: 5626359 (1997-05-01), Steffens, Jr. et al.
patent: 5787377 (1998-07-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 6052634 (2000-04-01), Pathe et al.
3rd International Symposium on Sophisticated Car Occupant Safety Systems, “Airbag 2000”, Karlsruhe, Germany, Nov. 26-27, 1996, pp. 16-1 to 16-19 and 17-1 to 17-12.

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