Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2001-05-22
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C280S735000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236921
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to systems and methods for detecting a crash event and determining whether to deploy an inflatable passenger restraint.
BACKGROUND ART
A number of systems and methods for actuating vehicular safety devices are well known in the art. Typically, a sensor is used to determine vehicle acceleration (and therefore deceleration). The signal is processed to determine when to activate various passive safety devices, such as inflatable restraints and safety belt pre-tensioners.
To provide optimum protection for the passengers of the vehicle, it is important to accurately and expeditiously determine the relative severity of a crash event to allow sufficient time for the deployment of an inflatable restraint. It is also important to refrain from deploying an inflatable restraint for crash events in which the restraint would not benefit the passengers. Such events may include low-velocity impacts and the like.
Most current frontal airbag deployment algorithms for discrimination of must-fire pole events from no-fire events rely on the use of jerk or length of acceleration. This dependence reduces the effectiveness of those algorithms from reliably discriminating must-fire pole events from no-fire crashes, namely, no-fire car-to-car and no-fire pole crashes. In addition, current algorithms are sensitive to high impact rough road events which result in either inadvertent deployment or longer discrimination times for high speed frontal events.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is thus a general object of the present invention to provide a method and system for accurately detecting a crash event and determining whether to deploy an inflatable passenger restraint which provides improved discrimination.
In carrying out the above object and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, a method for controlling deployment of an inflatable restraint disposed within a passenger compartment of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises monitoring acceleration of the passenger compartment, and determining first, second and third terms based on a average accelerations of the passenger compartment. The first, second and third terms are compared to respective thresholds, and a signal is generated if at least one of the first, second or third thresholds is exceeded. If a velocity threshold with offset is also exceeded, the inflatable restraint deploys.
A system is also provided for controlling deployment of an inflatable restraint.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Mollon Mark L.
Visteon Global Technologies Inc.
Zanelli Michael J.
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