Systems and methods for detecting airbag deployment resulting from a vehicle crash

• US 10,232,847 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2018
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Truemotion, Inc.
• Inventors: Cordova, Brad, Vaisman, Eddie, Shiebler, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/862,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20180126938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to transportation systems. More particularly, embodiments relate to methods and systems for detecting airbag deployment. The method includes obtaining one or more measurements from one or more sensors of a mobile device in a vehicle during a drive, determining a change in pressure based on processing the one or more measurements, and detecting a deployment of one or more vehicle airbags based on the change in pressure.

Claims

1. A method of detecting airbag deployment, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more measurements from one or more sensors of a mobile device in a vehicle during a drive including a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor;

determining a change in pressure based on processing the one or more measurements;

detecting a deployment of one or more vehicle airbags based on the change in pressure; and

differentiating between deployment of a front airbag and a side airbag based on the change in pressure sensed by the pressure sensor and a direction of vehicle acceleration sensed by the acceleration sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying an accident during the drive based on the deployment of the one or more vehicle airbags.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining a severity of the accident based on the deployment of the one or more vehicle airbags and sensed acceleration.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining an angle of collision based on the deployment of the one or more vehicle airbags, the angle of collision being associated with the accident and sensed acceleration.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining a type of accident associated with the accident based on the deployment of the one or more vehicle airbags and sensed acceleration.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the type of accident includes a collision between the vehicle and another vehicle.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the type of accident includes a collision between the vehicle and an environmental object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more measurements comprise a measurement of pressure inside the vehicle, and determining the change in pressure is based on the measurement of pressure inside the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the pressure sensor comprises a barometer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the deployment of the one or more vehicle airbags is based at least in part on the change in pressure exceeding a pressure change threshold value.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording and storing the one or more measurements from the one or more sensors of the mobile device in a storage on the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more measurements from the one or more sensors of the mobile device stored on the mobile device are accident reconstruction data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the one or more measurements from the one or more sensors of the mobile device and transmitting the recorded one or more measurements to a storage external to the mobile device.