Activation control apparatus of occupant safety system

• US 20020016658A1
• Filed: 10/17/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoda, Motomi, Imai, Katsuji
• Granted Patent: US 6,424,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value

Abstract

An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system is an activation control apparatus 2 for controlling activation of airbag system 36 mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, which has a front sensor 30B mounted in the left part of the vehicle, a front sensor 30A mounted in the right part of the vehicle, a collision type identifying part 42 for identifying a type of collision of the vehicle, based on values detected by the front sensor 30B and the front sensor 30A, and an activation control 40 for controlling the activation of the airbag system 36, based on the type of the collision identified by the collision type identifying part 42.

Claims

1. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

a plurality of impact detecting means placed at mutually different positions in a front part of the vehicle;

collision type identifying means for identifying a type of collision of said vehicle, based on values detected by said plurality of impact detecting means; and

activation control means for controlling the activation of the occupant safety system, based on the type of collision identified by said collision type identifying means.

2. The activation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of impact detecting means comprise first impact detecting means mounted in a left part of said vehicle and second impact detecting means mounted in a right part of said vehicle and wherein said collision type identifying means identifies the type of collision as an oblique crash if after the collision of the vehicle there is a time difference between rises of the values detected by the first impact detecting means and by the second impact detecting means.

3. The activation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of impact detecting means comprise first impact detecting means mounted in a left part of said vehicle and second impact detecting means mounted in a right part of said vehicle and wherein said collision type identifying means identifies the type of collision as an offset crash if after the collision of the vehicle there is a time difference between rises of the values detected by the first impact detecting means and by the second impact detecting means and if a difference is large between magnitudes of the values detected by said first impact detecting means and by said second impact detecting means.

4. The activation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said first impact detecting means and said second impact detecting means is an electronic deceleration sensor.