Method and device for controlling the triggering of a motor vehicle occupant protection system

• US 20030097212A1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Feser, Michael, Leirich, Oskar
• Granted Patent: US 6,711,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0102 the monitored value being used for calculating occupant displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01034 Controlling a plurality of restraint devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/90 Fuzzy logic

Abstract

A triggering algorithm contains an accident classification section. The accident classification section senses the type of an accident that occurs. The accident classification section forms probability values for the types of accident in question when an accident cannot be classified unambiguously. By reference to the type of accident or the probabilities that are determined, weighting factors are formed and are taken into account in the calculation of the criterion and/or of one or more comparison thresholds. The triggering algorithm is modular and can thus be easily standardized on a module-specific basis.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the triggering of at least one vehicle occupant protection component of a motor vehicle occupant protection system in the event of an impact, which comprises:

providing an accident sensor and a control unit evaluating output signals of the accident sensor;

classifying an impact type by the output signals of the accident sensor with an impact type classification section;

including in a triggering algorithm parameters depending on the impact type; and

firing the at least one vehicle occupant protection component according to the triggering algorithm.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

detecting an acceleration;

forming at least one threshold depending on the impact type;

comparing the acceleration to the at least one threshold to yield a comparison result; and

firing the at least one vehicle occupant protection component according to the comparison result.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

forming at least one membership value depending on the impact type; and

varying the at least one membership value as a function of the precision of the classification of the impact type.

4. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises varying the at least one membership value between and including 0% and 100%.

5. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises forming two or more membership values for the types of impact when a current accident cannot be assigned unambiguously to one type of impact.

6. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises:

forming respective weighting factors as a function of the at least one membership value;

weighting preset values in the triggering algorithm with the weighting factors; and

calculating the thresholds with the weighted preset values.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

using a central acceleration sensor as the accident sensor;

forming a criterion and at least one threshold in the control unit with output from the central acceleration sensor.

8. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

providing an exported sensor connected to the control unit;

evaluating output from the exported sensor with the control unit; and

forming a criterion and at least one threshold in the control unit from the output signal from the exported sensor.

9. A motor vehicle occupant protection system, comprising:

an accident sensor outputting an output signal; and

a control unit connected to said accident sensor for sensing an impact in accordance with a triggering algorithm, and for triggering at least one vehicle occupant protection component in the event of an impact, the triggering algorithm having an accident classification section determining the type of impact from the output signal and being adapted as a function of the determined type of impact.

10. The motor vehicle occupant protection system according to claim 9, wherein the accident classification section forms membership values for at least two types of impact when the accident cannot be classified unambiguously, the membership values being probability values.

11. The motor vehicle occupant protection system according to claim 9, wherein the triggering algorithm is modular and the impact classification section is formed by a classification module having output values fed into a downstream calculation module, the downstream calculation module calculating a criterion dependent on the current acceleration and at least one threshold.

12. The motor vehicle occupant protection system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the classification module and the calculation module form weighting factors as a function of the sensed type of accident and its probability, said weighting factors weighting preset values for calculating values to be compared with one another in order to make a firing decision.

13. The motor vehicle occupant protection system according to claim 9, including only one control unit.