Device and method for supplying the triggering device of an occupant restraint system with power

• US 20040099460A1
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Grasshoff, Helge
• Granted Patent: US 7,352,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/271
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/017 including arrangements for providing electric power to safety arrangements or their actuating means, e.g. to pyrotechnic fuses or electro-mechanic valves

Abstract

The invention relates to a device that comprises a plurality of energy stores and a driver circuit. Said driver circuit is supplied by at least two of the energy stores via a selecting circuit in such a manner that the driver circuit is always supplied by the energy store that has the highest voltage as compared to the remaining energy stores.

Claims

1. A device for supplying power to a firing means (1) of a vehicle-occupant restraint system, having

switches (2, 3) for the firing means (1),

a plurality of energy stores (8, 24, 25),

a control device (9) and a driver circuit (10) for vehicle-occupant restraint systems having the switches,

the driver circuit (10) being supplied from at least two of the energy stores (8, 24, 25) via a selector circuit (20) in such a way that the energy store (8, 24, 25) always supplies the driver circuit (10) with the voltage which is the highest in relation to the remaining energy stores (8, 24, 25).

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, in which a diode matrix (21, 22, 23) is provided as the selector switch.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which one (8) of the energy stores (8, 24, 25) is arranged in the firing circuits (7) of front airbags of the vehicle-occupant restraint system.

4. The device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which one (24) of the energy stores (8, 24, 25) is arranged in the firing circuits of side airbags of the vehicle-occupant restraint system.

5. The device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which one (25) of the energy stores (8, 24, 25) is arranged in a step-up converter (26) for generating a firing voltage for the vehicle-occupant restraint means.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which one (8) of the energy stores (8, 24, 25) is arranged in a step-up converter (27) for generating a supply voltage for the control device (9).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which a charge pump (12) is connected between the selector circuit (20) and the driver circuit (10).

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, in which the charge pump (12) has a further energy store (19).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which capacitors are provided as the energy stores (8, 24, 25, 19).

10. A method for supplying power to a firing means of a vehicle-occupant restraint system, in which

energy can be fed to the firing system from a first energy store (5, 8) by means of switches (2, 3),

control energy can be fed from at least two energy stores (8, 24, 25) via a selector circuit (20) to the driver circuit in order to actuate the switches (2, 3), the selector circuit (20) connecting through the energy store with the highest voltage potential to the driver circuit.