Vehicle passenger protecting device and method
First Claim
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1. A passenger protecting device for a vehicle, the passenger protecting device comprising:
- a collision detecting unit for detecting one of a collision and an imminent collision of the vehicle and generating a collision signal;
a driver protecting unit for protecting a driver of the vehicle when the collision signal is generated;
a steering sensor for detecting an axial position of an axially displaceable steering wheel of the vehicle; and
a control unit for controlling the driver protecting unit based on the axial position of the steering wheel when the driver protecting unit is activated.
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Abstract
In a passenger protecting device for a vehicle, an airbag is held in a steering wheel coaxially supported by a steering column which can be shifted in a central axis direction thereof by a telescopic unit. A steering sensor, a seat sensor and multiple driver sensors are provided to respectively detect positions of the steering wheel, a driver seat and a driver. An airbag control unit calculates a distance between the steering wheel and the driver based on the positions, and thus the airbag is deployed corresponding to the distance. Accordingly, a secondary impact to the driver due to the airbag can be effectively restricted.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A passenger protecting device for a vehicle, the passenger protecting device comprising:
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a collision detecting unit for detecting one of a collision and an imminent collision of the vehicle and generating a collision signal;
a driver protecting unit for protecting a driver of the vehicle when the collision signal is generated;
a steering sensor for detecting an axial position of an axially displaceable steering wheel of the vehicle; and
a control unit for controlling the driver protecting unit based on the axial position of the steering wheel when the driver protecting unit is activated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A passenger protecting method for a vehicle, comprising:
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calculating a distance between a driver and a steering wheel of the vehicle;
determining an activation mode of an airbag in the vehicle based on the distance;
memorizing data including the distance and the activation mode in a nonvolatile memory;
detecting one of a collision and an imminent collision of the vehicle to generate a collision signal; and
activating the airbag in the activation mode memorized in the nonvolatile memory, wherein;
the calculating of the distance, the determining of the activation mode and the memorizing of the data are periodically performed; and
the activating of the airbag is performed in response to the collision signal. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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Specification