Side impact sensor systems

• US 20050242555A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Castelli, Vittorio, Breed, David S., Pruszenski, Anthony S. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,097,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• 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: B60R 21/20 Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21 in vehicle side panels, e.g. doors pillar mounted arrangements B60R21/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

Vehicle including an occupant protection apparatus for protecting an occupant during an impact into a side of the vehicle, and a side impact, electronic crash sensor assembly for detecting impact into the side of the vehicle and controlling the occupant protection apparatus responsive to the detected impact. The sensor assembly includes a sensor housing arranged in a door or between inner and outer side panels along a side of the vehicle, a movable sensing mass arranged within and movable in the lateral direction relative to the sensor housing in response to lateral accelerations thereof, a micro-processor containing an algorithm which generates a time-varying signal representative of lateral movement of the mass, analyzes the signal and generates a deployment signal based thereon, and a control unit for receiving the deployment signal from the micro-processor and controlling deployment of the occupant protection apparatus based thereon.

Claims

1. In a vehicle having doors, front and rear wheels and a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle also having left and right sides, comprising:

an occupant protection apparatus for protecting an occupant of the vehicle in the event of an impact into the left or right side of the vehicle;

a side impact, electronic crash sensor assembly for detecting impact into the left or right side of the vehicle and for controlling said occupant protection apparatus in response to the detected impact, said crash sensor assembly comprising;

a sensor housing arranged in a door or between inner and outer side panels along the left or right side of the vehicle;

a movable sensing mass arranged within and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral accelerations of said sensor housing;

a micro-processor containing an algorithm arranged to generate a time-varying signal representative of movement of said mass in the lateral direction, analyze the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generate a deployment signal based thereon; and

control means for receiving the deployment signal from said micro-processor and controlling deployment of said occupant protection apparatus based thereon;

said sensor housing being arranged in such a position and a direction in the door or between the inner and outer panels along the left or right side of the vehicle as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the left or right side of said vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein analysis of the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generation of the deployment signal based thereon includes said algorithm determining whether the movement of said mass results in a calculated value which is in excess of a threshold value and when said calculated value is in excess of the threshold value, generating the deployment signal.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said sensor housing is mounted onto a door of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said sensor housing is mounted between inner and outer panels along the left or right side of the vehicle between centers of front and rear wheels of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said sensor housing is mounted in contact with a side door assembly or a side panel assembly of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said mass constitutes part of an accelerometer which includes a piezo-electric element for generating a signal representative of the movement of said mass.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said occupant protection apparatus comprises an airbag housing defining an interior space;

at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said interior space of said airbag housing such that when inflating, said at least one airbag is expelled from said airbag housing into the passenger compartment on a side of the vehicle; and

an inflator arranged to inflate said at least one airbag,

said control means being arranged to control inflation of said at least one airbag via said inflator upon a determination of a crash into the side of the vehicle requiring inflation of said at least one airbag.

8. In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle also having left and right sides, a side impact airbag system comprising:

an airbag and inflator assembly including

an airbag housing,

at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said airbag housing such that when inflating, said at least one airbag is expelled from said airbag housing into a passenger compartment of the vehicle; and

a squib arranged to initiate inflation of said at least one airbag; and

an electronic sensor assembly arranged adjacent said airbag and inflator assembly for controlling inflation of said at least one airbag upon a determination of a crash into the left or right side of the vehicle requiring inflation of said at least one airbag and including

a sensor having a sensor housing arranged in a door or between inner and outer side panels along the left or right side of the vehicle and a movable sensing mass arranged within and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral accelerations of said sensor housing; and

at least one electronic component responsive to the motion of said mass and arranged in a circuit with said squib for causing ignition of said squib;

said sensor housing being arranged in such a position and a direction in the door or between the inner and outer panels along the left or right side of the vehicle as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the left or right side of said vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said airbag and inflator assembly and said sensor assembly are arranged in a common module.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said at least one electronic component is a diagnostic component for diagnosing the ability of said squib to initiate inflation of said at least one airbag.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said at least one electronic component is an energy storage capacitor.

12. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said at least one electronic component is a micro-processor containing an algorithm arranged to generate a time-varying signal representative of movement of said mass in the lateral direction, analyze the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generate a deployment signal based thereon.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein analysis of the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generation of the deployment signal based thereon includes said algorithm determining whether the movement of said mass results in a calculated value which is in excess of a threshold value and when said calculated value is in excess of the threshold value, generating the deployment signal.

14. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said sensor housing is mounted onto a side door of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said sensor housing is mounted onto a side of the vehicle between centers of front and rear wheels of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said sensor housing is mounted in contact with a side door assembly or a side panel assembly of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels.

17. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said mass constitutes part of an accelerometer which includes a piezo-electric element for generating a signal representative of the movement of said mass.

18. In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a self-contained modular airbag system for the vehicle, comprising:

an airbag and inflator assembly including an airbag housing, at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said housing and which inflates into a passenger compartment of the vehicle along a side of the vehicle and an inflator for inflating said at least one airbag;

a sensor assembly for detecting an impact into a side of the vehicle and controlling said inflator to inflate said at least one airbag, said sensor assembly including a power supply for supplying power to said inflator and a diagnostic module for diagnosing the ability of said inflator to inflate said at least one airbag,

said airbag and inflator assembly and said sensor assembly being arranged in a self-contained module; and

said self-contained module being mounted onto a side door of the vehicle or onto a side of the vehicle between inner and outer panels of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said self-contained module is mounted in contact with a side door assembly or a side panel assembly of the vehicle between centers of the front and rear wheels.

20. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said sensor assembly is arranged adjacent said airbag and inflator assembly within said self-contained module.

21. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said sensor assembly includes a sensor having a sensor housing arranged in the side door or between inner and outer side panels along the left or right side of the vehicle, a movable sensing mass arranged within and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral accelerations of said sensor housing, and at least one electronic component responsive to the motion of said mass and arranged in a circuit with said inflator for causing activation of said inflator.

22. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein said at least one electronic component is a micro-processor containing an algorithm arranged to generate a time-varying signal representative of movement of said mass in the lateral direction, analyze the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generate a deployment signal based thereon.

23. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein said sensor housing is mounted in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into the left or right side of said vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

24. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein analysis of the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generation of the deployment signal based thereon includes said algorithm determining whether the movement of said mass results in a calculated value which is in excess of a threshold value and when said calculated value is in excess of the threshold value, generating the deployment signal.

25. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein said mass constitutes part of an accelerometer which includes a piezo-electric element for generating a signal representative of the movement of said mass.

26. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said sensor housing is mounted onto a side door of the vehicle.

27. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said sensor housing is mounted onto the left or right side of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels.

28. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said power supply is a capacitor.