Collision determining apparatus for a vehicle

• US 20060069483A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yuan, Fang, Hayasaka, Masatoshi, Oosaki, Tatsuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• 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: B60R 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01336 using filtering
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion

Abstract

A collision determining apparatus for a vehicle includes: a first acceleration measuring device; a second acceleration measuring device; a movement amount calculating device; a change in movement speed calculating device; a first collision determining threshold value setting device which sets a collision determining threshold value for a correlation between the amount of movement of the occupant and the change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device; a first collision determining device which determines whether or not the correlation exceeds the collision determining threshold value; and a control signal generating device which generates a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus, in accordance with a result of a determination by the first collision determining device.

Claims

1. A collision determining apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a first acceleration measuring device which measures an acceleration acting on an outer peripheral portion of the vehicle;

a second acceleration measuring device which measures an acceleration acting on a position further to an inner portion side of the vehicle than the first acceleration measuring device;

a movement amount calculating device which calculates an amount of movement of an occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a change in movement speed calculating device which calculates a change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a first collision determining threshold value setting device which sets a collision determining threshold value for a correlation between the amount of movement of the occupant and the change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device;

a first collision determining device which determines whether or not the correlation exceeds the collision determining threshold value; and

a control signal generating device which generates a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus, in accordance with a result of a determination by the first collision determining device.

2. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first collision determining threshold value setting device sets a different collision determining threshold value for each one of a plurality of the occupant protection apparatuses.

3. A collision determining apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a first acceleration measuring device which measures an acceleration acting on an outer peripheral portion of the vehicle;

a second acceleration measuring device which measures an acceleration acting on a position further to an inner portion side of the vehicle than the first acceleration measuring device;

a movement amount calculating device which calculates an amount of movement of an occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a change in acceleration calculating device which calculates a change in acceleration based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a second collision determining threshold value setting device which sets a collision determining threshold value for a correlation between the amount of movement of the occupant and the change in acceleration based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device;

a second collision determining device which determines whether or not the correlation exceeds the collision determining threshold value; and

a control signal generating device which generates a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus, in accordance with a result of a determination by the second collision determining device.

4. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the second collision determining threshold value setting device sets a different collision determining threshold value for each one of a plurality of the occupant protection apparatuses.

5. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

a change in movement speed calculating device which calculates a change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device; and

a collision stability determining device which determines whether or not the change in movement speed of the occupant is within a predetermined collision determination area;

wherein

the control signal generating device generates a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus in accordance with a result of a determination by the second collision determining device and a result of a determination by the collision stability determining device.

6. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising a collision determining area setting device which sets the collision determining area based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device.