Side door collision detecting system and occupant protecting system

• US 20060244245A1
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nonaka, Toshihito, Fujioka, Minoru, Takehara, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,711,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0119 Plausibility check
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558

Abstract

In a side door collision detecting system for a vehicle, an internal pressure sensor detects a door internal pressure of a side door of the vehicle. The internal pressure sensor outputs an internal pressure signal based on the door internal pressure, and the internal pressure sensor is installed in an interior space of the side door. A physical value sensor detects a physical value and outputs a physical value signal based on the physical value. The physical value sensor is installed in the interior space of the side door. A collision determining circuit determines whether the side collision occurs based on the internal pressure signal and the physical value signal.

Claims

1. A side door collision detecting system for a vehicle, comprising:

an internal pressure sensor that detects a door internal pressure of a side door of the vehicle, which is changed by a side collision to the side door, wherein;

the internal pressure sensor outputs an internal pressure signal based on the door internal pressure; and

the internal pressure sensor is installed in an interior space of the side door;

a physical value sensor that detects a physical value, which is changed by the side collision, and outputs a physical value signal based on the physical value, wherein the physical value sensor is installed in the interior space of the side door; and

a collision determining circuit that determines whether the side collision occurs based on the internal pressure signal and the physical value signal.

2. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the collision determining circuit includes;

a calculating means for calculating a corresponding binary signal of each of the internal pressure signal and the physical value signal based on each corresponding predetermined value; and

a logical conjunction calculating means for calculating a logical conjunction based on the corresponding binary signal of the internal pressure signal and the corresponding binary signal of the physical value signal; and

the collision determining circuit determines whether the side collision occurs based on the logical conjunction result.

3. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the collision determining circuit includes;

a first binary signal calculating means for calculating a first binary signal based on a first threshold value for the internal pressure signal;

a second binary signal calculating means for calculating a second binary signal based on a second threshold value for the internal pressure signal, which is lower than the first threshold value for the internal pressure signal;

a third binary signal calculating means for calculating a third binary signal based on a third threshold value for the physical value signal;

a fourth binary signal calculating means for calculating a fourth binary signal based on a fourth threshold value for the physical value signal, which is lower than the third threshold value for the physical value signal;

a first logical conjunction calculating means for calculating a first logical conjunction based on the first and fourth binary signals;

a second logical conjunction calculating means for calculating a second logical conjunction based on the second and third binary signals; and

a logical addition calculating means for a logical addition based on the first and second logical conjunction results, wherein the collision determining circuit determines whether the side collision occurs based on the logical addition result.

4. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the internal pressure sensor, which detects the door internal pressure, is a first internal pressure sensor; and

the physical value sensor is a second internal pressure sensor, which detects the door internal pressure.

5. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the physical value, which is detected by the physical value sensor, is other than the door internal pressure.

6. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 5, wherein the physical value, which is detected by the physical value sensor, includes one of an acceleration characteristic, an acoustic characteristic, an optical characteristic and a displacement characteristic.

7. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor housing, which includes the internal pressure sensor and the physical value sensor.

8. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the side door collision detecting system further comprises a sensor housing that includes the internal pressure sensor and the physical value sensor, which are integrally formed on a single chip in the sensor housing;

the internal pressure sensor is a semiconductor pressure sensor; and

the physical value sensor is a semiconductor acceleration sensor.

9. An occupant protecting system for a vehicle, comprising:

the side door collision detecting system according to claim 1;

and

an occupant protecting device that performs a protection of an occupant of the vehicle based on a determining result of the collision determining circuit of the side door collision detecting system.

10. A side door collision detecting system for a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of physical value sensors, each of which detects a corresponding physical value changed by a side collision to a side door of the vehicle, wherein;

each of the plurality of physical value sensors outputs a corresponding physical value signal, which corresponds to the corresponding physical value;

each of the plurality of physical value sensors is installed in an interior space of the side door; and

each corresponding physical value is other than a door internal pressure of the side door; and

a collision determining circuit that determines whether the side collision occurs based on the corresponding physical value signals outputted by the plurality of physical value sensors.

11. The side door collision detecting system according to claim 10, wherein each corresponding physical value, which is detected by each of the plurality of physical value sensors, includes one of an acceleration characteristic, an acoustic characteristic, an optical characteristic and a displacement characteristic.

12. An occupant protecting system for a vehicle, comprising:

the side door collision detecting system according to claim 10;

and

an occupant protecting device that performs a protection of an occupant of the vehicle based on a determining result of the collision determining circuit of the side door collision detecting system.