Method and system for protecting a passenger of a vehicle

• US 20060249324A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MJC Probe Incorporation, Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: MJC Probe Incorporation
• Inventors: Kuttenberger, Alfred, Weber, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US10/507,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20060249324A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01061 between the airbag system and other vehicle electronic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over

Abstract

A method for protecting a vehicle passenger is provided, in which method the occurrence of a sharp pressure loss in a tire, as it occurs in particular in the case of a tire blowout, is detected and is used for activating a reversible system assigned to a seat, in particular to a belt tensioner, so as to fix the occupant in the seat in this potentially dangerous situation. The detection of this rapid loss can moreover be used for adjusting the triggering thresholds of other, reversible and irreversible, restraint devices.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for protecting a vehicle occupant in the occurrence of a potentially dangerous situation, comprising:

continuously monitoring a value of the loss of a tire pressure of at least one tire of the vehicle; and

triggering activation of at least one system that is assigned to a seat of the vehicle occupant and is configured to be reversibly activated, if the value of the loss of the tire pressure of at least one tire exceeds a threshold value, wherein exceeding of the threshold value corresponds to a sudden pressure loss occurring in a tire blowout.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the system is a belt tensioner configured to be reversibly activated for fixing the vehicle occupant to the seat of the vehicle occupant.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein if activation of the system is triggered, an existence of an imminent possibility of an accident is assumed and an appropriate information is transmitted to at least one triggering unit for adjusting a triggering threshold for triggering at least one restraint device.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the appropriate information is fed into a vehicle information network and is made available to a plurality of triggering units for adjusting at least one of parameters and triggering thresholds for triggering a plurality of restraint devices.

17. A system for protecting a vehicle occupant in the occurrence of a potentially dangerous situation, comprising:

at least one system that is assigned to a seat of the vehicle occupant and is configured to be reversibly activated;

a pressure sensor for monitoring a pressure of at least one tire;

an analysis unit for analyzing the pressure of the at least one tire to determine whether a value of a loss of the pressure of the at least one tire exceeds a threshold value; and

a triggering control unit for triggering activation of the at least one system that is assigned to the seat of the vehicle occupant and is configured to be reversibly activated, if the value of the loss of the tire pressure of the at least one tire exceeds the threshold value, wherein exceeding of the threshold value corresponds to a sudden pressure loss occurring in a tire blowout.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the triggering control unit activates a tensioning mechanism of a reversible belt tensioning system.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, further comprising a crash evaluation circuit, wherein a signal indicating the exceeding of the threshold value is sent to the crash evaluation circuit for use as a parameter indicating an existence of imminent possibility of an accident.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, further comprising a crash evaluation circuit, wherein a signal indicating the exceeding of the threshold value is sent to the crash evaluation circuit for use as a parameter indicating an existence of imminent possibility of an accident.

21. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein a signal indicating the exceeding of the threshold value is fed into a vehicle information network.

22. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein a signal indicating the exceeding of the threshold value is fed into a vehicle information network.

23. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein a signal indicating the exceeding of the threshold value is fed into a vehicle information network.