Safety Arrangement for Use in a Motor Vehicle

• US 20080258443A1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lenning, Anders, Dahlgren, Mikael
• Granted Patent: US 7,735,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01279 Load limiters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01313 monitoring the vehicle steering system or the dynamic control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01317 monitoring seat belt tensiont
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2395 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01548 sensing the amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0155 sensing belt tension

Abstract

A safety arrangement to provide protection for an occupant in a motor vehicle includes a seat-belt provided with a measuring device to measure energy absorbed by the seat-belt. The measuring device may determine the length of safety-belt paid-out after a retractor locks, the belt being paid-out against a force provided by a force-limiter. The energy absorbed is calculated and is used to control the vents of a ventable air-bag. The air-bag is vented if a substantial part of the energy of the occupant is absorbed by the seat-belt, but is not vented if a large proportion of the energy has not been absorbed by the seat-belt.

Claims

1. A safety arrangement for an occupant positioned in the front cabin of a motor vehicle, wherein the safety arrangement includes a safety-belt and an air-bag which is ventable in response to a control signal, the safety arrangement comprising:

an energy measuring device for measuring the energy absorbed via the safety-belt as the occupant of the vehicle moves against the safety-belt during an accident situation; and

a control unit configured to generate the control signal response to the measured energy absorbed.

2. The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement further comprises a comparator to compare the measured energy absorbed by the safety-belt with a predetermined threshold and to generate the control signal for venting the air-bag when the energy absorbed by the safety-belt is greater than the predetermined threshold.

3. The safety arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the control unit in response to an input selected from a group consisting of a predicted crash violence, an actual crash violence, a position of the occupant, and a weight of a the occupant.

4. The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement includes a retractor for the safety-belt and an energy absorbing device, the retractor cooperating with the energy absorbing device to absorb energy as the occupant moves against the safety-belt during the accident situation, wherein the energy measuring device measures the energy absorbed by the energy absorbing device.

5. The safety arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the energy absorbing device is an adaptable load-limiter which provides a selected energy absorbing resistance during the accident situation.

6. The safety arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the adaptable load-limiter provides the selected energy absorbing resistance in response to at least one input selected from the group consisting of the severity of the accident, the position of the occupant and the weight of the occupant.

7. The safety arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the retractor includes a spool onto which the safety-belt is wound, wherein the energy absorbing device absorbs energy on rotation of the spool after locking of the retractor, and the retractor further includes an angle measurement device for measuring the angle of rotation of the spool as the safety-belt is paid out from the retractor after locking of the retractor, wherein the angle measurement device measures the energy absorbed.

8. The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement includes a crash algorithm unit and a timer, wherein the crash algorithm unit determines when an accident situation is occurring and produces a trigger signal to inflate the air-bag the timer times to a pre-determined time after the trigger signal is transmitted to the air-bag and generates a timer signal which indicates the air-bag is substantial inflated, wherein the control signal is transmitted to the air-bag when the timer signal is generated.

9. The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement further comprises a position sensor and a control unit, wherein the position sensor measures the position of the occupant relative to the front of the cabin of the vehicle and produces a signal which is input into the control unit, wherein the position sensor is configured to determine if the occupant is out of position and the control unit is configured to produce a signal for venting the air-bag when the position sensor generates a signal indicating that the occupant is out of position.