Vehicle safety system including accelerometers

• US 20090048740A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Schiefele, Markus Johannes
• Application Number:
  US11/892,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20090048740A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value

Abstract

A system is provided for determining the motion of a vehicle. The system includes a rigid vehicle body having a plurality of accelerometers positioned throughout the vehicle body. The accelerometers are operably connected to a controller for obtaining the accelerometer measurements and estimating the angular velocity, acceleration and angular acceleration at positions throughout the vehicle. Based on theses estimations, the controller determines whether a safety device is activated.

Claims

1. -20. (canceled)

37. A vehicle safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the safety device is a passive safety system.

21. A vehicle safety system, comprising:

a safety device;

a controller, operably connected to the safety device; and

two accelerometers positioned in the vehicle for obtaining acceleration measurements at positions throughout the vehicle, wherein the accelerometers are configured to calculate the directional angular velocity of the vehicle except for the directional angular velocity parallel to a line formed by the accelerometers.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller receives input from the accelerometers and is configured to calculate the yaw and roll rates of the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller receives input from the accelerometers and is configured to calculate the yaw and pitch rate of the vehicle.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller receives input from the accelerometers and is configured to calculate the roll and pitch rates of the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the accelerometers are configured to measure inertial forces ranging from 0 to 2 times the acceleration of gravity.

26. A vehicle safety system, comprising:

a safety device;

a controller, operably connected to the safety device; and

three accelerometers positioned in the vehicle for obtaining acceleration measurements at positions throughout the vehicle, wherein the accelerometers are mounted in the vehicle in the form of a nondegenerated triangle wherein a plane formed by the accelerometers is not parallel to any axis of a three dimensional Cartesian coordinate system relative to the vehicle.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the controller receives input from each of the three accelerometers and is configured to calculate the yaw, pitch and roll rates of the vehicle.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the controller receives input from each of the three accelerometers and is configured to calculate the three dimensional acceleration of a point on the vehicle.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the accelerometers are configured to measure inertial forces ranging from 0 to 2 times the acceleration of gravity.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the controller is operably connected to the plurality of accelerometers wirelessly.

31. A vehicle safety system, comprising:

a safety device;

a controller, operably connected to the safety device; and

four accelerometers positioned in the vehicle for obtaining acceleration measurements at positions throughout the vehicle, wherein the accelerometers are positioned in the vehicle so that the accelerometers do not lie in the same plane.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the controller receives input from each of the four accelerometers and is configured to calculate the roll, pitch and yaw rates of the vehicle.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the controller receives input from each of the four accelerometers and is configured to calculate the raw, pitch and roll accelerations of the vehicle.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the controller receives input from each of the four accelerometers and is configured to calculate the three dimensional acceleration of a point on the vehicle.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the accelerometers are configured to measure inertial forces ranging from 0 to 2 times the acceleration of gravity.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the controller is operably connected to the plurality of accelerometers wirelessly.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the safety device is an active safety system.