PASSENGER PROTECTION DEVICE

• US 20090138160A1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoda, Motomi
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• 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 passenger protection device, an object detection unit detects a relative position of an object in a circumference of a vehicle to the vehicle. A side collision prediction unit predicts that the object is about to collide with a side face of the vehicle, based on the relative position detected by the object detection unit. An impact detection unit detects an impact of the object on the vehicle side face. A side collision judgment unit determines whether the object has collided with the vehicle side face, based on the impact detected by the impact detection unit. A passenger protection unit protects a passenger in the vehicle. When the side collision prediction unit predicts that the object is about to collide with the vehicle side face and the side collision judgment unit determines that the object has collided with the vehicle side face, the passenger protection unit is initiated.

Claims

1. A passenger protection device comprising:

a first impact detection unit disposed in a vehicle side face of a vehicle to detect an impact of an object on the vehicle side face;

a first side collision judgment unit determining whether the object has collided with the vehicle side face, based on the impace detected by the first impace detection unit;

a second impace detection unit disposed in a position different from a position of the first impace detection unit to detect an impace of the object on the vehicle side face;

a second side collision judgment unit determining whether the object has collided with the vehicle side face, based on the impace detected by thr second impace detection unit;

a behavior judgment unit determining whether a behavior of the vehicle is in an unstable state, based on an output signal received from a vehicle control device which performs a vehicle stability control process to stabilize an operation of the vehicle; and

a passenger protection unit protecting a passenger in the vehicle,

wherein, when the first side collision judgment unit determines that the object has collided with the vehicle side face, and at the same time, either the second side collision judgment unit determines that the object has collided with the vehicle side face, or the behavior judgment unit determines that the behavior of the vehicle is in an unstable state, the passenger protection unit is initiated.

2. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein the second side collision judgment unit determines that the object has collided with the vehicle side face, when a value of the impact detected by the second impact detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the second side collision judgment unit reduces the predetermined threshold when the behavior judgment unit determines that the behavior of the vehicle is in an unstable state.

3. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein each of the first impace detection unit and the second impace detection unit includes at least one of a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor which detect an impact of the object on the vehicle side face.

4. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein the first impace detection unit is disposed in the side face of the vehicle.

5. The passenger protection device of claim 4, wherein the second impace detection unit is disposed at a central part of the vehicle.

6. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein the behavior judgment unit determines whether the behavior of the vehicle is in an unstable state, based on an output start signal received from a vehicle stability control device which performs a vehicle stability control process to stabilize an operation of the vehicle.

7. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein the passenger protection unit is an air bag device disposed in the side face of the vehicle.