SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATION OF CRASH SIGNATURE SENSOR IN VEHICLE SIDE IMPACT SENSING

• US 20090248253A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rao, Manoharprasad K., Le, Jialiang, Chou, Clifford C., Simmons, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0119 Plausibility check
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01332 by frequency or waveform analysis
• 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

A system and method for performing side impact sensing in a vehicle including at least one side impact zone is provided. The system comprises a controller and at least one crash signature sensor. The controller is configured to deploy one or more safety restraints in response to at least one crash signature signal. The one crash signature sensor is positioned in the side impact zone. The crash signature sensor is configured to detect an impact with an object at the side impact zone. The crash signature sensor is further configured to generate the crash signature signal which corresponds to measured structural impact energy of the vehicle in the side impact zone deformed by the impact at frequencies above 2 kHz.

Claims

1. A system for performing side impact sensing in a vehicle including at least one side impact zone, the system comprising:

a controller configured to deploy one or more safety restraints in response to at least one crash signature signal; and

at least one crash signature sensor positioned in the side impact zone, wherein the side impact zone is a part of a vehicle side structure that is disposed about at least one of a first row occupant seating arrangement and a second row seating arrangement of the vehicle, the crash signature sensor is configured to;

detect an impact with an object at the side impact zone; and

generate the at least one crash signature signal which corresponds to measured structural impact energy of the vehicle in the side impact zone deformed by the impact at frequencies above 2 kHz.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the crash signature signal further corresponds to measured structural impact energy of the vehicle in the side impact zone deformed by the impact at a frequency range between 2 kHz and 20 kHz.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one pressure sensor positioned about B pillars of the vehicle to generate at least one pressure signal indicative of the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the first row occupant seating arrangement.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the crash signature sensors are positioned about C pillars of the vehicle and configured to generate the crash signature signals in response to the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the second row occupant seating arrangement.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the controller further includes an accelerometer sensor configured to generate acceleration signals at frequencies below 400 Hz, the controller is further configured to perform plausibility with at least one of the crash signature signals, the pressure signals, and the acceleration signals prior to deploying safety restraints.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the crash signature sensors are positioned about at least one of B and C pillars of the vehicle and configured to generate the crash signature signals in response to the vehicle experiencing an impact in the side impact zone disposed about the at least one of the first and the second row occupant seating arrangements.

7. A method for performing side impact sensing in a vehicle, the vehicle includes at least one side impact zone, the method comprising:

deploying one or more safety restraints in response to at least one crash signature signal;

positioning the at least one crash signature sensor in the side impact zone, wherein the side impact zone is part of a vehicle side structure that is disposed about at least one of a first row occupant seating arrangement and a second row occupant seating arrangement of the vehicle;

detecting an impact at the side impact zone with the crash signature sensor; and

generating the crash signature signal which corresponds to measured structural impact energy of the vehicle in the impact zone deformed by the impact at frequencies above 2 kHz with the crash signature sensor.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the crash signature signal further corresponds to measured structural impact energy of the vehicle in the side impact zone deformed by the impact at frequencies in a range between 2 kHz and 20 kHz.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising positioning at least one pressure sensor about B pillars of the vehicle to generate pressure signals indicative of the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the first row occupant seating arrangement of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein positioning the crash signature sensors further comprises positioning the crash signature sensors about C pillars of the vehicle to generate the crash signature signals in response to the vehicle experiencing an impact in the side impact zone disposed about the second row occupant seating arrangement of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating at least one acceleration signal at frequencies below 400 Hz with an accelerometer sensor and performing plausibility with at least one of the crash signature signal, the pressure signal, and the acceleration signal prior to deploying safety restraints.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein positioning the crash signature sensor further comprises positioning the crash signature sensor about at least one of B and C pillars of the vehicle to generate the crash signature signals in response to the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the at least one of the first and the second row occupant seating arrangements.

13. A sensor assembly for detecting a side impact in a vehicle, the sensor assembly comprising:

at least one crash signature sensor positioned in a side impact zone, wherein the side impact zone is a part of a vehicle side structure that is disposed about at least one of a first row occupant seating arrangement and a second row seating arrangement, the at least one crash signature sensor is configured to;

detect impact with an object in the side impact zone disposed about at least one first and second row occupant seating arrangements of the vehicle; and

transmit the crash signature signal to a controller for deploying one or more safety restraints in response to the impact, wherein the crash signature signal corresponds to measured structural impact energy at frequencies above 2 kHz.

14. The sensor assembly of claim 13 wherein the crash signature signal further corresponds to measured structural impact energy of the vehicle in the side impact zone deformed by the impact at frequencies in a range between 2 kHz and 20 kHz.

15. The sensor assembly of claim 13 further comprising at least one pressure sensor positioned about B pillars of the vehicle and configured to generate at least one pressure signal indicative of the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the first row occupant seating arrangement.

16. The sensor assembly of claim 15 wherein the crash signature sensor is positioned about C pillars of the vehicle and is configured to generate the crash signature signals in response to the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the second row occupant seating arrangement.

17. The sensor assembly of claim 16 further comprising an accelerometer sensor positioned within the controller and configured to generate acceleration signals at frequencies below 400 Hz, wherein the controller is further configured to perform plausibility with at least one of the crash signature signal, the pressure signal, and the acceleration signal prior to deploying safety restraints.

18. The sensor assembly of claim 13 wherein the crash signature sensor is positioned about at least one of B and C pillars of the vehicle to generate the crash signature signals in response to the vehicle experiencing an impact at the side impact zone disposed about the at least one of the first and the second row occupant seating arrangements.