VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM

• US 20100198446A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company), Veoneer Sweden Safety Systems AB
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated), Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Erb, Yannick, Triquigneaux, Sylvain, Wallin, Andreas, Le Merrer, Yann, Hardå, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• 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
• 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 vehicle safety system for detecting a side impact, the system comprising at least one sensor operable to detect one or more parameters relating to the rate of yaw of the vehicle, and to provide an output that is dependent upon the longitudinal position along the vehicle of the side impact.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety system for detecting and responding to a side impact of the vehicle, the system comprising

at least one sensor operable to detect one or more parameters relating to the rate of yaw of the vehicle;

a processor operable to determine from the detected parameters that a side impact is occurring or has occurred; and

to output an activation signal;

the activation signal being dependent upon the longitudinal position along the vehicle of the side impact; and

an impact protection arrangement of passive safety devices;

the devices being selectively activated by the output of the activation signal.

2. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the passive safety devices are selected as one from the group of front, rear, and side air bags, inflatable curtains, and combinations thereof.

3. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the activation signal is output if the detected yaw is above a predetermined threshold.

4. A vehicle safety according to claim 1, wherein the activation signal is output if the angular acceleration of the vehicle is above a predetermined threshold.

5. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the activation signal is output if it is determined that the rate of yaw and the angular acceleration of the vehicle are above their respective thresholds.

6. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the activation signal is output if it is determined that the rate of change of angular acceleration of the vehicle is above a predetermined threshold.

7. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the activation signal is output if it is determined that a parameter relating to the lateral acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8. A vehicle safety system according to claim 7, wherein the activation signal is output if it is determined that the lateral acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to output the activation signal if it is determined that an off-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred, and wherein the safety system is further able to determine whether an in-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred.

10. A vehicle safety system according to claim 9 wherein the activation signal is output if it is determined that an in-zone or off-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred.

11. A vehicle safety system according to claim 9, wherein an in-zone activation signal is output if it is determined that an in-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred, and an off-zone activation signal is output if it is determined that an off-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred.

12. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to make a determination as to the longitudinal position along the vehicle of the side impact.

13. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor (5) comprises a gyroscope.

14. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least two accelerometers.

15. A safety system according to claim 14, wherein the accelerometers are displaced from one another in a direction which is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle safety system according to claim 14, wherein the accelerometers are displaced from one another in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

17. A vehicle safety system according to any one of claim 14, wherein the accelerometers are sensitive to acceleration perpendicular to a line connecting the accelerometers.

18. A vehicle safety system according to any one of claim 14, wherein the accelerometers are sensitive to acceleration parallel with a line connecting the accelerometers.

19. A vehicle safety system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a gyroscope and at least two accelerometers, and wherein the parameter relating to the yaw of the vehicle is determined from the acceleration sensed by the two accelerometers, and also from the gyroscope.

25. A vehicle safety system according to claim 10, wherein when it is determined that an in-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred the output of the activation signal activates passive safety devices positioned between the point of impact and the occupants of the vehicle.

26. A vehicle safety system according to claim 10, wherein when it is determined that an off-zone side impact is occurring or has occurred the output of the activation signal activates passive safety devices positioned on the opposite side of the vehicle from the side of impact.

20. A method for detecting a side impact to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

detecting one or more parameters relating to the rate of yaw of the vehicle; and

providing an output, based at least on the one or more parameters, which is dependent upon the longitudinal position along the vehicle of the side impact.

21. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of:

outputting an activation signal to activate a passive impact protection arrangement when it is determined from the at least one parameter that a side impact is occurring or has occurred.

22. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of making a determination as to the longitudinal position along the vehicle of the side impact.

23. A computer program comprising a computer program code operable to perform all of the steps of claim 20 when run on a computer.

24. A computer program according to claim 23, embodied on a computer readable medium.