OCCUPANT PROTECTION DEVICE

• US 20100318265A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Yamashita, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• 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 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01332 by frequency or waveform analysis

Abstract

The occupant protection device (air bag ECU 1) of the invention is composed of an input signal acquisition unit 11 for acquiring acceleration signals or angular velocity signals from sensors installed in a vehicle, a digital signal processing unit 12 for generating an output signal in a time series of the acceleration signals or angular velocity signals composed of consecutive first, second and third intervals by changing a multiplication factor of the second interval in comparison with the first and third intervals, a status determination unit 13 for determining a collision or rollover of the vehicle based on the output signal, and an air bag actuation circuit 14 for igniting a squib 32.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device, comprising:

an input signal acquisition unit for acquiring acceleration signals or angular velocity signals from sensors installed in a vehicle;

a digital signal processing unit for generating an output signal in a time series of the acceleration signals or angular velocity signals composed of consecutive first, second and third intervals including a plurality of points by changing a multiplication factor of the second interval in comparison with the first and third intervals; and

a status determination unit for determining a collision or rollover of the vehicle based on the output signal.

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the digital signal processing unit is composed of an FIR filter in which multiplication factors in the first and third intervals are symmetrical with respect to the second interval.

3. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein the digital signal processing unit sets the multiplication factor in the second interval to a value greater than the multiplication factors in the first and third intervals.

4. The occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the digital signal processing unit sets such that the set values of the multiplication factors from the first interval to the third interval are in a ratio of 1:

2;

1.

5. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the status determination unit determines a collision or rollover of the vehicle in the case the digital signal processing unit integrates an output signal generated by setting the multiplication factor in the second interval to a value smaller than the multiplication factors in the first and third intervals, and an output signal obtained by the integration is equal to or greater than a prescribed value.

6. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the digital signal processing unit sets all multiplication factors from the first interval to the third interval to the same polarity.

7. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein the digital signal processing unit sets the sum of the multiplication factors from the first interval to the third interval to 1.

8. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the digital signal processing unit carries out averaging processing on a plurality of intervals of the acceleration signals or angular velocity signals, combines the results of the interval averaging processing, and generates an output signal by changing the multiplication factor of the second interval in comparison with the first and third intervals.

9. The occupant protection device according to claim 8, wherein the digital signal processing unit generates an output signal by adding an output in which a comparatively short-interval average is delayed by a prescribed amount of time, and an output of a long-interval average relative to the comparatively short-interval average.

10. The occupant protection device according to claim 8, wherein the status determination unit determines a collision or rollover of the vehicle in the case the digital signal processing unit integrates an output signal generated by subtracting an output in which a short-interval average is delayed by a prescribed amount of time from an output of a long-interval average, and an output signal obtained by the integration is equal to or greater than a prescribed value.

11. The occupant protection device according to claim 5, wherein the status determination unit carries out integration by removing components in which the amplitude of an output signal generated by the digital signal processing unit is equal to or less than a prescribed value.

12. The occupant protection device according to claim 9, wherein the digital signal processing unit processes such that the delay time is set to half the long-interval average.