ACTIVATION APPARATUS FOR OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEM

• US 20110004377A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexgen Control Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Yamashita, Toshiyuki, Harase, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• 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

An activation apparatus for an occupant protection system includes acceleration sensors which are disposed on the respective right and left sides of a vehicle with respect to the center of the vehicle on the vehicle and each of which is provided for detecting the acceleration from the side opposite to the side where the sensor is disposed, and includes a determiner that determines whether or not an occupant protection system is to be activated by comparing the physical quantity computed based on the value detected and outputted by the acceleration sensor with a threshold for activating the occupant protection system.

Claims

1. An activation apparatus for an occupant protection system comprising:

acceleration sensors which are disposed on the respective right and left sides of a vehicle with respect to the center thereof on the vehicle and each of which is used for detecting the acceleration from the side opposite from the side where the sensor is disposed; and

a determining unit determining whether or not the occupant protection system is to be activated by comparing the physical quantity computed based on the value detected and outputted by the acceleration sensor with a threshold for activating the occupant protection system.

2. An activation apparatus for an occupant protection system, wherein the threshold for activating an occupant protection system as set forth in claim 1 is caused to change based on the rollover angular velocity or rollover angle of a vehicle calculated based on the output from an angular velocity sensor or an angle sensor installed in the vehicle.

3. An activation apparatus for an occupant protection system, wherein the value obtained by multiplying the rollover angular velocity or rollover angle of a vehicle calculated based on the output from an angular velocity sensor or an angle sensor installed in the vehicle by a weighting coefficient is added to the output value from the acceleration sensor as set forth in claim 1.

4. An activation apparatus for an occupant protection system, wherein the acceleration sensor as set forth in claim 1 is shared with an acceleration sensor making an activation determination in the right or left direction opposite the side where the former acceleration sensor is disposed with respect to the center of a vehicle.

5. The activation apparatus for an occupant protection system according to claim 1, wherein the threshold is set to an acceleration value or velocity change value upon a collision accompanied by the velocity change over the whole vehicle body.

6. The activation apparatus for an occupant protection system according to claim 5, wherein the threshold is set to the maximum value in the non-rollover mode of a vehicle and when a computed value exceeds the threshold, the occupant protection system is activated assuming that the vehicle overturns.

7. The activation apparatus for an occupant protection system according to claim 1, wherein the occupant protection system is constructed of either or both of a curtain airbag and a side airbag in combination of a seatbelt pretensioner.