APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TESTING AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT OF VEHICLE

• US 20120078464A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems Corp (Continental AG), Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: You, Chang Beom, Kim, Dong-Hyun, Chu, Sang Uk, Nam, Jung-Pil
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/32.8
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/008 by doing functionality tests

Abstract

A system testing the air bag control unit of a vehicle testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle summing a first signal shaken by a shaker and a second signal provided from the signal control apparatus to generate a sum-sensing signal, and generating a determining signal for evaluation regarding presence of an operation of an air bag based on the sum-sensing signal, is provided. The system testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle, includes: a shaker control unit generating a first signal and start-synchronizing information regarding the first signal; a shaker shaking an air bag control unit according to a frequency of the first signal; a signal control unit time-synchronizing and transferring the second signal with the first signal using the start-synchronizing information to the air bag control unit; and an air bag control unit generating a sum-sensing signal regarding the first signal and the second signal, generating and transferring a determining signal for evaluation regarding presence of an operation of an air bag based on the sum-sensing signal to the signal control unit.

Claims

1. A system for testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a shaker control unit generating a first signal and start-synchronizing information corresponding to the first signal;

a shaker shaking an air bag control unit according to the frequency of the first signal;

a signal control unit time-synchronizing a second signal with the first signal using the start-synchronizing information and transferring the second signal to the air bag control unit; and

an air bag control unit generating a sum-sensing signal from the first signal and the second signal, generating from the sum-sensing signal a determining signal of whether an air bag operates and transferring the generated determining signal to the signal control unit.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a testing unit testing operation characteristics of the air bag control unit using the first signal, the second signal, and the determining signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the start-synchronizing information contains start time information of the first signal.

4. A signal control apparatus testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a shaker control unit sensing a first signal that is used to operate a shaker;

a communication module receiving from the shaker control unit start-synchronizing information regarding the first signal;

a synchronizing module time-synchronizing a second signal with the first signal using the start-synchronizing information; and

a control module transferring the second signal to the air bag control unit such that the air bag control unit outputs a determining signal of whether an air bag operates through a sum-sensing signal obtained from the first signal and the second signal.

5. The signal control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control module receives the determining signal from the air bag control unit and transfers to a testing unit such that the testing unit evaluates operation characteristics of the air bag control unit by using the determining signal, the first signal, and the second signal.

6. The signal control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the start-synchronizing information contains start time information of the first signal.

7. The signal control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first signal has a frequency band of 1 kHz or lower, and the second signal has a frequency band of greater than 1 kHz and not greater than 20 kHz.

8. A air bag control unit for a vehicle, comprising:

a sensor module sensing a shaking signal corresponding to a frequency of a first signal generated by a shaker; and

a microcomputer receiving a second signal time-synchronized with the first signal, generating a sum-sensing signal using the first signal and the second signal, comparing the sum-sensing signal with a pre-set air bag operation reference value, and outputting a determining signal of whether an air bag operates.

9. The air bag control unit of claim 8, wherein the microcomputer transfers the determining signal to a testing unit through a signal control unit such that the testing unit evaluates operation characteristics of an air bag control unit using the first signal, the second signal, and the determining signal.

10. The air bag control unit of claim 9, wherein the start-synchronizing information contains start time information of the first signal.

11. The air bag control unit of claim 9, wherein the first signal has a frequency band of 1 kHz or lower, and the second signal has a frequency band of greater than 1 kHz and not greater than 20 kHz.

12. A method for testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) generating a first signal and start-synchronizing information corresponding to the first signal by a shaker control unit;

(b) shaking an air bag control unit according to a frequency of the first signal by a shaker;

(c) time-synchronizing a second signal with the first signal using the start-synchronizing information and transferring the second signal to the air bag control unit by a signal control unit; and

(d) generating a sum-sensing signal from the first signal and the second signal, generating from the sum-sensing signal a determining signal of whether an air bag operates, and transferring the determining signal to the signal control unit by the air bag control unit.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising testing operation characteristics of the air bag control unit using the first signal, the second signal, and the determining signal by a testing unit.

14. A method for generating signal for testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) generating a first signal and start-synchronizing information corresponding to the first signal by a shaker control unit;

(b) time-synchronizing the second signal with the first signal using the start-synchronizing information; and

(c) transferring the second signal to an air bag control unit that the air bag control unit outputs a determining signal of whether an air bag operates from a sum-sensing signal obtained from the first signal and the second signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising (c) receiving the determining signal from the air bag control unit and transferring to a testing unit such that the testing unit evaluates operation characteristics of the air bag control unit from the determining signal, the first signal, and the second signal.

16. A method for processing a signal for testing an air bag control unit of a vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) sensing a shaking signal corresponding to a frequency of a first signal generated by a shaker;

(b) receiving a second signal time-synchronized with the first signal;

(c) generating a sum-sensing signal from the first signal and the second signal; and

(d) comparing the sum-sensing signal with a pre-set air bag operation reference value, and outputting a determining signal of whether an air bag operates.

17. The signal processing method of claim 16, further comprising:

(e) transferring the determining signal to a testing unit through a signal control unit such that the testing unit evaluates operation characteristics of an air bag control unit from the first signal, the second signal, and the determining signal.