EXTERNAL AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20140156145A1
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Han Sung, Lee, Seoung Hoon, Kim, Yong Sun, Jo, Sang Min, Bae, Jin Ho, Kwon, Ki Jin
• Application Number:
  US13/846,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156145A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/36 using airbags

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an external airbag deployment system and method of determining whether to deploy an external airbag. The method includes setting, by a controller, a detection area that has a predetermined range and selecting an object that has a shortest Time To External Airbag (EAB) (TTE), from objects detected in the detection area, as a dangerous object, the TTE being a remaining time until the object collides with an airbag cushion when the external airbag is predicted to be deployed. When the dangerous object has a relative velocity greater than a first reference, an overlap greater than a second reference, and a TTE less than a third reference, the dangerous object may be selected as a target object, to cause the external airbag to be deployed.

Claims

1. An external airbag deployment method comprising:

setting, by a controller, a detection area located in front of a vehicle;

selecting, by the controller, an object having a shortest Time to External Airbag (EAB)(TTE), from a plurality of objects detected in the detection area, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTE is a remaining time until the object collides with an airbag cushion when an external airbag is predicted to be deployed;

selecting, by the controller, the dangerous object as a target object, when the dangerous object has a relative velocity greater than a first reference, an overlap greater than a second reference, and a TTE less than a third reference; and

deploying, by the controller, the external airbag after the dangerous object has been selected as the target object.

2. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein selecting the dangerous object as the target object includes:

determining, by the controller, whether a relative velocity and an overlap of the target object, predicted at a time when the target object is predicted to collide with the vehicle, are greater than predetermined levels, and

deploying, by the controller, the external airbag, when the predicted relative velocity and overlap of the target object are greater than the predetermined levels.

3. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein selecting an object as the dangerous object further includes:

selecting, by the controller, an object having a shortest Time To Collision (TTC), from the plurality of the detected objects, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTC is a remaining time until the object collides with the vehicle when the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

4. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein selecting an object as the dangerous object further includes:

selecting, by the controller, an object having a shortest TTE or TTC, from the plurality of the detected objects, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTC is a remaining time until the object collides with the vehicle when the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

5. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein the first reference is selected from a range between 40 km/h and 50 km/h.

6. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein the second reference is selected from a range between 10% and 30%.

7. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein the third reference is selected from a range between 70 ms and 90 ms.

8. The external airbag deployment method of claim 1, wherein the overlap is calculated by selecting, a greater of a left boundary value of the vehicle and a right boundary value of the dangerous object, selecting a smaller of a right boundary value of the vehicle and a left boundary value of the dangerous object, wherein the values between the selected values are an overlap distance, and dividing the overlap distance by a width of the self vehicle.

9. An external airbag deployment system, comprising:

a controller configured to;

set a detection area located in front of a vehicle;

select an object having a shortest Time to External Airbag (EAB)(TTE), from a plurality of objects detected in the detection area, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTE is a remaining time until the object collides with an airbag cushion when an external airbag is predicted to be deployed;

select the dangerous object as a target object, when the dangerous object has a relative velocity greater than a first reference, an overlap greater than a second reference, and a TTE less than a third reference; and

deploy the external airbag after the dangerous object has been selected as the target object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine whether a relative velocity and an overlap of the target object, predicted at a time when the target object is predicted to collide with the vehicle, are greater than predetermined levels, and

deploy the external airbag, when the predicted relative velocity and overlap of the target object are greater than the predetermined levels.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select an object having a shortest Time To Collision (TTC), from the plurality of the detected objects, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTC is a remaining time until the object collides with the vehicle when the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select an object having a shortest TTE or TTC, from the plurality of the detected objects, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTC is a remaining time until the object collides with the vehicle when the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first reference is selected from a range between 40 km/h and 50 km/h.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the second reference is selected from a range between 10% and 30%.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the third reference is selected from a range between 70 ms and 90 MS.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a processor or controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that set a detection area located in front of a vehicle;

program instructions that select an object having a shortest Time to External Airbag (EAB)(TTE), from a plurality of objects detected in the detection area, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTE is a remaining time until the object collides with an airbag cushion when an external airbag is predicted to be deployed;

program instructions that select the dangerous object as a target object, when the dangerous object has a relative velocity greater than a first reference, an overlap greater than a second reference, and a TTE less than a third reference; and

program instructions that deploy the external airbag after the dangerous object has been selected as the target object.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

program instructions that determine whether a relative velocity and an overlap of the target object, predicted at a time when the target object is predicted to collide with the vehicle, are greater than predetermined levels, and

program instructions that deploy the external airbag, when the predicted relative velocity and overlap of the target object are greater than the predetermined levels.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

program instructions that select an object having a shortest Time To Collision (TTC), from the plurality of the detected objects, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTC is a remaining time until the object collides with the vehicle when the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

program instructions that select an object having a shortest TTE or TTC, from the plurality of the detected objects, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTC is a remaining time until the object collides with the vehicle when the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.