Electric apparatus for a vehicle safety device

• US 4,438,424 A
• Filed: 08/20/1981
• Issued: 03/20/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yasui, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US06/294,555
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52 H, 340/652, 307/10 R, 280/735
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/52 for indicating emergencies

Abstract

An electric apparatus for a vehicle safety device including an actuation recording apparatus for vehicle safety devices for protecting occupants in a vehicle during a crash thereof includes an internal power supply circuit and a plurality of circuits each thereof including a parallel connection of a resistor and an external recorder driving an electric circuit. The apparatus also includes connecting terminals for connection to a power source, external crash sensors, external initiators for vehicle safety devices and external recorders. The apparatus is fabricated as a unit in the form of an integrated circuit package.

Claims

1. An electric apparatus for a vehicle safety device including a power supply circuit, sensor means for sensing collision of a vehicle, and a plurality of triggering means fed by said power supply circuit through said sensor means for triggering at least one vehicle safety device upon actuation of said sensor means, said electric apparatus comprising:

a plurality of resistors;

a plurality of recorder means each thereof comprising electric circuit means connected in parallel with one of said plurality of resistors and for actuation by a high potential difference across said one of said plurality of resistors, the recorder means being actuated when a large electric current flows through said one of said plurality of resistors by way of an associated one of said plurality of triggering means upon the actuation of said sensor means, and permanently remains in the actuated state;

said plurality of resistors having one end thereof connected in common to an end of said sensor means and the other end thereof connected to one of said plurality of triggering means and

output terminals connected to outputs of said electric circuit means of said plurality of recorder means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said recorder means comprises a latching relay.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said recorder means comprises a quick-operating thermal fuse.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said power supply circuit comprises:

a battery; and

a back-up capacitor circuit having power supply output terminals and input terminals for connection in parallel with said battery, said back-up capacitor circuit comprising a series circuit of a back-up capacitor, a discharging diode and a charging resistor in parallel, and a charging diode.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of resistors, said plurality of recorder means, said output terminals, and said back-up capacitor circuit of said power supply circuit are fabricated as a unit in the form of an integrated circuit package.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said circuit package is an encapsulated circuit package.

7. An electric apparatus for a vehicle safety device including a power supply circuit, a plurality of sensor means for sensing collision of a vehicle, and a plurality of triggering means fed by said power supply circuit through said sensor means for triggering at least one vehicle safety device upon actuation of said sensor means, said electric apparatus comprising:

a plurality of record means each thereof comprising electric circuit means connected in parallel with one of said plurality of resistors and for actuation by a high potential difference across said one of said plurality of resistors, the recorder means actuates when a large electric current flows through said one of said plurality of resistors by way of an associated one of said plurality of triggering means upon the actuation of said sensor means and permanently remains in the actuated state;

a plurality of resistors each thereof connected to one of said electric circuit means of one of said plurality of recorder means, and having one end thereof connected in common to an end of one of said plurality of sensor means and the other end thereof connected to an end of another one of said plurality of sensor means by way of one of said plurality of triggering means;

output terminals connected to said outputs of said electric circuit means of said plurality of recorder means, respectively; and

a back-up capacitor circuit comprising a portion of said power supply circuit and having input terminals for connection in parallel with a battery and power supply, and output terminals connected to the other end of said one and said another one of said plurality of sensor means, respectively, said back-up capacitor circuit comprising a series circuit of a back-up capacitor, a discharging diode and a charging resistor in parallel, and a charging diode,

wherein said plurality of recorder means, said plurality of resistors, said output terminals, and said back-up capacitor circuit are fabricated as a unit in the form of an integrated circuit package.