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Apparatus for recording an operating condition of a vehicle safety device

  • US 4,968,965 A
  • Filed: 05/31/1989
  • Issued: 11/06/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1988
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for recording an operating condition of a vehicle safety device, comprising:

  • means for triggering the safety device when supplied with an electric current equal to or greater than a reference electric current;

    means for detecting an acceleration of a vehicle which is caused by a collision of the vehicle, and outputting an electric signal depending on the detected vehicle acceleration;

    means for deciding whether or not the triggering means should be activated on the basis of the electric signal from the acceleration detecting means;

    switch means, turned on in response to an output signal from the deciding means, for supplying an electric current equal to or greater than the reference electric current to the triggering means to activate the triggering means;

    means for detecting voltages at respective two ends of the triggering means;

    means for detecting an activating condition of the triggering means on the basis of the detected voltages;

    activation storing means for storing the detected activating condition of the triggering means;

    collision storing means for, when the acceleration detecting means detects the collision acceleration, storing the detection of the collision acceleration by the acceleration detecting means;

    means for judging the triggering means to be activated by a correct cause in cases where, during a predetermined time starting from a moment of the detection of the collision acceleration by the acceleration detecting means, the activation storing means stores the activating condition of the triggering means and the collision storing means stores the detection of the collision acceleration by the acceleration detecting means, for judging the triggering means to be activated by a false cause in other cases, and for outputting a signal representing a result of the judgments;

    means responsive to the output signal from the judging means for recording that the triggering means is activated by a false cause; and

    means for limiting a number of times of the judgments by the judging means to one.

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