Circuit arrangement for triggering a vehicle passenger protection system
First Claim
1. A circuit arrangement for triggering a vehicle passenger protection system in a vehicle having an engine in the event of an accident, comprising:
- a voltage source operatively connected to a parallel circuit having at least two current branches,current branches of said at least two current branches each having a dedicated trigger, wherein a respective dedicated trigger of a respective current branch of said at least two current branches conducts, during the accident, a current impulse,said current branches of said at least two current branches each having a dedicated capacitor charged by the voltage source, each dedicated capacitor of said dedicated capacitors of said at least two current branches having both a high self-capacitance and a high ignition voltage, wherein during the accident a respective dedicated capacitor of said respective current branch delivers to the respective dedicated trigger the current impulse that triggers the protection system,current branches of the at least two current branches each having a decoupling element, wherein during the accident decoupling elements of said at least two current branches mutually decouple current impulses flowing in said at least two current branches,said current branches of said at least two current branches each having an individual triggering switch, a respective individual triggering switch of said respective current branch being connected in parallel to said respective dedicated trigger and said respective dedicated capacitor wherein the respective individual triggering switch is conductive during the accident thereby permitting the respective current impulse to flow through the respective dedicated trigger andat least one common triggering switch, which is connected in series with individual triggering switches of the at least two current branches, wherein the at least one common triggering switch is conductive during the accident thereby permitting the respective current impulse to flow through the respective dedicated trigger,said current branches of said at least two current branches each having at least one measuring point connected in series with the capacitor thereof and the dedicated trigger thereof, at least one of the capacitor and the dedicated trigger of each current branch being connected before the accident by means of the voltage source to continuous-operation voltages which are testable via said measuring point; and
in each of said current branches of said at least two current branches the decoupling element thereof, the capacitor thereof, the trigger thereof and the measuring point thereof forming a series circuit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Circuit arrangement for triggering a vehicle passenger protection system, having a plurality of triggers (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3), through which (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3) in the event of a sufficiently serious accident a current impulse is conducted in each case, which for its part is intended to trigger the protection, one or more triggering switches (SS in FIGS. 1 and 2), the switching path of which (SS) in each case is non-conductive before the accident, and in the event of a sufficiently serious accident makes the transition to its conductive state and thus causes the current impulse through the triggers (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3), a plurality of current branches (ZP1/C2, ZP2/C5, ZP3/C9), which in each case contain at least one of the triggers, for example a primer capsule (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3), and a capacitor (C2, C5, C9), and a parallel circuit which is formed by the parallel circuit of the current branches (ZP1/C2, ZP2/C5, ZP3/C9). Before the accident the capacitor (C2, C5, C9) of each of the current branches (ZP1/C2, ZP2/C5, ZP3/C9) is connected during the journey to a voltage source (VCC30, GND according to FIG. 3 ), and thus is charged before the accident to an ignition voltage (approximately 30 V). The capacitor (C2, C5, C9) of each of the current branches (ZP1/C2, ZP2/C5, ZP3/C9) has both so high a self-capacitance (270μF) and, before the accident, so high an ignition voltage (approximately 30 V), that during the accident it (C2, C5, C9) delivers the current impulse with reliably sufficient energy in each case to trigger the trigger/triggers (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3) of the relevant current branch (ZP1/C2, ZP2/C5, ZP3/C9) despite any additional energy losses (in D2, D 8, D11, Q6, Q9, Q13, Q16, R41, R42, R56).
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A circuit arrangement for triggering a vehicle passenger protection system in a vehicle having an engine in the event of an accident, comprising:
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a voltage source operatively connected to a parallel circuit having at least two current branches, current branches of said at least two current branches each having a dedicated trigger, wherein a respective dedicated trigger of a respective current branch of said at least two current branches conducts, during the accident, a current impulse, said current branches of said at least two current branches each having a dedicated capacitor charged by the voltage source, each dedicated capacitor of said dedicated capacitors of said at least two current branches having both a high self-capacitance and a high ignition voltage, wherein during the accident a respective dedicated capacitor of said respective current branch delivers to the respective dedicated trigger the current impulse that triggers the protection system, current branches of the at least two current branches each having a decoupling element, wherein during the accident decoupling elements of said at least two current branches mutually decouple current impulses flowing in said at least two current branches, said current branches of said at least two current branches each having an individual triggering switch, a respective individual triggering switch of said respective current branch being connected in parallel to said respective dedicated trigger and said respective dedicated capacitor wherein the respective individual triggering switch is conductive during the accident thereby permitting the respective current impulse to flow through the respective dedicated trigger and at least one common triggering switch, which is connected in series with individual triggering switches of the at least two current branches, wherein the at least one common triggering switch is conductive during the accident thereby permitting the respective current impulse to flow through the respective dedicated trigger, said current branches of said at least two current branches each having at least one measuring point connected in series with the capacitor thereof and the dedicated trigger thereof, at least one of the capacitor and the dedicated trigger of each current branch being connected before the accident by means of the voltage source to continuous-operation voltages which are testable via said measuring point; and in each of said current branches of said at least two current branches the decoupling element thereof, the capacitor thereof, the trigger thereof and the measuring point thereof forming a series circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A circuit arrangement for triggering a vehicle passenger protection system in a vehicle having an engine, the triggering occurring during an accident involving the vehicle, comprising:
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a voltage source operatively connected to a parallel circuit having at least two current branches; current branches of said at least two current branches each having a dedicated trigger, a dedicated capacitor and a decoupling element connected in series, a dedicated trigger of a respective current branch of said at least two current branches activating said protection system in response to a current impulse supplied by a dedicated capacitor of said respective current branch of said at least two current branches during an accident, each dedicated capacitor having a predetermined capacitance and being charged with a predetermined ignition voltage; said current branches of said at least two current branches each also having an individual triggering switch, a respective individual triggering switch of said respective current branch being connected across said respective dedicated trigger and said respective dedicated capacitor of said respective current branch; at least one common triggering switch connected in series with said parallel circuit; means for switching at least one of individual triggering switches of said at least two current branches and for switching said at least one common triggering switch from a non-conductive state to a conductive state, whereupon a capacitor in a current branch of said at least two current branches having the at least one of said individual triggering switches that has been switched into said conductive state discharges and supplies a current impulse to a dedicated trigger in said current branch having the at least one of said individual triggering switches that has been switched into said conductive state, said means for switching being responsive to the occurrence of the accident; a plurality of measuring locations having potentials that are measured at least once upon a starting of the engine in the vehicle, current branches of said at least two current branches each having at least one measuring location of said plurality of measuring locations; and test switching means for applying at least one test potential to defined switching points of the circuit arrangement in order to measure said potentials at said measuring locations. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A circuit arrangement for triggering a vehicle passenger protection system in a vehicle having an engine, the triggering occurring during an accident involving the vehicle, comprising:
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a voltage source operatively connected to a parallel circuit having at least two current branches; a plurality of measuring locations; current branches of said at least two current branches each having a dedicated trigger, a dedicated capacitor, at least one measuring location of said plurality of measuring locations and a decoupling element connected in series, a dedicated trigger of a respective current branch of said at least two current branches activating said protection system in response to a current impulse supplied by a dedicated capacitor of said respective current branch of said at least two current branches during an accident, each dedicated capacitor having a predetermined capacitance and being charged with a predetermined ignition voltage; current branches of said at least two current branches each also having an individual triggering switch, a respective individual triggering switch of said respective current branch being connected across said respective dedicated trigger and said respective dedicated capacitor of said respective current branch; at least one common triggering switch connected in series with said parallel circuit; means for measuring potentials at said plurality of measuring locations at least upon starting of the engine; means for switching at least one of individual triggering switches of said at least two current branches and for switching said at least one common triggering switch from a non-conductive state to a conductive state, whereupon a capacitor in a current branch of said at least two current branches having the at least one of said individual trigger switches that has been switched into said conductive state discharges and supplies a current impulse to a dedicated trigger in said current branch having the at least one of said individual triggering switches that has been switched into said conductive state, said means for switching being responsive to the occurrence of the accident. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification