Method and apparatus for providing a deployment signal for a vehicle occupant restraint device during a side impact crash
First Claim
1. A method of providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
- sensing a non-door side impact at a non-door location, and providing a non-door side impact signal;
sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and providing an on-door side impact signal;
evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said non-door side impact signal indicates a non-door deployment crash condition;
evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said on-door side impact signal indicates an on-door deployment crash condition and wherein said step of evaluating said non-door side impact signal is prevented when a value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds an on-door threshold value; and
providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said evaluating steps determines that the respective side impact signal indicates a deployment crash condition.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus (10) provide a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device (20) during a side impact to a vehicle. The method includes the step of sensing a non-door side impact at a non-door location, and the step of providing a non-door side impact signal. The method further includes the step of sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and the step of providing an on-door side impact signal. The non-door side impact signal is evaluated to determine if it indicates a non-door deployment crash condition. The on-door side impact signal is evaluated to determine if it indicates an on-door deployment crash condition. A deployment signal is provided for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device (20) when either of the side impact signals indicates a deployment crash condition.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing a non-door side impact at a non-door location, and providing a non-door side impact signal; sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and providing an on-door side impact signal; evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said non-door side impact signal indicates a non-door deployment crash condition; evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said on-door side impact signal indicates an on-door deployment crash condition and wherein said step of evaluating said non-door side impact signal is prevented when a value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds an on-door threshold value; and providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said evaluating steps determines that the respective side impact signal indicates a deployment crash condition. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method of providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing a non-door side impact at a location other than a vehicle door, and providing a non-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said non-door side impact; sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and providing an on-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said on-door side impact; evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a first non-door threshold value; further evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a second non-door threshold value; evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a first on-door threshold value and wherein said step of further evaluating said non-door side impact signal is prevented when said step of evaluating said on-door side impact signal determines that said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds said first on-door threshold value; further evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a second on-door threshold value; and providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said values of said side impact signals exceeds its respective second threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
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means for sensing a non-door side impact at a non-door location, and for providing a non-door side impact signal; means for sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and for providing an on-door side impact signal; means for evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said non-door side impact signal indicates a non-door deployment crash condition; means for evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said on-door side impact signal indicates an on-door deployment crash condition; means for providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said side impact signals indicates a deployment crash condition; and means for disabling said means for evaluating said non-door side impact signal when a value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds an on-door threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. An apparatus for providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
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means for sensing a non-door side impact at a location other than a vehicle door, and for providing a non-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said non-door side impact; means for sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and for providing an on-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said on-door side impact; means for evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a first non-door threshold value; means for further evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a second non-door threshold value; means for evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a first on-door threshold value; means for further evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a second on-door threshold value; means for providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said values of said side impact signals exceed its respective second threshold value; and means for disabling said means for further evaluating said non-door side impact signal when said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds said first on-door threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing a non-door side impact at a location other than a vehicle door, and providing a non-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said non-door side impact; sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and providing an on-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said on-door side impact; evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a first non-door threshold value; further evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a second non-door threshold value; evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a first on-door threshold value; further evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a second on-door threshold value; and providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said values of said side impact signals exceeds its respective second threshold value and wherein said step of providing a deployment signal includes providing a) a first deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds said second non-door threshold value, and b) a second deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when said on-door side impact signal exceeds said second on-door threshold value, said second deployment signal being provided separately from said first deployment signal, and wherein only said second deployment signal is provided when said on-door side impact signal exceeds said second on-door threshold value.
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16. An apparatus for providing a deployment signal for deploying a vehicle occupant restraint device in response to a side impact to a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
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means for sensing a non-door side impact at a location other than a vehicle door, and for providing a non-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said non-door side impact; means for sensing an on-door side impact at a vehicle door, and for providing an on-door side impact signal having a value indicative of a characteristic of said on-door side impact; means for evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a first non-door threshold value; means for further evaluating said non-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds a second non-door threshold value; means for evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a first on-door threshold value; means for further evaluating said on-door side impact signal to determine if said value of said on-door side impact signal exceeds a second on-door threshold value; means for providing a deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when either of said values of said side impact signals exceed its respective second threshold value; and wherein said means for providing a deployment signal provides a first deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when said value of said non-door side impact signal exceeds said second non-door threshold value, and provides a second deployment signal for deploying the vehicle occupant restraint device when said on-door side impact signal exceeds said second on-door threshold value, said second deployment signal being provided separately from said first deployment signal, and wherein said means for providing a deployment signal provides only said second deployment signal when said on-door side impact signal exceeds said second on-door threshold value.
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Specification