Triggering circuit for a crash sensor-controlled protective system in a vehicle

• US 5,522,617 A
• Filed: 09/12/1994
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Swart, Marten
• Primary Examiner(s): Focarino, Margaret A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US08/304,531
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/734, 280/728 R, 280/728.1, 180/282, 180/274, 307/10.1, 340/436, 340/438, 340/669
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/017 including arrangements for providing electric power to safety arrangements or their actuating means, e.g. to pyrotechnic fuses or electro-mechanic valves

Abstract

A triggering circuit for a crash sensor-controlled protective system for the occupant of a vehicle includes a firing capacitor being charged to a capacitor voltage by the electrical system of the vehicle before an accident, as an energy source for firing a gas generator, that is for firing an explosive charge or for firing a firing cap of an explosive charge. At least one crash sensor detects the occurrence of the sensor values that trigger the firing and controls the firing of the gas generator by one or more contacts by discharging the firing capacitor. A plurality of firing capacitors which are provided in a switching-over manner are connected in parallel before an accident and then charged to a capacitor voltage corresponding to the voltage of the electrical system of the vehicle and in the case of an accident are connected in series in a low-impedance manner by at least one single contact in such a way that, at least at the start of firing, the instantaneous total voltage through the series connection is greater than the individual capacitor voltages in themselves. The total voltage can be fed to the gas generator in a low-impedance manner by at least one single contact.

Claims

1. In a vehicle including an electrical system and a vehicle occupant protective system having at least one gas generator, a triggering circuit for the protective system, comprising:

a plurality of firing capacitors connected to the electrical system and to the at least one gas generator of the vehicle, said firing capacitors being charged before an accident to a capacitor voltage from the electrical system, as an energy source for firing the at least one gas generator; and

at least one crash sensor connected to said firing capacitors controlling the protective system by detecting an occurrence of sensor values triggering the firing and having at least one single contact controlling the firing of the at least one gas generator by discharging a respective one of said firing capacitors;

said plurality of firing capacitors being connected in parallel before the accident and then charged to a capacitor voltage corresponding to the voltage of the electrical system, and being switched-over to be connected in series with low-impedance upon the occurrence of the accident, by said at least one single contact, for setting an instantaneous total voltage through said series connection to be greater than individual capacitor voltages, at least at the start of firing; and

said at least a single contact feeding the total voltage to the at least one gas generator with low-impedance.

2. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, wherein the protective system for the occupant of the vehicle is an air bag.

3. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, wherein the protective system for the occupant of the vehicle is a seat belt retractor configuration.

4. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, wherein said firing capacitors are an energy source for firing an explosive charge connected thereto.

5. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, wherein said firing capacitors are an energy source for firing a firing cap of an explosive charge connected thereto.

6. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, including a switch connected in the occupant protective system for selectively disconnecting said firing capacitors from the electrical system in a high-impedance manner at the start of firing, directly after the actuation of said at least one contact, for setting the total voltage to be greater than the voltage in the electrical system and for causing currents of said firing capacitors to flow essentially through the at least one gas generator instead of through the electrical system, as a result of the disconnection.

7. The triggering circuit according to claim 6, including at least one high-impedance resistor connected to at least one of said firing capacitors through which the charging of said respective firing capacitors takes place before the accident, said at least one high-impedance resistor forming the high-impedance disconnection of at least part of said firing capacitors from the electrical system.

8. The triggering circuit according to claim 6, including at least one diode connected to at least one of said firing capacitors having low impedance for charging said firing capacitors and high impedance for the capacitor firing current occurring in the case of an accident as long as the respective instantaneous firing capacitor voltage is greater than the instantaneous voltage in the electrical system, said at least one diode forming the high-impedance disconnection.

9. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, including:

a parallel connection for said firing capacitors connecting a voltage source of the electrical system to the at least one gas generator in the case of an accident; and

said parallel connection having a contact connected to the electrical system and closing in the case of an accident, and a diode connected to said contact and having a polarity conducting a firing current of the electrical system out of the voltage source of the electrical system through the at least one gas generator with a residual voltage occurring through the at least one gas generator, in the case of an accident, for at least as long as the electrical system is intact and for at least as long as a residual voltage to be fed to the at least one gas generator from the electrical system is greater than the instantaneous total voltage of said firing capacitors connected in series.

10. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

more of said firing capacitors than the gas generators are provided; and

each of said gas generators having a respective one of said firing capacitors permanently assigned thereto, and at least a further one of said firing capacitor being assigned to a plurality of said gas generators, and in the case of an accident the series connection of said firing capacitors supplying one of said gas generators with firing energy each containing one of said firing capacitors being permanently assigned to said respective gas generator and at least one further firing capacitor.

11. The triggering circuit according to claim 10, including:

firing switches each connected to a respective one of said permanently assigned firing capacitors; and

an electronic evaluation connected to at least one of said firing switches for evaluating sensor values and controlling at least one of said firing switches individually for causing the firing of the gas generators connected to said firing switches to take place at different times.

12. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, wherein said at least one crash sensor is a particularly sensitive safing sensor supplying analog or digital output signals, exclusively or additionally, permitting clear detection of decelerations or accelerations lying below a threshold above which the at least one gas generator is fired.

13. The triggering circuit according to claim 12, including an electronic evaluation device formed by a microprocessor connected to said at least one crash sensor for converting analog output signals from said at least one crash sensor into at least one ON/OFF signal controlling at least one contact connected thereto.

14. The triggering circuit according to claim 1, including at least one current source or voltage source being temporarily connected to at least one switching point;

and including a measuring configuration;

during a test currents flowing through the at least one gas generator being at least smaller than would be necessary to fire the at least one gas generator; and

at least during a test measuring points of the triggering circuit being connected to said measuring configuration.

15. The triggering circuit according to claim 14, including a test switch and a further resistor for selectively connecting said firing capacitors in series with high-impedance for test purposes.