Control system for occupant restraint system

• US 5,542,700 A
• Filed: 01/06/1995
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shibata, Jun, Hashimoto, Yukio, Takaya, Seiji, Hitotsumatsu, Atsushi, Yoshikawa, Hironori, Obayashi, Hiroaki, Kimura, Makoto, Yamanoi, Toshimi, Fukuzumi, Shuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US08/369,445
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/734, 280/728.1, 180/282, 364/424.05, 340/436, 340/438, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal

Abstract

A control system for an occupant restraint system mounted on the vehicle including an air-bag to protect the vehicle occupant from direct contact with a steering wheel or a windshield, comprises a control circuit for detecting deceleration of the vehicle, for integrating the value obtained by subtracting a predetermined integration offset from the deceleration to obtain an integrated value, for making a decision to operate the occupant restraint system when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined threshold level, for calculating a physical amount representative of a deceleration condition of the vehicle, for setting a changing timing at which the integration offset is changed in accordance with the physical amount, and for changing the integration offset of the changing timing.

Claims

1. A control system for an occupant restraint system mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

means for detecting a deceleration of the vehicle;

means for integrating a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined integration offset from the deceleration, to obtain an integrated value;

means for making a decision to operate the occupant restraint system, when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined threshold level;

means for calculating a physical amount representative of a deceleration condition of the vehicle;

means for setting a changing timing at which the integration offset is changed, in accordance with the physical amount; and

means for changing the integration offset at the changing timing.

2. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical amount is an integrated value of the deceleration detected by said deceleration detecting means.