Air bag device

• US 5,707,076 A
• Filed: 08/15/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Toshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US08/698,400
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 280/734, 280/735, 280/730.2, 180/274, 340/436, 324/207.15, 324/207.16, 324/207.26, 324/234, 324/236
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats

Abstract

An air bag device is provided which uses an eddy current position sensor. A coil of the sensor is disposed on a seat frame or the like, as a portion of a vehicle body, which is difficult to deform at the beginning of a collision. A metal body as a detected body of the sensor is disposed on a portion, facing the coil, of a rocker panel, which is a portion of the vehicle body, that is easily deformable at the beginning of a collision. The sensor may be disposed at other portions, e.g. inside a pillar or a door. An inductance of the coil influences a resonance condition of a resonance circuit. An output of the resonance circuit is rectified by a rectifier circuit. An ignition control circuit detects an output of the rectifier circuit and outputs an ignition command signal to a squib of an inflator, based upon at least one of an output value and a change rate of the output value of the rectifier circuit, thereby inflating an air bag.

Claims

1. An air bag device provided in a cabin of a vehicle, comprising:

an air bag disposed in said cabin;

an inflator for inflating said air bag;

an eddy current position sensor having a coil and a metal body, said coil and said metal body being disposed on opposite portions of said vehicle so as to face each other, one of said opposite portions being relatively easily deformable while the other of said opposite portions being more difficult to deform during a collision; and

an ignition control circuit including a resonance circuit having a resonance condition influenced by an inductance of said coil, the ignition control circuit being constructed and arranged to output an ignition command signal to said inflator based upon an output from said resonance circuit when said one portion is deformed.

2. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said ignition control circuit further includes a rectifier circuit rectifying said output of said resonance circuit, said ignition control circuit detecting an output from said rectifier circuit and outputting said ignition command signal based upon at least one of an output value and a change rate of said output value of said rectifier circuit.

3. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said ignition control circuit further includes a rectifier circuit rectifying said output of said resonance circuit and a comparator comparing an output value of said rectifier circuit with a predetermined threshold value, said ignition control circuit outputting said ignition command signal when said output value of said rectifier circuit becomes less than said threshold value.

4. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said ignition control circuit further includes a rectifier circuit rectifying said output of said resonance circuit, a differentiating circuit differentiating an output value of said rectifier circuit to obtain a change rate of said output value and a comparator comparing an output of said differentiating circuit with a predetermined threshold value, said ignition control circuit outputting said ignition command signal when said output of said differentiating circuit exceeds said threshold value.

5. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said ignition control circuit further includes a rectifier circuit rectifying said output of said resonance circuit, a first comparator comparing an output value of said rectifying circuit with a first predetermined threshold value, a differentiating circuit differentiating said output value of said rectifying circuit to obtain a change rate of said output value and a second comparator comparing an output of said differentiating circuit with a second predetermined threshold value, said ignition control circuit outputting said ignition command signal either when said output value of said rectifier circuit becomes less than said first threshold value or when said output of said differentiating circuit exceeds said second threshold value.

6. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said ignition control circuit further includes a rectifier circuit rectifying said output of said resonance circuit, a first comparator comparing an output value of said rectifying circuit with a first predetermined threshold value, a differentiating circuit differentiating said output value of said rectifying circuit to obtain a change rate of said output value and a second comparator comparing an output of said differentiating circuit with a second predetermined threshold value, said ignition control circuit outputting said ignition command signal when said output value of said rectifier circuit becomes less than said first threshold value while said output of said differentiating circuit exceeds said second threshold value.

7. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said coil of said eddy current position sensor is disposed on one of a seat frame, an inner plate inside a pillar, an inner panel inside a door and a floor panel of a cab-over vehicle, and said metal body is formed by a portion, facing said coil, of one of a rocker panel, an outer plate inside said pillar, an outer panel inside said door, a reinforcing member of said cab-over vehicle and a front panel of said cab-over vehicle.

8. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said resonance circuit is one of a frequency generating circuit and a filter.