Airbag deployment control apparatus for vehicle and the method

• US 5,815,393 A
• Filed: 10/31/1995
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daewoo Electronics (Government of South Korea)
• Original Assignee: Daewoo Electronics Company Limited (Dayou Holdings Co.,Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chae, Kyeong-Seon
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/550,791
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.055, 364/424.056, 364/424.057, 280/734, 280/735, 180/271, 180/282, 307/10.1, 340/436, 340/438, 340/667
• US Class Current: 701/39
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01325 Vertical acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01336 using filtering

Abstract

An airbag deployment control apparatus includes a 3-direction accelerometer and a crash-pattern discriminating portion in order to reliably distinguish a slight crash from a serious crash or vice versa. The 3-direction accelerometer generates deceleration signals of traveling, right-left and upper-lower directions of a vehicle. The deceleration signals generated are inputted to an integrator to be converted into 3-direction velocity change signals. In the crash-pattern discriminating portion, crash patterns are discriminated by use of the 3-direction velocity change signals. In an airbag-deployment determining portion, the velocity change is compared with a threshold for a crash pattern discriminated and an airbag deploying signal is outputted to an airbag deploying portion when the velocity change exceeds the threshold. The threshold is predetermined classified by crash patterns. In practice, since the delay deployment of the airbag is prevented, it is possible to protect passengers reliably.

Claims

1. An airbag deployment control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

3-direction deceleration sensing means for sensing vehicle deceleration due to crash and generating 3-direction deceleration signals;

low-pass filter means for removing high-frequency components of said 3-direction deceleration signals outputted from said 3-direction deceleration sensing means;

integrator means for integrating outputs from said low-pass filter means;

first-direction component comparing means for comparing a first-direction component of said outputs from said low-pass filter means with a threshold for first direction;

crash-pattern discriminating means responsive to said integrator means for discriminating crash patterns based upon outputs from said integrator means and generating a crash-pattern information value;

airbag-deployment determining means responsive to said crash-pattern discriminating means for comparing the output from said integrator means with a threshold for crash pattern corresponding to said crash-pattern information value and determining whether an airbag is to be deployed;

clock signal generating means for generating clock signals in order to provide a standard time, said clock signal generation means being reset in response to a reset signal outputted from said first-direction component comparing means when said first-direction component exceeds said threshold for first direction;

duration detecting means being reset responsive to said clock signal generating means for detecting a duration period wherein said first-direction component exceeds said threshold for first direction and providing a reset signal to said first-direction component comparing means to reset said first-direction component comparing means when said duration period does not exceed a predetermined period; and

airbag deploying means for generating an electric signal for deploying said airbag in response to an airbag deploying signal from said airbag-deployment determining means.

2. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said 3-directions are X, Y and Z directions perpendicular to one another, said X-direction is a traveling direction of a vehicle, said Y-direction is a right-left direction thereof, said Z-direction is an upper-lower direction thereof, and said first direction is said X-direction.

3. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first-direction component comparing means includes a first storage means for storing said threshold for first direction, and said airbag-deployment determining means includes a second storage means for storing said threshold for crash pattern.

4. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said crash-pattern discriminating means discriminates crash patterns by comparing a primary integral value of said 3-direction deceleration signals with a threshold for discrimination of crash patterns based on said standard time provided from said clock signal generating means.

5. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said crash-pattern discriminating means discriminates crash patterns by comparing a secondary integral value of said 3-direction deceleration signals with a threshold for discrimination of crash patterns based on said standard time provided from said clock signal generating means.

6. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said airbag-deployment determining means determines whether said airbag is to be deployed by comparing a primary integral value of said first-direction component of said 3-direction deceleration signals with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to the crash pattern discriminated in said crash-pattern discriminating means.

7. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said airbag-deployment determining means determines whether said airbag is to be deployed by comparing a secondary integral value of said first-direction component of said 3-direction deceleration signals with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to the crash pattern discriminated in said crash-pattern discriminating means.

8. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said airbag-deployment determining means determines whether said airbag is to be deployed by comparing a primary integral value of a composition signal of said 3-direction deceleration signals with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to the crash pattern discriminated in said crash-pattern discriminating means.

9. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said airbag-deployment determining means determines whether said airbag is to be deployed by comparing a secondary integral value of a composition signal of said 3-direction deceleration signals with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to the crash pattern discriminated in said crash-pattern discriminating means.

10. The airbag deployment control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein clock signals generated from said clock signal generating means are provided to said integrator means, said crash-pattern discriminating means, said airbag-deployment determining means and said duration detecting means to operate each of them.

11. An airbag deployment control method, comprising the steps of:

(a) sensing vehicle deceleration due to crash and generating 3-direction deceleration signals;

(b) removing high-frequency components of said 3-direction deceleration signals;

(c) comparing a first-direction component of said 3-direction deceleration signals removing high-frequency components with a threshold for first direction;

(d) resetting a clock signal when said first-direction component exceeds said threshold for first direction as a result of the comparison in step (c);

(e) determining whether the state that said first-direction component exceeds said threshold for first direction is maintained over a predetermined period;

(f) integrating said 3-direction deceleration signals removing high-frequency components when said state is maintained over said predetermined period as a result of the determination in step (e);

(g) discriminating a crash pattern based upon the integral value of said 3-direction deceleration signals and generating a crash-pattern information value;

(h) comparing said integral value with a threshold for crash pattern corresponding to said crash-pattern information value and determining whether an airbag is to be deployed; and

(i) generating an electric signal for deployment of said airbag when the deployment of said airbag is determined in step (h).

12. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said 3-directions are X, Y and Z directions perpendicular to one another, said X-direction is a traveling direction of a vehicle, said Y-direction is a right-left direction thereof, said Z-direction is an upper-lower direction thereof, and said first direction is said X-direction.

13. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said 3-direction deceleration signals are integrated once in step (f) and said integral value is the primary integral value of said 3-direction deceleration signals.

14. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said 3-direction deceleration signals are integrated twice in step (f) and said integral value is the secondary integral value of said 3-direction deceleration signals.

15. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in step (h), the primary integral value of said first-direction component of said 3-direction deceleration signals is compared with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to said crash-pattern information value.

16. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in step (h), the secondary integral value of said first-direction component of said 3-direction deceleration signals is compared with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to said crash-pattern information value.

17. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in step (h), the primary integral value of the composition signal of said 3-direction deceleration signals is compared with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to said crash-pattern information value.

18. The airbag deployment control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein in step (h), the secondary integral value of the composition signal of said 3-direction deceleration signals is compared with said threshold for crash pattern corresponding to said crash-pattern information value.