Deployment control method for distributed architecture supplemental inflatable restraint system
First Claim
1. In a vehicular supplemental restraint system including a plurality of sensors and deployment modules in distributed locations of the vehicle and inter-connected for communication over a common data bus, each of said deployment modules being coupled to a respective supplemental restraint device, a control method comprising the steps of:
- activating a given deployment module to an enable state upon receipt of sensor module data over said data bus indicative of the presence of a vehicle occupant in position to benefit from deployment of the respective supplemental restraint device in a crash event;
activating said given deployment module to an armed state upon receipt of sensor module data over said data bus indicative of a crash event occurring while the enable state of said given deployment module is activated; and
deploying said respective supplemental restraint device upon receipt of a deployment command over said data bus while the armed state of said given deployment module is activated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A deployment control method for distributed architecture SIR system provides improved fault tolerance and ensures that signals generated by various remote sensor modules are properly considered in determining whether to deploy restraint devices. The deployment control method establishes a succession of states, wherein entry into each state is conditioned upon the achievement of predetermined criteria, and deployment of a respective restraint device is conditioned upon the successive achievement of each state. The states include an inhibit state, an enabled state, an armed state and a deployment initiated state. The predetermined criteria include correct occupant position, collision verification or safing, and collision severity. Deployment can only be initiated when the initiator module has been advised that all three criteria have been met within a given time constraint.
54 Citations
13 Claims
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1. In a vehicular supplemental restraint system including a plurality of sensors and deployment modules in distributed locations of the vehicle and inter-connected for communication over a common data bus, each of said deployment modules being coupled to a respective supplemental restraint device, a control method comprising the steps of:
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activating a given deployment module to an enable state upon receipt of sensor module data over said data bus indicative of the presence of a vehicle occupant in position to benefit from deployment of the respective supplemental restraint device in a crash event; activating said given deployment module to an armed state upon receipt of sensor module data over said data bus indicative of a crash event occurring while the enable state of said given deployment module is activated; and deploying said respective supplemental restraint device upon receipt of a deployment command over said data bus while the armed state of said given deployment module is activated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In a vehicular supplemental restraint system including a plurality of sensors and deployment modules in distributed locations of the vehicle and inter-connected for communication over a common data bus, each of said deployment modules being coupled to a respective supplemental restraint device, a control method comprising the steps of:
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defining in each deployment module a series of states leading up to deployment of a respective supplemental restraint device, said series of states being activated in succession in response to specified criteria communicated to respective deployment modules over said common data bus, said series of states including; an enable state activated upon receipt of sensor module data over said data bus indicative of the presence of a vehicle occupant in position to benefit from deployment of the respective supplemental restraint device in a crash event; an armed state activated following activation of said enable state, upon receipt of sensor module data over said data bus indicative of a crash event; and a deployment initiated state activated following activation of said armed state, upon receipt of a deployment command over said data bus; and deploying one or more supplemental restraint devices in response to the activation of said deployment initiated state in corresponding deployment modules. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification