Collision detection device

• US 5,900,807 A
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autoliv Japan Limited (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sentech Co., Ltd. (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Moriyama, Hiroshi, Sada, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/894,711
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 701/46, 701/45, 180/282, 280/735, 280/734, 73/488, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01034 Controlling a plurality of restraint devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• 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 21/01338 using vector analysis

Abstract

The collision detection device for appropriately actuating two or more types of passenger safety devices (5,6,7,8) which are installed on a vehicle and respectively have different performances depending on collision types such as a front collision and a side collision, and comprising two acceleration sensors (S1,S2) installed respectively in different directions and a controller for selecting appropriate passenger safety devices to be actuated from said plurality of passenger safety devices in accordance with a direction of a collision when recognizing the collision on the basis of accelerations detected by the two acceleration sensors, and for actuating them, said controller (4) having collision detecting axes related with said passenger safety devices respectively, said collision detecting axes preset in directions assumed as directions for detecting the collision which are front, right and left directions and further at least one additional directions which are different from said front, right and left directions, said controller (4) which arithmetically obtains components (G1,G2,G3,G4,G5) of an acceleration concerning the collision along said collision detecting axes on the basis of the two accelerations (Gx, Gy) detected by said acceleration sensors (S1,S2), and selects suitable passenger safety devices from said plurality of passenger safety devices (5,6,7,8) related with the collision detecting axes on the basis of the components (G1,G2,G3,G4,G5), then actuates them.

Claims

1. The collision detection device for actuating appropriately two or more types of passenger safety devices which are installed on a vehicle and respectively have different performances depending on collision types such as a front collision and a side collision, and comprising

a first acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a front-rear direction of the vehicle,

a second acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a left-right direction of the vehicle,

a controller for selecting appropriate passenger safety devices to be actuated from said plurality of passenger safety devices in accordance with a direction of a collision when recognizing the collision on the basis of accelerations detected by the two acceleration sensors, and for actuating them,

said controller which has at least five collision detecting axes which are respectively preset in front, right and left directions and further in right oblique, left oblique directions between the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and which arithmetically obtains components of an acceleration concerning the collision along the said collision detecting axes on the basis of the accelerations detected by said acceleration sensors and selects suitable passenger safety devices from said plurality of passenger safety devices related with the collision detecting axes on the basis of the components, then actuates them.

2. The collision detection device comprising,

a plurality of passenger safety devices arranged in a vehicle,

a first acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a front-rear direction of the vehicle,

a second acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a left-right direction of the vehicle,

collision detecting axes which are assumed as the directions in which the collision will be detected and which are respectively preset in at least such five directions as the front, right and left directions and further right oblique, left oblique directions between the front-rear direction and the left-right direction,

a first calculator for arithmetically obtaining components of an acceleration concerning the collision along the said collision detecting axes on the basis of the accelerations detected by said acceleration sensors,

a second calculator for obtaining referential values to integrate the components with respect to time respectively, and

a comparator for comparing the referential values with threshold values respectively and for respectively transmitting actuating signals to the passenger safety devices related with the collision detecting axes when the referential values exceed the threshold values respectively.

4. The collision detection device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said comparator has a plurality of comparator portions for comparison and one or more of the passenger safety devices are related with the plurality of blocks and further the plurality of comparator portions are connected to the one or more of the passenger safety devices through AND or OR circuits.

3. The collision detection device comprising,

a plurality of passenger safety devices arranged in a vehicle,

a first acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a front-rear direction of the vehicle,

a second acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a left-right direction of the vehicle,

collision detecting axes which are assumed as the directions in which the collision will be detected and which are respectively preset in at least such five directions as the front, right and left directions and further right oblique, left oblique directions between the front-rear direction and the left-right direction,

a first calculator for arithmetically obtaining components of an acceleration concerning the collision along the said collision detecting axes on the basis of the accelerations detected by said acceleration sensors,

a second calculator for obtaining referential values to integrate the components with respect to time respectively, and

a comparator for respectively comparing threshold values with sums of the referential values referring to components along collision detecting axes next to each other and for respectively transmitting actuating signals to the passenger safety devices related with the collision detecting axes when the referential values exceed the threshold values respectively.