Predictive impact sensing system for vehicular safety restraint systems

• US 6,087,928 A
• Filed: 10/22/1997
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Diller, Robert W., Kleinberg, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/956,755
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/904, 340/435, 340/436
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93277 in the lights

Abstract

An improved safety restraint system for a motor vehicle including: safety restraint device such as a seat belt and air bag(s) for protecting an occupant during a crash, a processor for predicting the collision of an obstacle with the motor vehicle and for generating an output signal to activate various actuators, actuators for activating the restraint devices in dependence with an output of the sensors various sensors including a radar microwave or millimeter wave system for generating and propagating electromagnetic radiation waves and to receive reflected waves, the transmitted and received waves being of predetermined frequency, wavelength, spectrum, duration and power to provide a desired sensing range and response.

Claims

1. An improved safety restraint system for a motor vehicle comprising:

first wave generator means, located proximate one corner of the motor vehicle for generating and propagating an electromagnetic first wave of predetermined frequency, wavelength, spectrum, duration and power to provide a desired sensing range and for receiving a first reflected wave reflected off of an obstacle within the range of the first wave generator means, the predetermined frequency of the first wave being in a radar frequency range;

second wave generator means, located proximate another corner of the motor vehicle for generating and propagating an electromagnetic second wave of predetermined frequency, wavelength, spectrum, duration and power to provide a desired sensing range and for receiving a second reflected wave reflected off of the obstacle with the range of the second wave generator means, the predetermined frequency of the second wave being in a radar frequency range;

collision means for predicting the time and location of impact of an obstacle with the motor vehicle, including determining that the obstacle is simultaneously within the range of the first and the second wave generator means and by triangularly tracking a trajectory associated with the obstacle, the collision means generating an output signal indicative thereof; and

safety restraint means, actuated within the vehicle in response to the output signal of the collision means, for protecting an occupant within the vehicle during a crash.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 further including:

an auxiliary sensing means, having a predetermining auxiliary sensing range, and actuated when the obstacle is within such auxiliary sensing range and capable of discriminating between animate and inanimate obstacles and for generating an auxiliary activation signal to activate protective devices located about the exterior of the vehicle.

3. The system as defined in claim 2 wherein the auxiliary sensing means comprises one of an ultrasonic wavelength generator or receiver, an infra-red wavelength generator or receiver, and an optical imaging and recognition sensing systems each of which are capable of discriminating between animate and inanimate objects or obstacles.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein each the first and second wave generator means produces a wave characterized by a beam coverage angle of at least 270 degrees.

5. The system as defined in claim 4 including two additional wave generator means each located at other corners of the vehicle.

6. The system as defined in claim 5 wherein each of additional wave generator means produces a wave characterized by a beam coverage angle of at least 270 degrees to provide an effective 360 degree beam coverage angle about the entire vehicle in concert with the beam coverage angles of the first and second wave generator means.

7. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the collision means includes first means responsive to the first reflected wave, originating from the first generator means, for determining a first distance from the obstacle to the first wave generator means and responsive to a second reflected wave, originating from the second wave generator means, for determining a second distance from the obstacle to the second wave generator means and for determining a triangulated distance between the obstacle and the vehicle by triangulation using the first and second distances and a separation distance between the first and second wave generator means.

8. The device as defined in claim 7 wherein the collision means includes storage means for storing at subsequent calculation intervals, the triangulated distance between the obstacle and the vehicle and for predicting the location on the vehicle where the obstacle will impact the vehicle.

9. An improved safety restraint system for a motor vehicle comprising:

first radiation wave generator, located proximate one corner of the motor vehicle for generating and propagating an electromagnetic first wave of predetermined frequency, wavelength, spectrum, duration and power, and for receiving a first reflected wave reflected off of an obstacle within the range of the first radiation wave generator;

second radiation wave generator, located proximate another corner of the motor vehicle for generating and propagating an electromagnetic second wave of predetermined frequency, wavelength, spectrum, duration and power, and for receiving a second reflected wave reflected off of an obstacle within the range of the second radiation wave generator; and

collision means for predicting the location and time of impact of a target with the vehicle based on said first and second reflected waves.

10. The improved safety restraint system of claim 9, wherein said collision means includes means for determining distance to the target and trajectory of the target through multiple determinations of position and trajectory over time.

11. The improved safety restraint system of claim 9, wherein said safety restraint system is one of a driver air bag, passenger air bag, side impact air bag, and pretensioning seat belt.

12. The improved safety restraint system of claim 9, wherein the collision means further comprises a central processing unit (CPU) for tracking the distance to the target by triangulating the position of the target from the first and second wave generators at different points in time.

13. The improved safety restraint system of claim 9, further comprising an auxiliary sensing means capable of discriminating between animate and inanimate targets and for generating an auxiliary activation signal to activate different safety measures based on the predicted attributes of the target.

14. The improved safety restraint system of claim 9, further comprising an auxiliary sensing means capable of identifying obstacles and for generating an auxiliary activation signal to activate different safety measures based on the identification of the target and the predicted attributes of the target.