Control system for apparatus for protecting head portion of vehicle occupant

• US 6,154,697 A
• Filed: 04/02/1998
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/053,621
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/45, 701/46, 701/49, 180/268, 180/271, 180/282, 280/735, 280/801.1, 280/802
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01306 monitoring vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• 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 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant includes: an air bag device having an air bag body for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant which air bag body inflates and unfolds between the head portion of the vehicle occupant and a side portion of a vehicle; a pretensioner which, upon operation, takes up slack of a seat belt fastened to the vehicle occupant; a roll angular velocity sensor for detecting a roll rate of the vehicle in order to determine a roll state of the vehicle; and a control circuit which, when a determined roll state is a predetermined roll state, controls operation of the air bag device and operation of the pretensioner such that the pretensioner is operated before operation of the air bag device. Accordingly, a space for unfolding the air bag body of the air bag device is ensured.

Claims

1. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant, the control system comprising:

an air bag device having an air bag body for protecting the head portion of the occupant, the air bag body being (i) configured to extend from a front pillar along a roof side rail of a vehicle and, (ii) adapted to inflate and unfold between the head portion of the occupant and a side portion of the vehicle;

a pretensioner adapted to remove slack from a seat belt fastened to the occupant;

roll state detecting means for detecting a roll state of the vehicle, the roll state including a roll rate and a roll angle; and

control means for controlling operation of said air bag device and operation of said pretensioner when the roll state is a predetermined roll state value, said pretensioner being operated before said air bag device is operated;

wherein said control means (i) includes a map correlating roll rates to roll angles and (ii) controls operation of said airbag device and operation of said pretensioner in accordance with the map.

2. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 1, wherein said control means judges whether said pretensioner has already been operated, and in a case in which said pretensioner has not yet been operated, said control means operates said pretensioner before said air bag device is operated.

3. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 2, wherein said roll state detecting means is a roll angular velocity sensor which detects, as a roll state of the vehicle, a roll rate which is a rotational angular velocity around a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and said control means computes a roll angle on the basis of the detected roll rate, and controls the operation of said air bag device and the operation of said pretensioner on the basis of a relationship between the detected roll rate and the computed roll angle.

4. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 3, wherein said control means includes a storage means for storing a map which is prepared in advance and which shows relationships between roll rates and roll angles, and said control means controls the operation of said air bag device and the operation of said pretensioner by collating the relationship between the detected roll rate and the computed roll angle with the map.

5. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 1, wherein said roll state detecting means is a roll angular velocity sensor which detects, as a roll state of the vehicle, a roll rate which is a rotational angular velocity around a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and said control means computes a roll angle on the basis of the detected roll rate, and controls the operation of said air bag device and the operation of said pretensioner on the basis of a relationship between the detected roll rate and the computed roll angle.

6. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 5, wherein said control means includes a storage means for storing a map which is prepared in advance and which shows relationships between roll rates and roll angles, and said control means controls the operation of said air bag device and the operation of said pretensioner by collating the relationship between the detected roll rate and the computed roll angle with the map.

7. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant, the control system comprising:

an air bag device having an air bag body for protecting the head portion of the occupant, the air bag body being (i) configured to extend from a front pillar along a roof side rail of a vehicle and, (ii) adapted to inflate and unfold between the head portion of the occupant and a side portion of the vehicle;

a pretensioner adapted to remove slack from a seat belt fastened to the occupant;

roll state detecting means for detecting a roll state of the vehicle, the roll state including a roll rate and a roll angle; and

control means for (i) determining whether said pretensioner has already been operated, when the roll state is a predetermined roll state value, and (ii) controlling operation of said pretensioner and operation of said air bag device when said pretensioner has not been operated, said pretensioner being operated before said air bag device is operated;

wherein said control means (i) includes a map correlating roll rates to roll angles and (ii) controls operation of said airbag device and operation of said pretensioner in accordance with the map.

8. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 7, wherein said roll state detecting means is a roll angular velocity sensor which detects, as a roll state of the vehicle, a roll rate which is a rotational angular velocity around a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and said control means computes a roll angle on the basis of the detected roll rate, and controls the operation of said air bag device and the operation of said pretensioner on the basis of a relationship between the detected roll rate and the computed roll angle.

9. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant according to claim 8, wherein said control means includes a storage means for storing a map which is prepared in advance and which shows relationships between roll rates and roll angles, and said control means controls the operation of said air bag device and the operation of said pretensioner by collating the relationship between the detected roll rate and the computed roll angle with the map.

10. A control system for an apparatus for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant, the control system comprising:

an air bag device having an air bag body for protecting the head portion of the occupant, the air bag body being (i) configured to extend from a front pillar along a roof side rail of a vehicle and, (ii) adapted to inflate and unfold between the head portion of the occupant and a side portion of the vehicle;

a pretensioner adapted to remove slack from a seat belt fastened to the occupant;

roll state detecting means for detecting a roll state of the vehicle, the roll state including a roll rate and a roll angle; and

control means for (i) controlling operation of said pretensioner when the roll state is a first roll state value and (ii) controlling operation of said air bag device when the roll state is a second roll state value;

wherein said first roll state and said second roll state values are predetermined to operate said pretensioner before operating said air bag device.

11. A control system according to claim 10, wherein said control means includes a map correlating roll rates to roll angles, said first roll state value is one predetermined region in the map, and said second roll state value is another predetermined region in the map.

12. A control system for an apparatus comprising:

an air bag device having an air bag body for protecting a head portion of a vehicle occupant;

a pretensioner adapted to remove slack from a seat belt fastened to the occupant;

roll state detecting means for detecting a roll state of a vehicle, the roll state including a roll rate and a roll angle; and

control means for (i) controlling operation of the pretensioner when the roll state is a first roll state value and (ii) controlling operation of the air bag device when the roll state is a second roll state value.