Activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device

• US 6,196,578 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CIBA Specialty Chemicals, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoda, Motomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, David R.
• Application Number:
  US09/149,377
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 180/282, 701/45, 701/46, 701/47, 340/436, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01027 Safing sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value

Abstract

In an activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device having a control circuit 20 for comparing a value obtained based on a measured value by floor sensor 32 with a threshold and for controlling activation of a passive safety device, a satellite sensor 30 for detecting whether an impact not less than a predetermined reference value is exerted on the vehicle, and a threshold-change-pattern altering section 42 for lowering the threshold when the satellite sensor detects the impact not less than the reference value, the apparatus is arranged to determine whether the value obtained based on the measured value by the floor sensor is smaller than a predetermined value, when the satellite sensor detects the impact not less than the reference value, and the apparatus has a threshold-change-pattern alteration disabling section 43 for disabling the threshold-change-pattern altering section from lowering the threshold when the value obtained based on the measured value is determined to be smaller than the predetermined value.

Claims

1. An activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising:

impact measuring means mounted at a predetermined position in a vehicle, for measuring an impact exerted on the vehicle;

activation controlling means for comparing a value obtained based on a measured value by said impact measuring means with a threshold and for controlling activation of a passive safety device, based on a result of the comparison;

impact detecting means mounted ahead of said impact measuring means in said vehicle, for detecting whether an impact not less than a predetermined reference value is exerted on said vehicle; and

threshold altering means for lowering the threshold when said impact detecting means detects the impact not less than said reference value,

said activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising;

determining means for determining whether the value obtained based on the measured value by said impact measuring means is smaller than a predetermined value, when said impact detecting means detects the impact not less than said reference value; and

threshold alteration disabling means for disabling said threshold altering means from lowering the threshold when said determining means determines that the value obtained based on said measured value is smaller than said predetermined value.

2. An activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising:

impact measuring means mounted at a predetermined position in a vehicle, for measuring an impact exerted on the vehicle;

activation controlling means for comparing a value obtained based on a measured value by said impact measuring means with a threshold and for controlling activation of a passive safety device, based on a result of the comparison;

impact detecting means mounted ahead of said impact measuring means in said vehicle, for detecting an impact exerted on the vehicle; and

threshold setting means for setting said threshold on the basis of the value obtained based on the measured value by said impact measuring means and a value obtained based on a detected value by said impact detecting means.

3. The activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to claim 2, wherein said threshold setting means comprises threshold altering means for altering said threshold by a predetermined amount when said impact detecting means detects an impact not less than a reference value, and threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means for adjusting said predetermined amount according to the value based on the measured value by said impact measuring means.

4. The activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to claim 3, wherein said threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means has determining means for determining whether the value based on the measured value by said impact measuring means is smaller than a predetermined value, and wherein said threshold-alteration-amount adjusting means sets said predetermined amount to zero when said determining means determines that the value based on said measured value is smaller than said predetermined value.

5. An apparatus for controlling an air bag, comprising:

a first sensor mounted on a vehicle;

a second sensor mounted ahead of said first sensor in said vehicle; and

a control circuit which controls the air bag according to the outputs from said first and second sensors,

wherein said control circuit controls said air bag in such manner that;

(a) the air bag is inflated when an impact detected by said first sensor is greater than a first value;

(b) the air bag is inflated even if the impact detected by said first sensor is smaller than the first value, when an impact detected by said second sensor is greater than a second value and when the impact detected by the first sensor is greater than a third value; and

(c) said air bag is not inflated when the impact detected by the second sensor is greater than the second value and when the impact detected by said first sensor is smaller than a predetermined value, even if the condition of (b) is satisfied thereafter.

6. An activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising:

impact measuring means mounted at a predetermined position in a vehicle, for measuring external force exerted on the vehicle;

impact detecting means mounted ahead of said impact measuring means in said vehicle, for detecting whether the external force exerted on said vehicle is not less than a predetermined reference value; and

means for controlling activation of the passive safety device based on a result of a comparison between a first value and a threshold value,

said first value being based on a measured value measured by said impact measuring means,

said threshold value being altered based on the measured value measured by said impact measuring means when said impact detecting means detects the impact not less than the predetermined reference value.

7. The activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to claim 6, wherein said alternation is a decrease in said threshold value.

8. The activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to claim 7, wherein the decrease in said threshold value is smaller when the measured value measured by said impact measuring is small.

9. The activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to claim 7, wherein said impact detecting means comprises an electronic satellite sensor for measuring the external force exerted on the vehicle.

10. The activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device according to claim 9, wherein the decrease in said threshold value is smaller when the measured value measured by said electronic satellite sensor is small.

11. An activation controlling apparatus for passive safety device comprising:

impact measuring means mounted at a predetermined position in a vehicle, for measuring external force exerted on the vehicle and generating a signal representing that force;

an electronic satellite sensor mounted ahead of said impact measuring means in said vehicle, for measuring external force exerted on the vehicle and generating a signal representing that force; and

means for controlling activation of a passive safety device such that;

when a relationship between the signal generated by said impact measuring means and a velocity derived from this signal satisfies a first condition, the passive safety device is not activated;

when the relationship satisfies a second condition, the activation of said passive safety device is further depends on the signals from said impact measuring means and said electronic satellite sensor;

when the relationship satisfies a third condition, the passive safety device is activated; and

said first, second and third conditions are defined based on the signal from said electronic satellite sensor.