Activation control apparatus of occupant safety

• US 6,324,454 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Obata, Yuujiro, Iyoda, Motomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/493,032
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/301, 280/734, 280/735, 280/728.1, 180/232, 180/271, 340/436, 340/438, 340/903, 340/435
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• 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
• 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

Abstract

An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system is an apparatus for controlling activation of airbag system 36 mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, which has front sensors 30A, 30B mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part of the vehicle, a floor sensor 32 mounted behind the front sensors in the vehicle, and an output control 42 for controlling an output of inflators 36A, 36B on the occasion of activation of the airbag system, based on values detected by the front sensors and floor sensor.

Claims

1. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

first impact detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said first impact detecting means in the vehicle; and

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said first-impact detecting means and said second impact detecting means, wherein when an integral of the value detected by said second impact detecting means is in a range smaller than a second predetermined value and when an integral of the value detected by said first impact detecting means is larger than a first predetermined value, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the integral of the value detected by said second impact detecting means is in the range smaller than the second predetermined value and when the integral of the value detected by said first impact detecting means is smaller than the first predetermined value.

2. The activation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first detecting means is comprised of left front detecting means mounted in a left front part of said vehicle and right front detecting means mounted in a right front part of the vehicle and wherein said output control means controls the output value of said inflator, based on values detected by said left front detecting means and said right front detecting means.

3. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

first impact detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said first impact detecting means in the vehicle;

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said first-impact detecting means and said second impact detecting means; and

collision time detecting means for detecting a time of a collision of said vehicle, wherein when a time from the time of the collision detected by said collision time detecting means is in a range shorter than a third predetermined value and when an integral of the value detected by said first impact detecting means is larger than a first predetermined value, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the time from the time of the collision dete-cted by said collision time detecting means is in the range shorter than the third predetermined value and when the integral of the value detected by said first impact detecting means is smaller than the first predetermined value.

4. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

first impact detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said first impact detecting means in the vehicle; and

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said first-impact detecting means and said second impact detecting means, wherein said first detecting means is comprised of left front detecting means mounted in a left front part of said vehicle and right front detecting means mounted in a right front part of the vehicle and wherein when an integral of the value detected by said second impact detecting means is in a range smaller than a second predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left front detecting means and an integral of the value detected by said right front detecting means is larger than a first predetermined value, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the integral of the value detected by said second impact detecting means is in the range smaller than the second predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left front detecting means and an integral of the value detected by said right front detecting means is smaller than the first predetermined value.

5. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

first impact detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said first impact detecting means in the vehicle;

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said first-impact detecting means and said second impact detecting means; and

collision time detecting means for detecting a time of a collision of said vehicle, wherein said first detecting means is comprised of left front detecting means mounted in a left front part of said vehicle and right front detecting means mounted in a right front part of the vehicle and wherein when a time from the time of the collision detected by said collision time detecting means is in a range shorter than a third predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left front detecting means and an integral of the value detected by said right front detecting means is larger than a first predetermined value, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the time from the time of the collision detected by said collision time detecting means is in the range shorter than the third predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left front detecting means and an integral of the value detected by said right front detecting means is smaller than the first predetermined value.

6. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

left front detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the left front part of said vehicle;

right front detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the right front part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said left detecting means and said right detecting means in the vehicle; and

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, wherein when either one of a value computed based on the value detected by said left front detecting means and the value detected by said second impact detecting means and a value computed based on the value detected by said right front detecting means and the value detected by said second impact detecting means is over a predetermined threshold smaller than said first predetermined value and when the other is not over said predetermined threshold, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the both of the value computed based on the value detected by said left front detecting means and the value detected by said second impact detecting means and the value computed based on the value detected by said right front detecting means and the value detected by said second impact detecting means are over said predetermined threshold smaller than said first predetermined value.

7. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

a left electronic sensor mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the left front part of said vehicle;

a right electronic sensor mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the right front part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said left electronic sensor and said right electronic sensor in the vehicle; and

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said left electronic sensor, said right electronic sensor and said second impact detecting means, wherein when an integral of the value detected by said second impact detecting means is in a range smaller than a second predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left electronic sensor and an integral of the value detected by said right electronic sensor is larger than a first predetermined value, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the integral of the value detected by said second impact detecting means is in the range smaller than the second predetermined value and when the larger out of the integral of the value detected by said left electronic sensor and an integral of the value detected by said right electronic sensor is smaller than the first predetermined value.

8. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

a left electronic sensor mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the left front part of said vehicle;

a right electronic sensor mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the right front part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said left electronic sensor and said right electronic sensor in the vehicle;

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said left electronic sensor, said right electronic sensor and said second impact detecting means; and

collision time detecting means for detecting a time of a collision of said vehicle, wherein when a time from the time of the collision detected by said collision time detecting means is in a range shorter than a third predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left electronic sensor and an integral of the value detected by said right electronic sensor is larger than a first predetermined value, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the time from the time of the collision detected by said collision time detecting means is in the range shorter than the third predetermined value and when the larger out of an integral of the value detected by said left electronic sensor and an integral of the value detected by said right electronic sensor is smaller than the first predetermined value.

9. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

a left electronic sensor mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the left front part of said vehicle;

a right electronic sensor mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part in the right front part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said left electronic sensor and said right electronic sensor in the vehicle; and

output control means for controlling an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, wherein when either one of a value computed based on the value detected by said left electronic sensor and the value detected by said second impact detecting means and a value computed based on the value detected by said right electronic sensor and the value detected by said second impact detecting means is over a predetermined threshold smaller than said first predetermined value and when the other is not over said predetermined threshold, said output control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the both of the value computed based on the value detected by said left electronic sensor and the value detected by said second impact detecting means and the value computed based on the value detected by said right electronic sensor and the value detected by said second impact detecting means are over said predetermined threshold smaller than said first predetermined value.

10. An activation control apparatus of an occupant safety system for controlling activation of the occupant safety system mounted on a vehicle in the event of the vehicle colliding with an obstacle, said activation control apparatus comprising:

first impact detecting means mounted in the vicinity of a colliding part of said vehicle;

second impact detecting means mounted behind said first impact detecting means in the vehicle; and

activation control means for determining whether said occupant safety system should be activated and determining an output value of an inflator on the occasion of activation of said occupant safety system, based on values detected by said first impact detecting means and said second impact detecting means, wherein when a value computed based on the value detected by said first impact detecting means and the value detected by said second impact detecting means is over a first output decision-activation determination threshold, said activation control means controls the output value of said inflator to a value greater than when the value computed based on the value detected by said first impact detecting means and the value detected by said second impact detecting means is not over said first output decision-activation determination threshold but is over a second output decision-activation determination threshold.

11. The activation control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first impact detecting means is comprised of an electronic sensor mounted in a left front part of said vehicle and an electronic sensor mounted in a right front part of the vehicle.