Occupant protection system having a central unit, sensors and a plurality of control modules which are connected by means of a bus system

• US 6,422,596 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2000
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Temic Telefunken Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Temic Telefunken Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nitschke, Werner, Bauer, Joachim, Steiner, Peter, Bischoff, Michael, Karl, Otto, Schaeffer, Stefan, Fendt, Guenter, Rinkens, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUM VANNUCCI, LEE SIN YEE
• Application Number:
  US09/647,334
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 280/735
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01068 between different sensors and airbag control unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01075 between the airbag control unit and pyrotechnic fuses or equivalent actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01115 specific data frames
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01122 Prevention of malfunction
• 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

Abstract

In occupant protection systems having a large number of sensors and control modules for triggering occupant protection devices, the amount of wiring is significantly increased if they are to be communicatively connected to a central unit. For this reason, bus systems have already been suggested for the control modules for triggering occupant protection devices. In order to further reduce in the wiring, sensors are at least partially integrated into a bus system with additional control modules that are allocated to these sensors. Within the context of a diagnosis process of interrogation and response, which triggers a function test of the control modules for triggering the occupant protection devices, an actual sensor value is sent to the bus system from the control modules of the sensors as a diagnosis response. This response is processed by the central unit and/or the other control modules.

Claims

1. An occupant protection system comprising a central control unit (1) including interrogation means for generating interrogation signals, a signal transmitting databus connected to said central control unit, a plurality of occupant protection devices (I1, I2, . . . ) and a corresponding plurality of control modules (M1, M3, . . .) arranged in pairs so that each pair comprises one control module and one respective occupant protection device, said pairs being connected through said signal transmitting databus to each other and to said central control unit for communicating with said central control unit including responding to said interrogation signals and for transmitting diagnosis responses from said protection devices to said central control unit, said system further comprising at least one sensor (S1) and at least one sensor control module (M2) forming at least one further pair with said at least one sensor (S1), wherein said at least one further pair is also connected through said signal transmitting databus to said central control unit for responding to said interrogation signals and transmitting a sensor response, whereby said first mentioned pairs and said at least one further pair respond to the same said interrogation signals.

2. The occupant protection system of claim 1, wherein said corresponding plurality of control modules (M1, M3), comprises means for evaluating said diagnosis responses from said occupant protection devices.

3. The occupant protection system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of control modules (M1, M3) and said at least one sensor control module (M2) are of identical construction.

4. The occupant protection system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor (31) detects an occupant dependent characteristic.

5. An occupant protection system for a vehicle comprising a central control unit (1), at least one first sensor (Se) for sensing vehicle characteristics, said at least one first sensor being directly connected to said central control unit, first pairs of occupant protection devices and respective control modules (M1, M2), each first pair comprising an occupant protection device (I1, I2) and a respective control module (M1, M3) connected to a respective occupant protection device to form said first pairs, a data transmission bus connecting said first pairs to said central control unit and to each other for responding to interrogation signals from said central control unit, at least one second pair comprising a sensor control module (M2) and an occupant sensor (S1) connected to said sensor control module (M2), said data transmission bus also connecting said at least one second pair to said central control unit (1) for responding to said interrogation signals from said central control unit, whereby said first mentioned pairs and said at least one further pair respond to the same said interrogation signals.

6. The occupant protection system of claim 5, wherein said at least one first sensor (Se) detects signals of rapidly changing values of said vehicle characteristics which are transmitted directly to said central control unit, and wherein said occupant sensor (S1) detects slowly changing occupant dependent characteristics which are transmitted by said data transmission bus to said central control unit.

7. The occupant protection system of claim 6, wherein said at least one first sensor (Se) is an analog sensor directly connected to said central processing unit for processing said rapidly changing values in quasi real-time.

8. The occupant protection system of claim 5, wherein said first mentioned control modules (M1, M3) and said at least one sensor control module (M2) are of an identical construction.

9. A method for operating an occupant protection system including a central control unit, a plurality of occupant protection devices, a plurality of sensors, and a data transmission bus connecting said occupant protection devices to said central control, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) dividing said sensors into a first group of sensors and a second group of sensors, said first group of sensors including vehicle characteristic sensors, said second group including occupant sensors;

(b) connecting said first group of sensors directly to said central control independently of said data transmission bus;

(c) connecting said second group of sensors through said data transmission bus to said central control together with said occupant protection devices;

(d) generating interrogation signals; and

(e) interrogating said occupant protection devices and said second group of sensors through said data transmission bus with said interrogation signals for obtaining diagnosis information from said occupant protection devices and for obtaining status information from said occupant sensors with the same interrogation signals.