Air bag failure display system and method

• US 6,462,649 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): PREVIL, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US09/489,934
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/430, 701/45, 701/46, 701/47, 280/734, 280/735
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01512 Passenger detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0173 Diagnostic or recording means therefor

Abstract

An action counter (27) counts the number of turn-on actions by an operator to an ignition switch (3) over a prescribed period of time, and a deceleration sensor (9) senses a deceleration imparted to the vehicle within a prescribed period of time. After the counted number of turn-on actions has exceeded a prescribed count value, if the deceleration exceeds a prescribed value, a switching intent determiner (5) makes a judgment of the operator'"'"'s intent to switch the display mode of an air bag failure display device (17) from a normal mode to a maintenance mode.

Claims

1. An air bag failure display system that displays a result of a failure diagnosis of an air bag system of a vehicle in a selective one of a plurality of display modes, the air bag system including an air bag controller having an apparatus employed therefor, the air bag failure display system comprising:

an operation sensor which senses a prescribed operation performed to said apparatus;

a deceleration sensor which senses a deceleration imparted to the vehicle; and

a display mode selector which, after the prescribed operation has been sensed by said operation sensor, switches a current display mode to another display mode if the deceleration sensed by said deceleration sensor exceeds a prescribed value.

2. The air bag failure display system of claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises an ignition switch to be operated by an ignition key of an engine of the vehicle.

3. The air bag failure display system of claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a seat sensor which senses whether a person is seated in a seat in the vehicle.

4. An air bag failure display system for a vehicle having:

a set of sensing elements arranged therein to sense a state of the vehicle; and

an air bag system including;

an air bag;

an air bag control system that receives signals from the set of sensing elements and controls the air bag in response to the received signals; and

an air bag failure diagnosis system that performs a failure diagnosis of the air bag system, the air bag failure display system comprising;

said set of sensing elements employed to sense variations of the state of the vehicle incurred by a combination of operator actions given to the vehicle as an operator command;

a signal processor which processes the received signals to decode the operator command; and

a display device which indicates a result of the failure diagnosis in a display mode selected from a plurality of display modes different of information content in dependence on the operator command decoded by said signal processor.

5. The air bag failure display system of claim 4, wherein said set of sensing elements comprises an ignition switch to be operated by an ignition key of an engine of the vehicle and an acceleration sensor that senses a deceleration imparted to the vehicle.

6. The air bag failure display system of claim 4, wherein said set of sensing elements comprises an ignition switch to be operated by an ignition key of an engine of the vehicle and a seat sensor that senses a person seated in a seat for which the air bag is provided.

7. The air bag failure display system of claim 4, wherein said set of sensing elements comprises a seat sensor that senses a person seated in a seat for which the air bag is provided and an acceleration sensor that senses a deceleration imparted to the vehicle.

8. An air bag failure display system for a vehicle having:

sensing means arranged therein for sensing a state of the vehicle; and

an air bag system including;

an air bag;

an air bag control system for receiving signals from the sensing means to control the air bag in response to the received signals; and

an air bag failure diagnosis system for performing a failure diagnosis of the air bag system, the air bag failure display system comprising;

said sensing means employed for sensing variations of the state of the vehicle incurred by a combination of operator actions given to the vehicle as an operator command;

signal processor means for processing the received signals to decode the operator command; and

display means for indicating a result of the failure diagnosis in a display mode selected from a plurality of display modes different of information content in dependence on the operator command decoded by said signal processor means.

9. An air bag failure display method for a vehicle having:

a set of sensing elements arranged therein to sense a state of the vehicle; and

an air bag system including;

an air bag;

an air bag control system that receives signals from the set of sensing elements and controls the air bag in response to the received signals; and

an air bag failure diagnosis system that performs a failure diagnosis of the air bag system, the air bag failure display method comprising;

employing the set of sensing elements to sense variations of the state of the vehicle incurred by a combination of operator actions given to the vehicle as an operator command;

processing the received signals to decode the operator command; and

indicating a result of the failure diagnosis in a display mode selected from a plurality of display modes different of information content in dependence on the operator command decoded by said processing.