Actuator control method

• US 6,626,460 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUM VANNUCCI, LEE SIN YEE
• Application Number:
  US09/880,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 701/45
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0155 sensing belt tension

Abstract

A method of suitably controlling an airbag device or a pretensioner without imposing a burden on an airbag deployment control system and without complicating the wiring and logic for information interchange. A load discriminator receives an output from seat load cells and binarizes the output of the seat load cells, i.e. the weight of an occupant, with reference to two different threshold values corresponding to ON and OFF of the buckle switch, thereby obtaining two results. The weight discriminator sends the respective results to an airbag controller. The airbag controller receives the results and an ON/OFF signal from the buckle switch, employs the result according to the threshold value corresponding to the actual ON/OFF state of the buckle switch, and judges the kind (adult or child) of the occupant based on the employed result. Then, the airbag controller judges the actuation of the airbag based on this discrimination. When a collision occurs the airbag controller controls the deployment of the airbag based on the judgment for the actuation.

Claims

1. An actuator control method for determining a kind of an occupant sitting on a vehicle seat based on a combination of the weight of the occupant and an ON/OFF signal of a sensor and for controlling an actuator according to the kind of occupant determined, comprising the steps of:

providing a load discriminator and an actuator controller that are separately disposed;

judging the kind of occupant using the load discriminator based on respective threshold values corresponding to ON and OFF signals of the sensor to obtain a result;

outputting the result to the actuator controller; and

wherein the actuator controller receives an ON/OFF signal from said sensor, judges the kind of the occupant by combining the ON/OFF signal of said sensor and the output of the load discriminator, and controls the actuator based on a result of the judgment.

2. A method for controlling the actuation of an airbag protecting an occupant of a vehicle seat comprising the steps of:

(a) determining in a load discriminator whether a load applied to the vehicle seat corresponds to a child or an adult using a first threshold load value and generating a corresponding first result;

(b) determining in the load discriminator whether the load applied to the vehicle seat corresponds to a child or an adult using a second threshold load value and generating a corresponding second result, wherein the second threshold value is selected based on the occupant being protected by a buckled seat belt;

(c) providing the first and second results of the determining steps to an airbag controller;

(d) determining whether the seat belt protecting the occupant is buckled;

(e) providing an input to the controller corresponding to the buckled state of the seatbelt;

(f) selecting in the controller either the first result or the second result based on the buckled state of the seat belt; and

(g) controlling the airbag based on whether an adult or a child is indicated by the selected one of the first result or the second result.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of determining in a load discriminator whether the load applied to the vehicle seat corresponds to a child or an adult using a third threshold load value and generating a corresponding third result, wherein the third threshold value is selected based on a condition of a belt tension detector.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of determining in a load discriminator whether the load applied to the vehicle seat corresponds to a child or an adult using a third threshold load value and generating a corresponding third result, wherein the third threshold value is selected based on a condition of an automatic locking retractor.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first threshold value is selected based on the occupant not wearing a seat belt.