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Air bag system with biomechanical gray zones

  • US 6,696,933 B2
  • Filed: 09/10/2002
  • Issued: 02/24/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An occupant restraint system for restraining a vehicle'"'"'s occupant during a vehicle crash event in a fashion where the occupant is restrained such that the occupant does not receive crash induced forces which exceed a set of injury criteria, the restraint system comprising:

  • a deployable restraint having a first state configured to impart a first restraining energy upon the occupant and a second state configured to impart a second restraining energy upon the occupant;

    a sensor configured to produce a signal indicative of the crash deceleration during the crash event;

    a controller configured to receive the signal and send a control signal to the deployable restraint, the controller having a lower must-fire threshold indicative of a minimum change in velocity at which the first state is initiated and a higher must-fire threshold where the second state should be initiated, the controller having a sensing gray zone between the lower must-fire threshold and the higher must-fire threshold, the sensing gray zone being a region where the controller is unable to determine whether to initiate the first state or the second state, the controller further having a biomechanical gray zone defined between the lower must-fire threshold and the higher must-fire threshold, the biomechanical gray zone having a first lower threshold indicative of the highest speed where the first state produces more desirable in-position occupant performance values than no initiation of the restraint, but does not exceed out-of-position occupant performance standards; and

    wherein the higher must-fire threshold is the lowest speed where occupant performance with the first state exceeds the injury criteria.

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