Collision sensing system

• US 6,748,307 B1
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Neal, Mark O., Wang, Jenne-Tai, Sala, Dorel M., Lin, Chin-Hsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/303,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20040102883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/46, 701/47, 180/274, 180/282, 280/731, 280/732, 280/734, 280/735, 280/742, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/46
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• 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 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal
• 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

A computer based method for activating a vehicular safety device for passenger protection is disclosed. The method uses two front-end acceleration sensors and a passenger compartment sensor. When a collision situation is sensed, current acceleration data is integrated to produce velocity and displacement values for the sensor locations. The velocity and displacement values are selectively used in at least three vehicle collision mode analyses. Examples of such collision modes are a full frontal mode, an angle mode and an offset deformable barrier mode. Each collision mode has sub-modes corresponding to the desired levels of airbag inflation. When appropriate threshold values are exceeded, device activation for one or more activation stages is initiated.

Claims

1. A method of activating a safety device for vehicular passenger protection in a passenger compartment of a vehicle having a forward direction of travel in which it is susceptible to collision incidents in a frontal direction mode and in one or more angular direction modes, said vehicle having at least right side and left side acceleration sensors forward of said compartment, an acceleration sensor in said passenger compartment and a computer for continually processing acceleration signals from said sensors during vehicle operation, said method being executed on said computer and comprising the steps of:

continually comparing at least one of said acceleration signals with a predetermined acceleration value indicative of a passenger threatening collision and, if a said signal exceeds said value, proceeding with the following steps;

integrating each of said acceleration signals over time to determine a current sequence of velocity values for each of said sensor locations;

integrating each of said velocity values over time to determine current displacement values for each of said sensor locations;

comparing said velocity values with predetermined threshold velocity values for said sensor locations as a basis for determining whether a frontal mode collision situation requires safety device actuation;

comparing selected of said velocity and displacement values with predetermined corresponding velocity and displacement threshold values as a basis for determining whether an angular mode collision situation requires safety device activation and, if any one of said frontal or angular collision mode comparisons requires activation; and

activating said device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 in which said device is an inflatable air bag and said air bag is inflated by said activating step.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 in which only said velocity values are used in determining whether said frontal mode collision situation requires safety device activation and each said angular mode uses a combination of said velocity values and said displacement values as a basis for determining whether to activate said device.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by a frontal mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing a current sequence of said velocity values with second stage threshold velocity values for said right side, left side and passenger compartment locations; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said velocity value at said passenger compartment exceeds its second stage threshold velocity and at least one of said right side or left side location velocity values exceeds its respective second stage threshold velocity.

5. A method as recited in claim 2 in which said displacement values for said left side and right side sensor locations are compared with first stage threshold displacement values for said locations and a velocity value for said passenger compartment sensor location is compared with a first stage threshold velocity for said location in an angle mode collision situation, and

activating said device to a first stage of activation providing at least one of said displacement values exceeds its respective first stage threshold value and said velocity value exceeds its threshold first stage velocity value.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by an angle mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing said velocity values with second stage threshold velocity values for said right side and left side sensor locations;

comparing said displacement value for said passenger compartment sensor location with a second stage threshold displacement value for said location; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said right side velocity value and said displacement value exceed their corresponding second stage threshold values or said left side velocity exceeds its corresponding second stage threshold value.

7. A method as recited in claim 2 in which said displacement value for said passenger compartment location and said velocity values for said right side and left side sensor locations are compared with corresponding first stage threshold displacement and velocity values in an offset deformable barrier collision mode, and

activating said device to a first stage providing said passenger compartment displacement value exceeds its first stage threshold displacement value and at least one of said right side or left side velocities exceed their corresponding first stage threshold velocities.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by an offset deformable barrier mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing said right side and left side sensor location displacement values with second stage threshold displacement values for said locations;

comparing said passenger compartment sensor location velocity value with a second stage threshold velocity value for said location; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said velocity value exceeds its threshold value and at least one of said displacement values exceeds its threshold value.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 in which said device is an air bag adapted to be inflated to a first stage of inflation and further to a second stage of further inflation, and said air bag is inflated only to said first stage following the steps of claim 1.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 comprising comparing selected of said velocity and displacement values with predetermined corresponding second stage threshold velocity and displacement values as a basis for determining whether either said frontal or an angular mode collision situation requires further safety device activation and, if any one of collision mode comparisons requires further activation, and

activating said device to its second stage of activation.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 in which only said velocity values are used in determining whether said frontal mode collision situation requires second stage safety device activation and each said angular mode uses a combination of said velocity values and said displacement values as a basis for determining whether to activate said device.

12. A method as recited in claim 9 in which only said velocity values are used in determining whether said frontal mode collision situation requires safety device activation and each said angular mode uses a combination of said velocity values and said displacement values as a basis for determining whether to activate said device.

13. A method as recited in claim 9 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by a frontal mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing a current sequence of said velocity values with second stage threshold velocity values for said right side, left side and passenger compartment locations; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said velocity value at said passenger compartment exceeds its second stage threshold velocity and at least one of said right side or left side location velocity values exceeds its respective second stage threshold velocity.

14. A method as recited in claim 9 in which said displacement values for said left side and right side sensor locations are compared with first stage threshold displacement values for said locations and a velocity value for said passenger compartment sensor location is compared with a first stage threshold velocity for said location in an angle mode collision situation, and

activating said device to a first stage of activation providing at least one of said displacement values exceeds its respective first stage threshold value and said velocity value exceeds its threshold first stage velocity value.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by an angle mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing said velocity values with second stage threshold velocity values for said right side and left side sensor locations;

comparing said displacement value for said passenger compartment sensor location with a second stage threshold displacement value for said location; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said right side velocity value and said displacement value exceed their corresponding second stage threshold values or said left side velocity exceeds. its corresponding second stage threshold value.

16. A method as recited in claim 9 in which said displacement value for said passenger compartment location and said velocity values for said right side and left side sensor locations are compared with corresponding first stage threshold displacement and velocity values in an offset deformable barrier collision mode, and

activating said device to a first stage providing said passenger compartment displacement value exceeds its first stage threshold displacement value and at least one of said right side or left side velocities exceed their corresponding first stage threshold velocities.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by an offset deformable barrier mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing said right side and left side sensor location displacement values with second stage threshold displacement values for said locations;

comparing said passenger compartment sensor location velocity value with a second stage threshold velocity value for said location; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said velocity value exceeds its threshold value and at least one of said displacement values exceeds its threshold value.

18. A method as recited in claim 1 in which only said velocity values are used in determining whether said frontal mode collision situation requires safety device activation and each said angular mode uses a combination of said velocity values and said displacement values as a basis for determining whether to activate said device.

19. A method as recited in claim 1 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by a frontal mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing a current sequence of said velocity values with second stage threshold velocity values for said right side, left side and passenger compartment locations; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said velocity value at said passenger compartment exceeds its second stage threshold velocity and at least one of said right side or left side location velocity values exceeds its respective second stage threshold velocity.

20. A method as recited in claim 1 in which said displacement values for said left side and right side sensor locations are compared with first stage threshold displacement values for said locations and a velocity value for said passenger compartment sensor location is compared with a first stage threshold velocity for said location in an angle mode collision situation, and

activating said device to a first stage of activation providing at least one of said displacement values exceeds its respective first stage threshold value and said velocity value exceeds its threshold first stage velocity value.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by an angle mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing said velocity values with second stage threshold velocity values for said right side and left side sensor locations;

comparing said displacement value for said passenger compartment sensor location with a second stage threshold displacement value for said location; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said right side velocity value and said displacement value exceed their corresponding second stage threshold values or said left side velocity exceeds its corresponding second stage threshold value.

22. A method as recited in claim 1 in which said displacement value for said passenger compartment location and said velocity values for said right side and left side sensor locations are compared with corresponding first stage threshold displacement and velocity values in an offset deformable barrier collision mode, and

activating said device to a first stage providing said passenger compartment displacement value exceeds its first stage threshold displacement value and at least one of said right side or left side velocities exceed their corresponding first stage threshold velocities.

23. A method as recited in claim 22 in which said device has been activated to a first stage of activation by an offset deformable barrier mode collision situation, said method then further comprising the steps of:

comparing said right side and left side sensor location displacement values with second stage threshold displacement values for said locations;

comparing said passenger compartment sensor location velocity value with a second stage threshold velocity value for said location; and

activating said device to a second stage of activation providing said velocity value exceeds its threshold value and at least one of said displacement values exceeds its threshold value.