Vehicle occupant restraint system and method
First Claim
1. A vehicle occupant restraint system comprising:
- a first restraint apparatus to restrain an occupant in a vehicle in a first direction of the vehicle;
a second restraint apparatus to restrain the occupant in a second direction of the vehicle, the first direction being one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction of the vehicle, the second direction being the other of the longitudinal direction and lateral direction;
a sensing section to sense a first operating condition to detect a collision of the vehicle tending to push the occupant in the first direction, and a second operating condition indicative of movement of the occupant resulting from the collision; and
a controller configured to trigger the first restraint apparatus on the occurrence of the collision tending to push the occupant in the first direction, to set a delay time in accordance with the second condition, and to trigger the second restraint apparatus at an instant delayed by the delay time with respect to a first trigger action of triggering the first restraint apparatus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle occupant restraint system includes a first restraint apparatus to restrain an occupant in a first direction such as the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a second restraint apparatus to restrain the occupant in a second direction such as the lateral direction. A control unit triggers the first restraint apparatus upon a collision tending to throw the occupant in the first direction. Thereafter, the control unit sets a delay time in accordance with a condition representing the amount of movement of the occupant in the second direction, and triggers the second restraint apparatus at a timing delayed by the delay time with respect to the first trigger action of triggering the first restraint apparatus.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A vehicle occupant restraint system comprising:
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a first restraint apparatus to restrain an occupant in a vehicle in a first direction of the vehicle;
a second restraint apparatus to restrain the occupant in a second direction of the vehicle, the first direction being one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction of the vehicle, the second direction being the other of the longitudinal direction and lateral direction;
a sensing section to sense a first operating condition to detect a collision of the vehicle tending to push the occupant in the first direction, and a second operating condition indicative of movement of the occupant resulting from the collision; and
a controller configured to trigger the first restraint apparatus on the occurrence of the collision tending to push the occupant in the first direction, to set a delay time in accordance with the second condition, and to trigger the second restraint apparatus at an instant delayed by the delay time with respect to a first trigger action of triggering the first restraint apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A vehicle occupant restraining method for restraining a vehicle occupant in a vehicle, the vehicle occupant restraining method comprising:
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sensing a first operating condition to detect a collision of the vehicle tending to push the occupant in a first direction which is one of longitudinal direction and lateral direction of the vehicle;
performing a first trigger action to restrain the vehicle occupant in the first direction;
sensing a second operating condition indicative of movement of the occupant resulting from the collision;
setting a delay time in accordance with the second condition; and
restraining the occupant in a second direction which is the other of the longitudinal direction and lateral direction, at an instant delayed by the delay time with respect to the first trigger action.
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20. A control apparatus for a vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising:
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means for monitoring a first operating condition to detect a collision of the vehicle tending to push the occupant in a first direction which is one of longitudinal direction and lateral direction of the vehicle;
means for producing a first trigger signal upon detection of the collision to restrain the vehicle occupant in the first direction;
means for examining a second operating condition to estimate movement of the occupant resulting from the collision; and
means for delaying a second trigger signal to restrain the vehicle occupant in a second direction which is the other of the longitudinal direction and lateral direction, with respect to the first trigger signal, by a delay time determined in accordance with the second operating condition so that the delay time is increased when an amount of movement of the occupant in the second direction is greater.
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21. A vehicle occupant restraint system comprising:
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a longitudinal restraint apparatus to restrain an occupant in a vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
a lateral restraint apparatus to restrain the occupant in a lateral direction of the vehicle;
a collision sensor to sense a collision of the vehicle;
a movement estimating section to estimate a longitudinal movement quantity of the occupant and a lateral movement quantity of the occupant; and
a timing control section to control timings of actuation of the first restraint apparatus and the second restraint apparatus in response to a signal from the collision sensor, the timing control section being configured to set a delay time in accordance with the longitudinal movement quantity and the lateral movement quantity, the delay time being an amount of time by which the timing of actuation of one of the longitudinal and lateral restraint apparatuses is retarded with respect to the timing of actuation of the other of the longitudinal and lateral restraint apparatuses, the delay time being so set that the delay time is proportional to one of the longitudinal movement quantity and the lateral movement quantity. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification