Device for protecting a pedestrian

• US 6,828,697 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mattes, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US10/116,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20020175499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 307/116, 245/6, 246/5
• US Class Current: 307/116
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/018 inflatable automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0065 Type of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0088 Cycles, e.g. motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01265 Seat belts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01325 Vertical acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• 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 21/0173 Diagnostic or recording means therefor

Abstract

A device for protecting a pedestrian from bone fractures in the event of a fall, including an airbag, an impact sensor, a cold gas generator, an igniting agent, a processor, an energy store, a charging circuit for recharging the device, and electronic and/or electrical components, which may be predominantly located on a flexible printed-circuit board. Accelerations in both the horizontal and the vertical directions may be measured by the impact sensor, which may include, for example, an acceleration sensor.

Claims

1. A device for protecting a pedestrian, the device comprising:

an airbag;

an impact sensor;

a cold gas generator to provide cold gas to the airbag;

an igniting agent;

a processor to process at least one signal of the impact sensor and to activate the igniting agent, the processor including a microcontroller, and

a belt, wherein at least the processor is provided on a flexible printed circuit board within the belt.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an energy store to provide energy to the device; and

a charging circuit to charge the energy store.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the charging circuit connects to a network voltage.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein other electronic components of the device are located on the flexible printed-circuit board.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the impact sensor includes an acceleration sensor.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the acceleration sensor is operable to differentiate between an acceleration in a horizontal direction and an acceleration in a vertical direction.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an energy store to provide energy to the device;

a charging circuit to charge the energy store;

wherein the impact sensor includes an acceleration sensor that is operable to differentiate between an acceleration in a horizontal direction and an acceleration in a vertical direction.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the charging circuit is connectable to a network voltage.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein at least the processor is located on a flexible printed-circuit board.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display to display at least one of a charge or recharging status of the device, an operational state of the device and a malfunction of the device.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an energy store, which includes a capacitor and resistor arrangement; and

a charging circuit.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the capacitor and resistor arrangement includes capacitors and resistors connected in parallel to form at least one RC parallel circuit.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one RC parallel circuit includes a plurality of RC parallel circuit connected in series.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one RC parallel circuit includes at five RC parallel circuit connected in series to ground.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the capacitors have a value of about 900 Farads at about 2.3 volts, so that a capacitance of the capacitive energy store is about 180 Farads.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein a charging time of the energy store, when discharged, is about 15 seconds.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein an uninterrupted operating time of the device is about 15 hours.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the impact sensor includes a low-g tilt sensor, which operates according to a thermal principle.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display to display at least one of a charge or recharging status of the device, an operational state of the device and a malfunction of the device, wherein the display includes at least one LED.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the display includes two LED outputs to indicate an operating state and a malfunction state.

21. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an energy store; and

a switch between the energy store and the impact sensor or the processor.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the switch is open during at least one of a recharging of the energy store or a malfunction of the device.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the switch operates automatically when the belt is buckled.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor includes an Application-Specific-Integrated Circuit (ASIC).

25. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an energy store to provide energy to the device, wherein the energy store includes a capacitor and resistor arrangement;

a charging circuit to charge the energy store;

wherein the impact sensor includes an acceleration sensor that is operable to differentiate between an acceleration in a horizontal direction and an acceleration in a vertical direction, and

wherein the capacitor and resistor arrangement includes a plurality of RC parallel circuit connected in series.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein a charging time of the energy store, when discharged, is about 15 seconds.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein an uninterrupted operating time of the device is about 15 hours.