Method of determining the crash phases relevant to the triggering of a passive safety device in a vehicle

• US 6,952,636 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2004
• Issued: 10/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Link, Andrea, Urbahn, Jan, Watzka, Willibald
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/844,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/46, 701/47, 701/301, 340/436, 340/667, 340/669, 340/438, 340/903, 280/728.1, 280/735, 280/734, 180/271, 180/282, 180/232, 307/10.1, 342/70, 342/71, 342/72
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining the key crash phases for triggering a passive safety device in a vehicle. According to the invention method, an acceleration signal (ax) representing an acceleration (ax(t)) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is determined, and two window integrals are simultaneously set up at the beginning of the crash-related deceleration of the vehicle, by which means the deceleration signal (ax) is added or integrated over a pre-determined time window. The first time window is smaller/equal to the minimum triggering time for triggering the safety device, and the second time window is significantly larger than the first window. The period during which the window integrals have the same value and during which said value is higher than a threshold value is defined as the first crash plane.

Claims

1. A method of determining crash phases relevant to a triggering of a passive safety device in a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining an acceleration signal representative of an acceleration acting in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

starting two window integrals simultaneously with a start of a crash-caused deceleration of the vehicle, by which two window integrals the acceleration signal is added or integrated over pre-determined time windows;

setting a first time window to be equal to or less than a minimal triggering time for triggering the safety device and a second time window to be significantly longer than the first time window; and

defining a time period during which the window integrals have the same value, and during which said same value is greater than a threshold value, as a first crash phase relevant to the triggering of the passive safety device in the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the starting of the two window integrals with the start of the crash-caused deceleration of the vehicle is defined in a retroactive manner.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a start of an integral calculation is repeated at time intervals that are significantly shorter than an integration time of the window integrals.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein a start of an integral calculation is repeated at time intervals that are significantly shorter than an integration time of the window integrals.

5. A software product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium having stored thereon programs code segments that;

obtain an acceleration signal representative of an acceleration acting in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

start two window integrals simultaneously with a start of a crash-caused deceleration of the vehicle, by which two window integrals the acceleration signal is added or integrated over pre-determined time windows;

set a first time window to be equal to or less than a minimal triggering time for triggering the safety device and a second time window to be significantly longer than the first time window; and

define a time period during which the window integrals have the same value and during which said same value is greater than a threshold value as a first crash phase relevant to the triggering of the passive safety device in the vehicle.