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Control arrangement and method for testing the operation of a control arrangement of this type for occupant protection means in a motor vehicle

  • US 7,039,513 B2
  • Filed: 01/29/2004
  • Issued: 05/02/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A control configuration for an occupant protection device in a motor vehicle, the control configuration comprising:

  • a sensor field having at least two acceleration sensors, said acceleration sensors having at least two sensor elements allowing acceleration sensing along three sensitivity axes;

    said sensitivity axes of said sensor elements of said acceleration sensors spanning a plane, said plane, after integrating the control configuration in a motor vehicle, being substantially parallel to a plane defined by a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a transverse axis of the vehicle;

    at least one evaluation device including;

    for a normal or crash mode;

    a safing routine to test plausibility of all output signals of said sensors by creating a weighted sum from the output signals, anda crash routine to evaluate the output signals; and

    for a test mode;

    a test routine sending a test signal to at least two of said acceleration sensors to generate output signals to test operation of said sensors;

    at least one test signal to be modified with a weighting device by a predefinable weighting factor causing at least one of said acceleration sensors to output a weighted output signal; and

    during the test routine, the output signals of said acceleration sensors disposed in said sensor field to be processed according to the safing routine;

    the weighted sum of the output signals producing a predefined value when said acceleration sensors are capable of operation; and

    error-free operation of the control configuration being able to be determined when the weighted sum of the output signals actually supplied during the test routine approximately produces the predefined value.

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