Device for occupant protection in a motor vehicle and for anti-theft protection of the motor vehicle

• US 7,320,379 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Zecha, Stephan, Herold, Ju, Gila, Janos, Konrad, Wolfgang, Hofbeck, Klaus, Rosel, Birgit
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown; Drew J.
• Application Number:
  US10/536,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20060043710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.1, 340/426.16, 340/426.17, 340/426.13, 340/5.2, 340/5.31, 340/5.3, 340/5.33, 340/5.61, 307/10.2, 701 45- 47, 280/735, 180/287
• US Class Current: 180/287
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01225 control of expansion volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01504 detecting bag displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/012 Airbags triggered
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for occupant protection in a motor vehicle and for anti-theft protection of the motor vehicle, comprising an airbag (3), which may be inflated with gas by means of a filling device, a transceiver (5), for electromagnetic waves (6) and an occupant protection analytical unit (81) connected thereto. An occupant protection interrogation unit (41) is arranged on the inflatable airbag (3), which is wirelessly interrogated by the transceiver (5). Information on the degree and/or speed of unfolding of the airbag is thus provided to the occupant protection analytical unit (81). The transceiver (5) may furthermore wirelessly interrogate a portable anti-theft interrogation unit (42), for example, a chipcard and hence provide an anti-theft analytical unit (82) with information about the authorisation of the anti-theft interrogation unit (42) and/or the separation of the anti-theft interrogation unit (42) from the transceiver (5) based on the returned signal.

Claims

1. A device for occupant protection in a motor vehicle and for anti-theft protection of the motor vehicle, the device comprising:

an airbag having a filler device for inflating said airbag with gas;

a transceiver device for transmitting electromagnetic waves;

an occupant protection evaluation device connected to said transceiver device;

at least one occupant protection interrogation unit disposed on said airbag, said transceiver device interrogating said occupant protection interrogation unit contactlessly resulting in information regarding a degree of deployment and/or a speed of deployment of said airbag being provided to said occupant protection evaluation device;

an anti-theft protection evaluation device; and

at least one portable anti-theft protection interrogation unit being interrogated contactlessly by said transceiver device resulting in further information regarding an authorization of said anti-theft protection interrogation unit and/or regarding a distance of said anti-theft protection interrogation unit from said transceiver device on a basis of a signal returned by said anti-theft protection interrogation unit, said further information being provided to said anti-theft protection evaluation device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said transceiver device is disposed within a vehicle instrument panel.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one shared electronic structural unit for a reception and/or transmission of signals of said occupant protection interrogation unit and of said anti-theft protection interrogation unit.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said shared electronic structural unit is an antenna.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said occupant protection evaluation device and said anti-theft protection evaluation device form a part of a combined evaluation device having and accommodated within a single housing.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said occupant protection evaluation device and said anti-theft protection evaluation device have different software operating modes in said combined evaluation device.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said occupant protection interrogation unit is a reflector.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said reflector is polarizing.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said occupant protection interrogation unit is a transponder.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said transponder has a logic circuit which enables a coded wave to be transmitted back to said transceiver device.

11. A method for protecting occupants of a motor vehicle and for anti-theft protection of the motor vehicle, which comprises the steps of:

in a normal operating mode of the motor vehicle, without completed activation of a filler device for filling an inflatable airbag, performing the steps of;

transmitting a coded signal using a transceiver device;

receiving the coded signal in a portable anti-theft protection interrogation unit;

transmitting back, via the portable anti-theft protection interrogation unit, a modified coded signal to the transceiver device;

receiving the modified coded signal in the transceiver device and forwarding the modified coded signal to an anti-theft protection evaluation device;

determining in the anti-theft protection evaluation device, from the modified coded signal, information regarding an authorization of the anti-theft protection interrogation unit and/or regarding a distance of the anti-theft protection interrogation unit from the transceiver device;

in an activation case, upon completed activation of the filler device for filling the inflatable airbag, performing the steps of;

using the transceiver device for interrogating signals of an occupant protection interrogation unit of the inflatable airbag by a contactless method resulting in further information; and

providing an occupant protection evaluation unit connected to the transceiver unit with the further information for determining a degree of deployment and/or a speed of deployment of the inflatable airbag.

12. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises:

using differently coded signals for interrogation of the anti-theft protection interrogation unit by the transceiver device than for interrogation of the degree of deployment and/or the speed of deployment of the inflatable airbag.

13. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises in the normal operating mode of the motor vehicle, without completed activation of the filler device for filling the inflatable airbag:

performing an interrogation of the occupant protection interrogation unit by the transceiver device at regular time intervals and as a result additional information regarding a proper functioning of the occupant interrogation unit is provided for the occupant protection evaluation device.