Safety system for operating at least one electrically actuated locking apparatus of a door of a motor vehicle

• US 7,380,632 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Claar, Klaus-Peter, Lindmayer, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Boehler; Anne Marie M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gooden, Jr.; Barry
• Application Number:
  US11/128,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20050274561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 180/271, 180/274, 180/281, 180/282, 180/286, 49/31, 296/68.1, 701/45, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 180/274
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01252 Devices other than bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/12 Automatic locking or unlocking at the moment of collision
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A safety system for operating at least one electrically actuated locking apparatus of a door of a motor vehicle has a crash sensor for sensing an imminent accident event. Upon sensing an accident event with a crash sensor within a first specified interval of time, the locking apparatus remains bolted within a second specified interval of time, which has such a length that it includes the entire temporal course of the accident event, and is subsequently unbolted. The crash sensor for sensing an imminent accident event, upon recognizing a possible imminent accident event, actuates central bolting in such a way that the locking apparatus of the door is bolted for the first specified interval of time. This first specified time interval has such a length that the possible accident event will fall in the time interval specified.

Claims

1. A safety system for operating at least one electrically actuated locking apparatus of a door of a motor vehicle comprising:

a crash sensor adapted to sense an accident event, and

a pre-crash sensor adapted to recognize a possible imminent accident event,

wherein the pre-crash sensor, upon recognition of a possible imminent accident event, actuates a central locking unit in such a way that the locking apparatus of the door is bolted for a first specified interval of time,

wherein, when the crash sensor senses the accident event within the first specified interval of time, the locking apparatus remains bolted for a second specified interval of time, which has such a length that it includes an entire temporal sequence of the accident event, and is subsequently unbolted, and

wherein the first specified interval of time has a length such that the occurrence of the possible accident event falls in the first specified interval of time.

2. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein the first specified interval of time can be adjusted as a function of traffic-relevant data recorded by the pre-crash sensor.

3. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein the second specified interval of time can be adjusted as a function of sensor values recorded by the crash sensor.

4. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein, when the crash sensor does not sense any accident event, the locking apparatus is unbolted upon expiration of the first specified interval of time.

5. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein the locking apparatus cannot be opened mechanically from the outside during the first specified interval of time.

6. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein the locking apparatus cannot be opened mechanically from the outside during the second specified interval of time.

7. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein the door of the motor vehicle is a back hatch or back door of the motor vehicle.

8. The safety system according to claim 2, wherein the pre-crash sensor uses at least one of driving state magnitudes, environment data, and evaluated driver activities as the traffic-relevant data.

9. A safety system for operating at least one electrically actuated locking apparatus of a door of a motor vehicle, in which evaluation based on at least one of a driving state and input from an environment sensor unit, which allows inference of an imminent accident event, leads to a bolting of the locking apparatus, wherein the locking apparatus cannot be opened mechanically from outside of the motor vehicle for a first specified interval of time after bolting thereof, and wherein the locking apparatus remains bolted for a second specified interval of time when an actual accident event is sensed.

10. The safety system according to claim 9, wherein the second specified interval of time entirely encompasses the duration of the actual accident event.

11. The safety system according to claim 10, wherein the locking apparatus is unbolted upon expiration of the second specified interval of time.