Vehicle impact sensor using both accelerometer and pressure sensing for side impact detection
First Claim
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1. A system for an automotive vehicle having a door comprising:
- a first sensor generating a first signal corresponding to a first crash characteristic comprising a door cavity pressure;
a second sensor generating a second signal corresponding to a second crash characteristic different than the first characteristic;
a restraint device; and
a controller coupled to said first sensor, said second sensor and said restraint device, said controller when either the first signal is above a first threshold or the second signal is above a second threshold, comparing the first signal and second signal to each other and deploying a restraint device in response to comparing.
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Abstract
A restraint control system (40) for an automotive vehicle (10) is illustrated with a first sensor such as a door cavity pressure sensor (28) and a second sensor such as an accelerometer (30). A restraint device (54) is coupled to a controller (52) that controls the operation of the restraint device in response to the first sensor (28) and the second sensor (30). When either the signal from the first sensor or the signal from the second sensor is above a first or second threshold, respectively, the two signals are compared. In response to the comparison, the restraint device (54) is deployed.
29 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system for an automotive vehicle having a door comprising:
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a first sensor generating a first signal corresponding to a first crash characteristic comprising a door cavity pressure; a second sensor generating a second signal corresponding to a second crash characteristic different than the first characteristic; a restraint device; and a controller coupled to said first sensor, said second sensor and said restraint device, said controller when either the first signal is above a first threshold or the second signal is above a second threshold, comparing the first signal and second signal to each other and deploying a restraint device in response to comparing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for an automotive vehicle having a door comprising:
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a first door pressure cavity sensor generating a first pressure signal corresponding to a pressure within the door; a first accelerometer generating a first acceleration signal corresponding to lateral acceleration of the vehicle; a restraint device; and a controller coupled to said first door pressure cavity sensor, said first accelerometer and said restraint device, when either the pressure signal is above a first threshold or the acceleration signal is above a second threshold, said controller comparing the pressure signal and the acceleration signal to each other, and deploying the restraint device in response to comparing. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of operating a restraint device comprising:
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generating a pressure signal corresponding to a pressure within a door; generating an acceleration signal corresponding to lateral acceleration of a vehicle; when either the pressure signal is above a first threshold or the acceleration signal is above a second threshold, comparing the pressure signal and the acceleration signal to each other; and deploying a restraint device in response to comparing. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification