Apparatus for transmitting data acquired from bus-connected plural on-vehicle sensors to processing unit

• US 7,610,135 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Miura, Hisanori, Iwasaki, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Shelley
• Application Number:
  US11/064,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/826 where the data is sent periodically
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/86 Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for transmitting data in an airbag activation system mounted on a vehicle. The apparatus comprises a communication channel, a plurality of sensor units mutually communicably connected via the communication channel, and a processing unit. Each sensor unit senses a state of the vehicle, produces data indicative of the sensed state of the vehicle into a set of digital data including actually sensed data of a predetermined bit length, the actually sensed data corresponding to the sensed state of the vehicle, and outputs the set of digital data to the communication channel at predetermined transmission intervals. The bit length of the actually sensed data is changed depending on the sensed state of the vehicle. The set of digital data is outputted successively from the sensor modules. The processing unit successively receives the digital data from each sensor unit via the communication channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting data in an airbag activation system mounted on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a communication channel having a predetermined transmission band for digital data;

a plurality of sensor units mutually communicably connected via the communication channel, each sensor unit

sensing a state of the vehicle,

producing data indicative of the sensed state of the vehicle into a set of digital data including actually sensed data of a predetermined bit length, the actually sensed data corresponding to the sensed state of the vehicle, and

outputting the set of digital data to the communication channel at predetermined transmission intervals, either the bit length of the actually sensed data or a frequency of transmission of the digital data being changed depending on the sensed state of the vehicle and the set of digital data being outputted successively from the sensor units; and

a processing unit that successively receives the digital data from each sensor unit via the communication channel,

wherein each of the sensor units is provided with a sensor sensing, as the state of the vehicle, an impact load to be applied to the vehicle and

each of the sensor units is configured to produce information representing an increase in the bit length of the actually sensed data or an increase in the transmission frequency in cases where the sensed impact load has a large amplitude involving changes in predetermined high bits of the actually sensed data and information representing a decrease in the bit length of the actually sensed data or a decrease in the transmission frequency in cases where the sensed impact load has a small amplitude involving no changes in predetermined high bits of the actually sensed data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each sensor unit is configured to transmit a signal including information indicative of either the sensed state of the vehicle or the bit length to be changed of the digital data to be transmitted to the processing unit and

the processing unit is configured to use the signal to determine either the sensed state of the vehicle or the bit length to be changed of the digital data, to decide a transmission state for the digital data to be received next, on the basis of a determined result, and to command that each sensor unit transmits the set of digital data based on the decided transmission state.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmission state includes a mode on which each set of digital data is transmitted, the mode defining a format of each set of digital data, the format including data bits indicating the actually sensed state of the vehicle, and the data bits having either the predetermined bit length or half the predetermined bit length.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined bit length is 8-bit length and half the predetermined bit length is 4-bit length.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit is configured to additionally command that each sensor unit is allowed or not allowed to transmit the set of digital data.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bit length of the actually sensed data is either an 8-bit length or a 4-bit length, the increase in the bit length corresponding to a change from the 8-bit length to the 4-bit length and the decrease in the bit length corresponding to a change from the 4-bit length to the 8-bit length.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each sensor unit includes an A/D (analog to digital) converter converting data indicative of the sensed state of the vehicle to the set of digital data of the predetermined bit length.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the high bits of the actually sensed data is upper half bits of the predetermined bit length of the A/D converter.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the high bits of the actually sensed data is upper 4 bits of 8-bit data on which the actually sensed data are formatted by the A/D converter.

6. An apparatus for transmitting data in an airbag activation system mounted on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a communication channel having a predetermined transmission band for digital data;

a plurality of sensor units mutually communicably connected via the communication channel, each sensor unit

sensing a state of the vehicle,

producing data indicative of the sensed state of the vehicle into a set of digital data including actually sensed data of a predetermined bit length, the actually sensed data corresponding to the sensed state of the vehicle, and

outputting the set of digital data to the communication channel at predetermined transmission intervals, either the bit length of the actually sensed data or a frequency of transmission of the digital data being changed depending on the sensed state of the vehicle and the set of digital data being outputted successively from the sensor units; and

a processing unit successively receiving the digital data from each sensor unit via the communication channel,

wherein each of the sensor units is configured to produce information representing an increase in the bit length of the actually sensed data or an increase in the transmission frequency in cases where the sensed impact load has a large amplitude involving changes in predetermined high bits of the actually sensed data and information representing a decrease in the bit length of the actually sensed data or a decrease in the transmission frequency in cases where the sensed impact load has a small amplitude involving no changes in predetermined high bits of the actually sensed data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each sensor unit is configured to transmit a signal including information indicative of either the sensed state of the vehicle or the bit length to be changed of the digital data to be transmitted to the processing unit and

the processing unit is configured to use the signal to determine either the sensed state of the vehicle or the bit length to be changed of the digital data, to decide a transmission state for the digital data to be received next, on the basis of a determined result, and to command that each sensor unit transmits the set of digital data based on the decided transmission state.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transmission state includes a mode on which each set of digital data is transmitted, the mode defining a format of each set of digital data, the format including data bits indicating the actually sensed state of the vehicle, and the data bits having either the predetermined bit length or half the predetermined bit length.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined bit length is 8-bit length and half the predetermined bit length is 4-bit length.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is configured to additionally command that each sensor unit is allowed or not allowed to transmit the set of digital data.

11. An apparatus for transmitting data in an airbag activation system mounted on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a communication channel having a predetermined transmission band for digital data;

a plurality of sensor units mutually communicably connected via the communication channel, each sensor unit

sensing a state of the vehicle,

producing data indicative of the sensed state of the vehicle into a set of digital data including actually sensed data of a predetermined bit length, the actually sensed data corresponding to the sensed state of the vehicle, and

outputting the set of digital data to the communication channel at predetermined transmission intervals, either the bit length of the actually sensed data or a frequency of transmission of the digital data being changed depending on the sensed state of the vehicle and the set of digital data being outputted successively from the sensor units; and

a processing unit successively receiving the digital data from each sensor unit via the communication channel,

wherein each sensor unit is configured to transmit a signal including information indicative of either the sensed state of the vehicle or the bit length to be changed of the digital data to be transmitted to the processing unit,

the processing unit is configured to use the signal to determine either the sensed state of the vehicle or the bit length to be changed of the digital data, to decide a transmission state for the digital data to be received next, on the basis of a determined result, and to command that each sensor unit transmits the set of digital data based on the decided transmission state, and

the transmission state includes a mode on which each set of digital data is transmitted, the mode defining a format of each set of digital data, the format including data bits indicating the actually sensed state of the vehicle, and the data bits having either the predetermined bit length or half the predetermined bit length.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined bit length is 8-bit length and half the predetermined bit length is 4-bit length.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit is configured to additionally command that each sensor unit is allowed or not allowed to transmit the set of digital data.

14. An apparatus for transmitting data in an airbag activation system mounted on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a communication channel having a predetermined transmission band for digital data;

a plurality of sensor units mutually communicably connected via the communication channel, each sensor unit

sensing a state of the vehicle,

producing data indicative of the sensed state of the vehicle into a set of digital data including actually sensed data of a predetermined bit length, the actually sensed data corresponding to the sensed state of the vehicle, and

outputting the set of digital data to the communication channel at predetermined transmission intervals, either the bit length of the actually sensed data or a frequency of transmission of the digital data being changed depending on the sensed state of the vehicle and the set of digital data being outputted successively from the sensor units; and

a processing unit that successively receives the digital data from each sensor unit via the communication channel,

wherein each of the sensor units is provided with a sensor sensing, as the state of the vehicle, an impact load to be applied to the vehicle and

each of the sensor units is configured to produce information representing a high value of the bit length of the actually sensed data or a high value of the transmission frequency in cases where the sensed impact load has a large amplitude involving changes in predetermined high bits of the actually sensed data and information representing a low value of the bit length of the actually sensed data or a low value of the transmission frequency in cases where the sensed impact load has a small amplitude involving no changes in predetermined high bits of the actually sensed data.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the bit length of the actually sensed data is either an 8-bit length or a 4-bit length, the increase in the bit length corresponding to a change from the 8-bit length to the 4-bit length and the decrease in the bit length corresponding to a change from the 4-bit length to the 8-bit length.