Method and device for deciding to trigger and for triggering restraint systems of a motor vehicle

• US 7,826,951 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Pantle, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US10/593,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701 19- 20, 701 23- 24, 701/119, 180/271, 280/728.1, 280734-735, 241/122.R, 241/167.R, 104/281, 104/284, 104/88.04, 340/933
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01308 monitoring distance between vehicle body and road
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides a method for deciding on the triggering of and controlling restraint systems of a motor vehicle, including the method steps of determining the current position of the motor vehicle; determining position-relevant environmental data of the motor vehicle; determining position-relevant reference values of the motor vehicle; determining position-relevant actual values of the motor vehicle; comparing the reference and actual values; and taking this data into account in the decision to trigger, and in the triggering of restraint systems. The invention also provides a device for this purpose.

Claims

1. A method for triggering at least one restraint system of a motor vehicle, comprising:

(S1) determining a current position of the motor vehicle;

(S2) determining position-relevant environmental data of the motor vehicle, wherein the determining of position-relevant environmental data includes reading-in environmental data which is relevant to the current position of the motor vehicle from a first data source and reading-in related position-relevant topology data from a second data source;

(S3) determining position-relevant reference values of the motor vehicle, wherein the determining of position-relevant reference values includes determining reference values for the position, speed, direction and route of the motor vehicle for at least one of a multitude of points on the route of the motor vehicle and determining reference values for the orientation of the motor vehicle based on the speed and direction of the motor vehicle for the at least one of the multitude of points on the route of the motor vehicle;

(S4) determining position-relevant actual values of the motor vehicle, wherein the determining of position-relevant actual values includes determining actual values for the position, speed, direction and route of the motor vehicle for the at least one of a multitude of points on the route of the motor vehicle and determining the actual orientation of the motor vehicle based on the actual values of the speed and direction of the motor vehicle;

(S5) comparing the position-relevant reference values and position-relevant actual values to generate a first comparison result, and comparing the first comparison result to a predetermined threshold value to generate a threshold-comparison output signal; and

(S6) triggering the at least one restraint system depending on the threshold-comparison output signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the triggering of the at least one restraint system in step (S6) includes at least one of:

(S6.1) transferring or providing relevant data as a function of the reference orientation of the motor vehicle (1); and

(S6.2) transferring or providing relevant data as a function of the actual orientation of the motor vehicle (1).