Vehicle occupant safety system and method for detecting the position of a vehicle occupant

• US 7,997,374 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eschbach, Ernst
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US11/788,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 180/268, 180/274, 180/282, 180/214, 280/735, 701/45
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means

Abstract

A vehicle occupant safety system has at least one restraint device having at least one adjustable parameter, a vehicle seat having at least one seat sensor detecting the sitting position of a vehicle occupant, a seatbelt system having at least one belt extension sensor detecting the belt extension length, and a control unit determining from the values from the seat sensor and from the belt extension sensor whether a vehicle occupant is in a forward-leaning position. The control unit then specifies the value of the adjustable parameter of the restraint device as a function of a forward-leaning position of the vehicle occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant safety system, comprising:

at least one restraint device (12, 14) having at least one adjustable parameter,

a vehicle seat (16) having at least one seat sensor (20a-g) detecting the sitting position of a vehicle occupant (42), and a weight shift on the part of the vehicle occupant (42),

a seatbelt system (22) having at least one belt extension sensor (30) detecting the belt extension length (LG), and

a control unit (34) determining from the values of the sitting position and weight shift of the vehicle occupant from the seat sensor (20a-g) and a change in the belt extension length (LG) from the belt extension sensor (30) whether a vehicle occupant (42) is in a forward-leaning position,

the control unit (34) specifying the value of the adjustable parameter of the restraint device (12, 14) as a function of a forward-leaning position of the vehicle occupant (42).

2. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 1, wherein the value of the adjustable parameter is specified at predetermined time intervals before the activation of the restraint device (12, 14).

3. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 1, wherein the value of the adjustable parameter is specified during the activation of the restraint device (12, 14).

4. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 1, wherein an airbag module having a gas generator (39) and an airbag (36) is provided as the restraint device (12).

5. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 4, wherein a deployment depth of the airbag (36) serves as the adjustable parameter.

6. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 5, wherein the deployment depth of the airbag (36) is set by means of a released length (f) of a tether (38).

7. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 4, wherein an ignition time for at least one stage of the gas generator (39) serves as the adjustable parameter.

8. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 4, wherein at least one gas outlet opening (40) is provided on the airbag module and in that at least one of the point in time of opening and the degree of opening of the gas outlet opening (40) serves as the adjustable parameter.

9. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 1, wherein at least one belt tensioner is provided as the restraint device (14).

10. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 9, wherein an ignition time of the belt tensioner serves as the adjustable parameter.

11. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 9, wherein the restraint device (14) contains a belt force limiter (41) and in that a threshold value of the belt force limiter (41) serves as the adjustable parameter.

12. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 1, wherein a pre-crash sensor (32) is provided and the restraint device (14) contains a pretensioner (44) and in that, when the pre-crash sensor (32) is triggered and when a forward-leaning position is detected, the pretensioner (44) is activated.

13. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable parameter is specified as a function of the extent to which the vehicle occupant is leaning forward.