Apparatus to control airbag for side collision

• US 8,165,761 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Masatada
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/597,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/46, 280/735, 340/435, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/46
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01306 monitoring vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value

Abstract

An apparatus to control an airbag for a side collision includes a vehicle inclination detecting unit which detects an inclination of a vehicle relative to a horizontal direction, and a threshold value changing unit which changes a threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision corresponding to the inclination of the vehicle relative to the horizontal direction detected by the vehicle inclination detecting unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus to control an airbag for a side collision, comprising:

a vehicle inclination detecting unit which detects an inclination of a vehicle relative to a horizontal direction;

a door opening or closing condition detecting unit which detects a door opening or closing condition of a door of the vehicle; and

a threshold value changing unit which changes a threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision corresponding to the inclination of the vehicle relative to the horizontal direction detected by the vehicle inclination detecting unit and the door opening condition detected by the door opening or closing condition detecting unit.

2. The apparatus to control the airbag for the side collision as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the threshold value changing unit changes the threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision of a right side when the vehicle inclines toward the left side or the rear side and a right door is in the opening condition, and changes the threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision of a left side when the vehicle inclines toward the right side or the rear side and a left door is in the opening condition.

3. The apparatus to control the airbag for the side collision as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the threshold value changing unit does not change the threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision when a door is in the closing condition detected by the door opening or closing condition detecting unit.

4. The apparatus to control the airbag for the side collision as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the threshold value changing unit does not change the threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision when the vehicle in a rolling condition even if the vehicle inclines toward the right side, the left side, the rear side, or the front side relative to the horizontal direction detected by the vehicle inclination detecting unit.

5. The apparatus to control the airbag for the side collision as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the threshold value changing unit changes the threshold value to operate the airbag for the side collision corresponding to a direction and intensity of wind pressure applied onto the vehicle.