Autonomous vehicle restraint deployment

• US 9,815,425 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rao, Manoharprasad K., Cuddihy, Mark A., Barbat, Saeed David
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US15/005,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20170210322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0032 Position of passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01034 Controlling a plurality of restraint devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/142 using Hall-effect devices measuring magnetic variables using Hall-effect or other galvanomagnetic devices G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/3473 Circular or rotary encoders
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/36 Forming the light into pulses

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a base, a driver seat rotatably disposed on the base, a sensor, and a processor. The sensor is programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver seat relative to the base and output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement. The processor is programmed to receive the displacement signal and select at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal and only deploy the selected passive safety devices during a collision.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a base;

a driver seat rotatably disposed on the base;

a sensor programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver seat relative to the base and output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and

a processor programmed to receive the displacement signal and select at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal, an impact zone, and a predicted impact angle and only deploy the selected passive safety devices during a collision.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive an impact angle signal confirming the predicted impact angle and the impact zone and deploy the at least one passive safety device selected in accordance with the displacement signal and the predicted impact angle and the impact zone.

3. The vehicle system of claim 2, wherein the impact angle signal confirms an area of a host vehicle involved in the collision.

4. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal to a virtual zone.

5. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the processor is programmed to select at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the virtual zone associated with the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal.

6. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein enabling at least one passive safety device based at least in part on the virtual zone includes querying a lookup table for the virtual zone.

7. A vehicle system comprising:

a base;

a driver seat rotatably disposed on the base;

a sensor programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver seat relative to the base and output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and

a processor programmed to receive the displacement signal and select at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal and an impact zone and predicted impact angle,

wherein the processor is programmed to receive an impact angle signal confirming an area of a host vehicle involved in a collision and deploy only the at least one selected passive safety device in accordance with the displacement signal, the impact zone, and the impact angle signal.

8. The vehicle system of claim 7, wherein the processor is programmed to associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal to a virtual zone.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the virtual zone is associated with the at least one selected passive safety device.

10. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to select at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the virtual zone associated with the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein selecting the at least one passive safety device based at least in part on the virtual zone includes querying a lookup table for the virtual zone.

12. The vehicle system of claim 11, wherein deploying the at least one selected passive safety device includes querying the lookup table for the virtual zone and for the area of the host vehicle involved in the collision and the impact angle signal.

13. The vehicle system of claim 11, wherein the at least one selected passive safety device is deployed in response to receiving the impact angle signal confirming the collision in the impact zone.

14. A vehicle system comprising:

a base;

a driver seat rotatably disposed on the base;

a sensor programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver seat relative to the base and output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and

a processor programmed to receive the displacement signal, associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal to one of a plurality of virtual zones, identify at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices associated with the virtual zone associated with the angular displacement, and select the at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices associated with the virtual zone and based at least in part on an impact zone and predicted impact angle.

15. The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the processor is programmed to receive an impact angle signal confirming the predicted impact angle and impact zone and deploy the at least one selected passive safety device associated with the virtual zone in response to receiving the impact angle signal.

16. The vehicle system of claim 15, wherein the impact angle signal confirms an area of a host vehicle involved in a collision.

17. The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the processor is programmed to associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal and the virtual zone to at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices by querying a lookup table.

18. The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the processor is programmed to identify the at least one passive safety device associated with the virtual zone by querying a lookup table.