Continuous collision severity prediction

• US 20040102882A1
• Filed: 11/26/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Wang, Jenne-Tai, Sala, Dorel M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,816,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01225 control of expansion volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0156 by deceleration

Abstract

A method for continuous collision severity prediction, the method comprising receiving vehicle acceleration data. A collision event is detected in response to receiving the vehicle acceleration data and to the acceleration data. A collision mode is determined in response to detecting the collision event. Input to the collision mode determination includes the acceleration data. A collision severity value responsive to the acceleration data and the collision mode is calculated. The collision severity value corresponds to a percentage inflation level of an airbag.

Claims

1. A method for continuous collision severity prediction, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle acceleration data;

detecting a collision event in response to said receiving and to said acceleration data;

determining a collision mode in response to said detecting, wherein input to said determining includes said acceleration data; and

calculating a collision severity value responsive to said acceleration data and to said collision mode wherein said collision severity value corresponds to a percentage inflation level of an airbag.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said collision severity value is a number ranging from zero to one.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said collision severity value is a percentage ranging from one to one-hundred.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving occurs on a periodic basis for a pre-selected time interval after said detecting.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said periodic basis is one millisecond and said pre-selected time interval is twenty milliseconds.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating is performed using a regression approach.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said vehicle acceleration data includes;

an elapsed time from collision detection, t;

a SDM coefficient of displacement, ks;

a SDM coefficient of velocity, kv;

a SDM velocity at initial airbag deployment time, Vsd; and

a SDM displacement at time t, Ss(t); and

wherein said calculating is performed in accordance with the equation;

severity(t)=[ks·

{Ss(t)/t²}]−

[kv·

{Vsd/t}].

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said SDM coefficient of velocity and said SDM coefficient of displacement correspond to said collision mode.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating is performed using a neural network approach.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said vehicle acceleration data includes SDM acceleration data and EFS acceleration data.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said collision mode includes one of full frontal impact, angular impact, offset deformable barrier and pole impact.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting said collision severity value to an airbag controller.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said airbag controller is in communication with said airbag and said airbag includes a variable output inflator responsive to said collision severity value.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said airbag controller is in communication with a dual stage airbag.

15. A method for continuous collision severity prediction, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle acceleration data;

detecting a collision event in response to said receiving and to said acceleration data;

transmitting an airbag deployment request to an airbag controller in response to said detecting;

determining a collision mode in response to said detecting, wherein input to said determining includes said acceleration data;

calculating a collision severity value responsive to said acceleration data and to said collision mode wherein said collision severity value corresponds to a percentage inflation level of an airbag; and

transmitting said collision severity value to said airbag controller.

16. A system for continuous collision severity prediction, the system comprising:

an airbag controller;

a SDM accelerometer;

an EFS accelerometer; and

a collision detection controller in communication with said airbag controller, said SDM accelerometer and said EFS accelerometer, said collision controller including instructions to implement a method comprising;

receiving vehicle acceleration data from said SDM accelerometer and said EFS accelerometer;

detecting a collision event in response to said receiving and to said acceleration data;

determining a collision mode in response to said detecting, wherein input to said determining includes said acceleration data; and

calculating a collision severity value responsive to said acceleration data and to said collision mode wherein said collision severity value corresponds to a percentage inflation level of an airbag.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said collision detection controller includes instructions to implement a method further comprising transmitting said collision severity value to said airbag controller.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said communication is over a network.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein said airbag controller is in communication with said airbag and said airbag includes a variable output inflator responsive to said collision severity value.