Method and apparatus for controlling a front actuatable restraining device using side satellite safing sensors

• US 20070005207A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Foo, Chek-Peng, Hibner, Christopher, Weiss, Kevin, Mudaliar, Nikhil
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01027 Safing sensors
• 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 21/01336 using filtering

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for controlling a vehicle actuatable occupant restraining system including a crash accelerometer (32) for sensing frontal crash acceleration and providing a first crash acceleration signal indicative thereof. A side crash accelerometer (46, 48) senses transverse crash acceleration and provides a second crash acceleration signal indicative thereof. A controller (50) actuates the actuatable occupant restraining system in response to the first crash acceleration signal and the transverse crash acceleration signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle actuatable occupant restraining system comprising:

a crash accelerometer for sensing frontal crash acceleration and providing a first crash acceleration signal indicative thereof;

a side crash accelerometer sensing transverse crash acceleration and providing a second crash acceleration signal indicative thereof; and

a controller actuating the actuatable occupant restraining system in response to the first crash acceleration signal and the transverse crash acceleration signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller determines a discrimination crash metric from said first crash acceleration signal and a safing crash metric from said second crash acceleration signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a crush-zone sensor located in a crush-zone location of the vehicle, said controller actuating said actuatable occupant restraining system in further response to an output from said crush-zone sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said crush-zone sensor is an accelerometer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said crash accelerometer is centrally located within the vehicle having an axis of sensitivity parallel to a front-to-rear axis of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a threshold value for actuating said actuatable occupant restraining system is adjusted in response to said second acceleration signal.

7. A method for controlling a vehicle actuatable occupant restraining system comprising the steps of:

sensing frontal crash acceleration and providing a first crash acceleration signal indicative thereof;

sensing transverse crash acceleration and providing a second crash acceleration signal indicative thereof; and

actuating the actuatable occupant restraining system in response to the first crash acceleration signal and the transverse crash acceleration signal.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of adjusting a threshold value for actuating said actuatable occupant restraining system in response to said second acceleration signal.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of determining a discrimination crash metric from said first crash acceleration signal and a safing crash metric from said second crash acceleration signal.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of sensing crash acceleration at a crush-zone location of the vehicle and actuating said actuatable occupant restraining system in further response to the sensed crash acceleration at the crush-zone location.