OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

• US 20110035116A1
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Murakami, Yuichi, Ieda, Kiyokazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An occupant protection system for vehicle, includes an own-vehicle information acquisition unit acquiring an own-vehicle information including a route information on a course of an own vehicle to a destination, an other-vehicle information acquisition unit acquiring other-vehicle information that is received through vehicle-to-vehicle communication and that includes position information of another vehicle, a crash condition calculation unit calculating a crash condition between the own vehicle and said another vehicle on the basis of the own-vehicle information and other-vehicle information, and an operation preparation unit preparing a system which corresponds to a crash damage decreasing system decreasing a level of a crash damage of an occupant of the own vehicle, and which is adapted to decrease the level of the crash damage that corresponds to the crash condition calculated by the crash condition calculation unit to operate.

Claims

1. An occupant protection system for vehicle, comprising:

an own-vehicle information acquisition unit acquiring an own-vehicle information that includes a route information on a course of an own vehicle to a destination;

an other-vehicle information acquisition unit acquiring other-vehicle information that is received through vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and another vehicle, and that includes position information of said another vehicle;

a crash condition calculation unit calculating a crash condition between the own vehicle and said another vehicle on the basis of the own-vehicle information and the other-vehicle information; and

an operation preparation unit preparing a system which corresponds to a crash damage decreasing system decreasing a level of a crash damage of an occupant of the own vehicle and which is adapted to decrease the level of the crash damage that corresponds to the crash condition calculated by the crash condition calculation unit to operate.

2. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the crash condition includes a possibility for the crash condition to be established and a type of the possible crash.

3. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes:

a pre-crash control system detecting said another vehicle and determining a possibility of the crash; and

a protection system for protecting a body of the occupant against the crash that actually occurs, and

the operation preparation unit causes the pre-crash control system to adjust a sensitivity of detecting said another vehicle.

4. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes:

a pre-crash control system detecting said another vehicle and determining a possibility of the crash; and

a protection system for protecting a body of the occupant against the crash that actually occurs, and

the operation preparation unit causes the pre-crash control system to adjust a sensitivity of detecting said another vehicle.

5. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes:

a pre-crash control system detecting said another vehicle and determining a possibility of the crash; and

a protection system for protecting a body of the occupant against the crash that actually occurs, and

the operation preparation unit causes the protection system to go into a state in which the protection system completes protecting the body of the occupant at a possible highest speed when the crash occurs.

6. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes:

the pre-crash control system detecting said another vehicle and determining a possibility of the crash; and

the protection system for protecting the body of the occupant against the crash that actually occurs, and

the operation preparation unit causes the protection system to go into a state in which the protection system completes protecting the body of the occupant at a possible highest speed when the crash occurs.

7. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes:

the pre-crash control system detecting said another vehicle and determining the possibility of the crash; and

the protection system for protecting the body of the occupant against the crash that actually occurs, and

the operation preparation unit causes the protection system to go into a state in which the protection system completes protecting the body of the occupant at a possible highest speed when the crash occurs.

8. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes:

the pre-crash control system detecting said another vehicle and determining the possibility of the crash; and

the protection system for protecting the body of the occupant against the crash that actually occurs, and

the operation preparation unit causes the protection system to go into a state in which the protection system completes protecting the body of the occupant at a possible highest speed when the crash occurs.

9. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when a possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

10. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when a possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

11. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when the possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

12. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when the possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

13. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 5, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when the possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

14. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when the possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

15. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when the possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.

16. The occupant protection system for vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

the crash damage decreasing system includes a final operation system being operated after the crash occurs, a first system being operated at a first time to collision which precedes the crash and when the crash is determined to be unavoidable, a second system being operated at a second time to collision which precedes the first time to collision and when the possibility of the crash is determined to be high, and a third system being operated at the third time to collision which precedes the second time to collision and when the crash is determined to be possible, and

the operation preparation unit functioning as a fourth system prepares, prior to the third time to collision, the crash damage decreasing system to operate.