METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A PRIMARY DIRECTION OF FORCE RESULTING FROM A VEHICLE COLLISION
First Claim
1. A method carried out in a crash direction computing module on a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
- sampling acceleration information, from accelerometers on the vehicle, resulting from a vehicle collision event, the acceleration information includes a first direction acceleration value and a second direction acceleration value;
determining, in the crash direction computing module, a first delta velocity threshold value using equations for a circle and a second direction delta velocity value;
determining, in the crash direction computing module, a latch threshold value using accumulated acceleration information and equations of a circle that define a latch circle radius but do not include the second direction delta velocity value;
creating a vector representative of a magnitude and direction of the vehicle collision event, the vector is created from the accumulated acceleration information when the latch threshold value is met; and
outputting the vector to a control module of a system on the vehicle.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle comprises an acceleration sensing module and a crash direction-computing module. The acceleration-sensing module is configured for generating acceleration information resulting from a vehicle collision event. The acceleration information includes a first direction acceleration value and a second direction acceleration value. The crash direction-computing module is coupled to the acceleration-sensing module for receiving the acceleration information therefrom and is configured for determining impact direction information resulting from the vehicle collision event. Generating the impact direction information includes deriving a first direction delta velocity value from the first direction acceleration value, deriving a second direction delta velocity value from the second direction acceleration value, determining a first delta velocity threshold value based on a delta velocity threshold angle and the first direction delta velocity value, and determining an impact zone based on the first delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value.
15 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method carried out in a crash direction computing module on a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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sampling acceleration information, from accelerometers on the vehicle, resulting from a vehicle collision event, the acceleration information includes a first direction acceleration value and a second direction acceleration value; determining, in the crash direction computing module, a first delta velocity threshold value using equations for a circle and a second direction delta velocity value; determining, in the crash direction computing module, a latch threshold value using accumulated acceleration information and equations of a circle that define a latch circle radius but do not include the second direction delta velocity value; creating a vector representative of a magnitude and direction of the vehicle collision event, the vector is created from the accumulated acceleration information when the latch threshold value is met; and outputting the vector to a control module of a system on the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 6, 7, 8)
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4. The method of claim 4 wherein:
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the first impact zone is a left side impact zone; the impact zone is a right side impact zone; the third impact zone is a front impact zone; and the fourth impact zone is a rear impact zone.
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5. The method of claim 5 wherein a first delta velocity threshold angle is a parameter calibrated to define an area of the front impact zone, an area of the side impact zones, and an area of the rear impact zone as a function of the delta velocity threshold angle.
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9. A vehicle system for determining an impact force direction and magnitude, comprising:
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an acceleration sensing module generating acceleration information resulting from a vehicle collision event, wherein the acceleration information includes a first direction acceleration value and a second direction acceleration value; a crash direction computing module coupled to the acceleration sensing module, receiving, sampling and accumulating the acceleration information therefrom and configured to determine impact magnitude and direction information resulting from the vehicle collision event, including deriving a first direction delta velocity value from the first direction acceleration value, deriving a second direction delta velocity value from the second direction acceleration value, determining a latch threshold value using equations for a circle that define a latch circle radius, a first delta velocity threshold value based on a delta velocity threshold angle and the first direction delta velocity value, the crash direction computing module creating a vector from the accumulated acceleration information when the latch threshold value has been met, the vector being representative of a magnitude and a direction of the vehicle collision event including a primary force of impact direction, and the crash direction computing module outputting the vector to a control module of a vehicle system.
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- 10. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the first delta velocity threshold angle is a parameter calibrated to define an area of a front impact zone, an area of side impact zones, and an area of a rear end impact zone as a function of the delta velocity threshold angle
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12. The vehicle of claim 12 wherein:
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the impact zone is a first impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is greater than a positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value; the impact zone is a second impact zone opposite the first impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is less than a negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value; the impact zone is a third impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is greater than the negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, the second direction delta velocity value is less than positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, and the first direction delta velocity value is greater than zero; and the impact zone is a fourth impact zone opposite the third impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is greater than the negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, the second direction delta velocity value is less than positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, and the first direction delta velocity value is less than zero. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. The vehicle of claim 14 wherein determining the impact zone includes:
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determining a relative difference between the first delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value; determining a second delta velocity threshold value based on a second delta velocity threshold angle and the first direction delta velocity value; determining a relative difference between the first delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value; and determining a relative difference between the second delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value if the second direction delta velocity value is one of less than a positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value and greater than a negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value.
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16. An electronic controller system on a vehicle to carry out operations for:
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acquiring acceleration information resulting from a vehicle collision event, the acceleration information includes a first direction acceleration value and a second direction acceleration value, the first direction acceleration value corresponds to a direction extending substantially perpendicular to a direction corresponding to the second direction acceleration value; determining a first direction delta velocity value based on the first direction acceleration value; determining a second direction delta velocity value based on the second direction acceleration value; determining a first delta velocity threshold value using equations for a circle and based on a first delta velocity threshold angle and the first direction delta velocity value; determining a latch threshold value using accumulated acceleration information and equations of a circle to define a latch circle radius; creating a vector representative of a magnitude and direction of the vehicle collision event, the vector being created from the accumulated acceleration information when the latch threshold value is met; and outputting the vector to a control module of a system on the vehicle; and determining an impact zone of the vehicle at which an impact from the vehicle collision event has occurred, wherein the impact zone is determined based on the vector output.
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- 17. The electronic controller system of claim 17 wherein the first delta velocity threshold angle is a parameter calibrated to define an area of a front impact zone, an area of side impact zones, and an area of a rear end impact zone as a function of the delta velocity threshold angle.
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19. The electronic controller system of claim 19 wherein:
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the impact zone is a first impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is greater than a positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value; the impact zone is a second impact zone opposite the first impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is less than a negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value; the impact zone is a third impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is greater than the negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, the second direction delta velocity value is less than positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, and the first direction delta velocity value is greater than zero; and the impact zone is a fourth impact zone opposite the third impact zone when the second direction delta velocity value is greater than the negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, the second direction delta velocity value is less than positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value, and the first direction delta velocity value is less than zero. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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20. The electronic controller system of claim 20 wherein:
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the first impact zone is a left side impact zone; the impact zone is a right side impact zone; the third impact zone is a front impact zone; and the fourth impact zone is a rear impact zone.
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21. The electronic controller system of claim 21 wherein the first delta velocity threshold angle is a parameter calibrated to define an area of the front impact zone, an area of the side impact zones, and an area of the rear impact zone as a function of the delta velocity threshold angle.
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23. The electronic controller system of claim 23 wherein determining the impact zone includes:
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determining a relative difference between the first delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value; determining a second delta velocity threshold value based on a second delta velocity threshold angle and the first direction delta velocity value; determining a relative difference between the first delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value; and determining a relative difference between the second delta velocity threshold value and the second direction delta velocity value if the second direction delta velocity value is one of less than a positive instance of the first delta velocity threshold value and greater than a negative instance of the first delta velocity threshold value.
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Specification