Apparatus for manually disabling and automatically enabling an air-bag system

• US 5,428,340 A
• Filed: 04/29/1994
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Hisatsugu, Kawabata, Munehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Application Number:
  US08/235,223
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/457, 280/728, 280/729, 280/730, 280/731, 280/732, 280/733, 280/734, 280/735
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01564 Manually or key-actuated inhibition switches

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting collision of a vehicle for an air-bag system, the apparatus comprising means for operating said air-bag system when the signal from a generating means corresponding to a shock to the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value. A switch means manually subjects said operating means to unoperated state for a predetermined period. Whereby an erroneous operation of an air bag system is prevented by the switch means even when a shock is applied to the apparatus for detecting a collision of vehicles while it is being inspected or repaired.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting collision of a vehicle for an air-bag system, said apparatus comprising:

means for generating a signal according to a shock to the vehicle;

means for operating said air-bag system when the signal from said generating means exceeds a predetermined value;

an electrical device

means for manually operating the electrical device to subject said operating means to an unoperated state;

means for detecting the running state of the vehicle; and

means for automatically releasing the operation of said means for manually operating while the vehicle is in the running condition.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for releasing includes a speed sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for releasing includes a condition decision circuit having an input operatively connected to said speed sensor and an output operatively connected to a transistor.