Method and apparatus for sensing side impact crash conditions with an enhanced safing function

• US 6,095,554 A
• Filed: 09/25/1998
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Sumner, Paul Leo, Weiss, Kevin Daniel, Wright, Timothy Chester, Foo, Chek-Peng (Anson)
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/160,999
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• 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 for controlling side actuatable restraint (14, 16) includes a side acceleration sensor (22, 34) mounted to a vehicle at a side location and having an axis of sensitivity (24, 36) oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to a front-to-rear axis (25) of the vehicle. The side sensor provides a discriminating crash signal when a transverse crash acceleration of the vehicle is sensed indicating a deployment crash event. A first central safing acceleration sensor (52) is mounted at a substantially central location of the vehicle (11) and having an axis of sensitivity (58) oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-to-rear axis (25) of the vehicle. The first safing sensor provides a first safing crash signal when a deployment crash acceleration is sensed in the transverse direction. A second central safing acceleration sensor (50) is mounted at the substantially central location of the vehicle (11) and having an axis of sensitivity (56) oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the front-to-rear axis (25) of the vehicle (11). The second safing sensor provides a second safing crash signal when crash acceleration is sensed in said first direction. An actuatable restraint is actuated when the side crash sensor (22, 34) provides the discriminating crash signal indicating a deployment crash event and when either said first (52) or said second (50) crash sensor provides a safing crash signal indicating a deployment crash event.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraint of a vehicle, comprising:

a discrimination acceleration sensor mounted to the vehicle and having an axis of sensitivity oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to a front-to-rear axis of the vehicle and providing a discriminating crash signal when a transverse crash acceleration of the vehicle is sensed;

first safing acceleration sensor mounted at a substantially central location of the vehicle and having an axis of sensitivity oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-to-rear axis of the vehicle and providing a first safing crash signal when crash acceleration is sensed in said transverse direction;

second safing acceleration sensor mounted at the substantially central location of the vehicle and having an axis of sensitivity oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the front-to-rear axis of the vehicle and providing a second safing crash signal when crash acceleration is sensed as a result of a crash in the transverse direction; and

means for actuating said actuatable restraint when said discrimination acceleration sensor provides said discriminating crash signal indicating a deployment crash event and when either said first or said second safing acceleration sensors provide their associated safing crash acceleration signal indicating a deployment crash event.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said discriminating crash sensor is mounted at a side location of the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said discriminating crash sensor is mounted at a substantially central location of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for actuating said actuatable restraint includes means for comparing an acceleration signal from said first safing sensor against a first predetermined value and means for comparing an acceleration signal from said second safing sensor against a second predetermined value wherein said first and second predetermined values are not equal.

5. A method for controlling actuation of an actuatable side restraint of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing a crash acceleration using a discriminating acceleration sensor, said discriminating acceleration sensor providing a deployment crash signal when a crash event is sensed in a first direction having a value greater than a first threshold value;

sensing a first safing crash acceleration using a first safing crash acceleration sensor and providing a first safing crash signal when a deployment crash event is sensed in said first direction;

sensing a second safing crash acceleration using a second safing crash acceleration sensor and providing a second safing crash signal when a deployment crash event is sensed in a second direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction as a result of a crash event in said first direction; and

actuating said side actuatable restraint when said discriminating crash signal indicates a deployment crash event and either (i) said first safing crash signal indicates a deployment crash event is occurring or (ii) said second safing crash signal indicates a deployment crash event is occurring.