Side impact sensor systems

• US 7,334,657 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Castelli, Vittorio, Pruszenski, Anthony S. Jr., Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US11/467,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20070040363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/734, 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 180/274, 180/282
• US Class Current: 180/274
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• 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 21/20 Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21 in vehicle side panels, e.g. doors pillar mounted arrangements B60R21/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

Side impact airbag system for a vehicle includes a side airbag arranged to deploy along a left or right side of the vehicle and an electronic crash sensor. The electronic crash sensor includes a housing, a mass arranged within the housing to be movable in a lateral direction relative to the housing in response to lateral accelerations of the housing, and a control mechanism for controlling deployment of the side airbag and which is responsive to the motion of the mass only in the lateral direction. The housing is mounted in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into a side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of the housing. The electronic crash sensor may generate a signal representative of the movement of the mass.

Claims

1. In a vehicle having a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction,

a side impact airbag system comprising

a side airbag arranged to deploy along the left or right side of the vehicle;

and

an electronic crash sensor comprising;

a housing;

a mass arranged within said housing in a position and direction so as to be movable in the lateral direction relative to said housing in response to lateral accelerations of said housing;

a control mechanism for controlling deployment of said side airbag, said control mechanism being responsive to the motion of said mass only in the lateral direction,

a microprocessor arranged to generate a signal based on the motion of said mass in the lateral direction which is used to determine whether said side airbag is deployed upon an impact into a side of said vehicle, and

an algorithm for determining whether movement over time of said mass results in a calculated value which is in excess of a threshold value;

said housing being mounted in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into a side of said vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said housing.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said signal generated by said microprocessor is representative of the movement of said mass.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the right and left sides of the vehicle each include a door and said housing is arranged inside the door.

4. A vehicle, comprising

a longitudinally extending outer skin arranged on a side of the vehicle;

a system housing arranged inward of said outer skin and having an opening facing portion of a passenger compartment of the vehicle;

an inflatable airbag arranged in said system housing;

an inflator arranged in connection with the system housing; and

an electronic sensor system for detecting an impact into a side of to the vehicle and comprising a sensor housing, a mass ranged in said sensor housing and movable relative to said sensor housing in response to acceleration and a microprocessor arranged to generate a signal based on the movement of said mass relative to said sensor housing direction which is used to determine whether said airbag is deployed upon an impact into a side of said vehicle, movement of said mass relative to said sensor housing providing an indication of a side impact for which deployment of said airbag is desired;

said inflator being actuated in response to a detected side impact by said sensor system in order to expel said airbag through said opening into the passenger compartment, and

wherein said sensor system is ranged such that said inflator is actuated and said airbag is inflated and expelled through said opening into the passenger compartment based on movement of said mass.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, further comprising an inner skin having a portion alongside the passenger compartment of the vehicle, said system housing being arranged between said outer and inner skins of the vehicle and said opening of said system housing being situated on an inward facing side of said system housing, said system housing being mounted such that said opening faces an outward facing surface of said inner skin alongside the passenger compartment.

6. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said inflator is ranged at least partially within said system housing.

7. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said inflator is arranged on a side of said system housing opposite the side on which said opening is formed.

8. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said system housing includes a base wall having an aperture in which the inflator is partially received and flanged walls extending from edges of said base wall and forming said opening.

9. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said inflator includes a plurality of gas orifices, said airbag being inflated by directing inflating gas through said orifices into said airbag.

10. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said sensor system is arranged on a side of said system housing opposite the side on which said opening is formed.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein said sensor system is arranged proximate said inflator or alongside said inflator.

12. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said sensor system is arranged outside of and on said inflator.

13. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said inflator includes a plurality of exit orifices around a periphery of said inflator and through which inflation fluid flows into said airbag, said inflator being arranged relative to said airbag such that a portion of said airbag surrounds a portion of said inflator.

14. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said inflator includes a plurality of exit orifices through which inflation fluid flows into said airbag and a portion of said airbag is secured between said inflator and said system housing such that said exit orifices communicate with an interior of said airbag.

15. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said system housing includes a base wall and said inflator includes a housing portion in which exit orifices are defined through which inflation fluid flows into said airbag, said airbag being secured between said base wall and said housing portion of said inflator such that said exit orifices communicate with an interior of said airbag.

16. A method for deploying a side airbag of a vehicle having an outer skin, comprising:

providing a system housing having an opening;

mounting the system housing with the opening facing a portion of a passenger compartment of the vehicle;

arranging an inflatable airbag in the system housing;

arranging an inflator in connection with the system housing;

arranging a mass in a sensor housing and movable relative thereto;

arranging a microprocessor to generate a signal based on the motion of the mass relative to the sensor housing and in response to acceleration;

electronically sensing a side impact by analyzing the signal from the microprocessor;

actuating the inflator in response to the detected side impact to expel the airbag through the opening in the system housing into the passenger compartment; and

coupling the mass to the inflator such that the inflator is actuated always upon sensing of the side impact above a certain magnitude in a direction perpendicular to the outer skin of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising arranging the system housing between the outer skin and an inner skin of the vehicle such that the opening of the system housing is on an inward facing side of the system housing, the system housing being mounted such that the opening faces an outward facing surface of the inner skin alongside the passenger compartment.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the outer and inner skins form a door, further comprising arranging the system housing in the door.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing the inflator with a plurality of exit orifices round a periphery thereof and through which inflation fluid flows into the airbag; and

arranging the inflator relative to the airbag such that a portion of the airbag surrounds a portion of the inflator.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing the inflator with a plurality of exit orifices trough which inflation fluid flows into the airbag; and

securing a portion of the airbag between the inflator and the system housing such that the exit orifices communicate with an interior of the airbag.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the system housing includes a base wall and the inflator includes a housing portion in which exit orifices are defined through which inflation fluid flows into the airbag, further comprising securing the airbag between the base wall and the housing portion of the inflator such that the exit orifices communicate with an interior of the airbag.

22. A vehicle, comprising:

a longitudinally extending outer skin arranged on a side of the vehicle;

a system housing arranged inward of said outer skin and having an opening facing a portion of a passenger compartment of the vehicle;

an inflatable airbag arranged in said system housing;

an inflator arranged in connection with the system housing; and

an electronic sensor system for detecting an impact into a side of the vehicle and comprising a sensor housing, a mass arranged in said sensor housing and movable relative to said sensor housing in response to acceleration and a microprocessor arranged to generate a signal based on the movement of said mass relative to said sensor housing which is used to determine whether said airbag is deployed upon an impact into a side of said vehicle, movement of said mass relative to said sensor housing providing an indication of a side impact for which deployment of said airbag is desired;

said inflator being actuated in response to a detected side impact by said sensor system in order to expel said airbag through said opening into the passenger compartment, and

wherein said inflator is actuated directly by said sensor system whenever said sensor system provides an indication of the side impact in a direction perpendicular to said outer skin of the vehicle for which deployment of said airbag is desired.

23. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said inflator includes a plurality of exit orifices around a periphery of said inflator and through which inflation fluid flows into said airbag, said inflator being arranged relative to said airbag such that a portion of said airbag surrounds a portion of said inflator.

24. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said inflator includes a plurality of exit orifices through which inflation fluid flows into said airbag and a portion of said airbag is secured between said inflator and said system housing such that said exit orifices communicate with an interior of said airbag.

25. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein said system housing includes a base wall and said inflator includes a housing portion in which exit orifices are defined through which inflation fluid flows into said airbag, said airbag being secured between said base wall and said housing portion of said inflator such that said exit orifices communicate with an interior of said airbag.

26. In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle also having left and right sides, a side impact airbag system comprising:

an airbag and inflator assembly including

an airbag housing,

at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said airbag housing such that when inflating, said at least one airbag is expelled from said airbag housing into a passenger compartment of the vehicle; and

a squib arranged to initiate inflation of said at least one airbag; and

an electronic sensor system for controlling inflation of said at least one airbag upon a determination of a crash into the left or right side of the vehicle requiring inflation of said at least one airbag and including

a sensor having a sensor housing arranged in a door or between inner and outer side panels along the left or right side of the vehicle and a movable sensing mass arranged within and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral accelerations of said sensor housing; and

at least one electronic component responsive to the motion of said mass and arranged in a circuit with said squib for causing ignition of said squib, said at least one electronic component including a microprocessor arranged to generate a signal based on the motion of said mass which is used to determine whether said at least one airbag is deployed upon an impact into the left or right side of the vehicle;

said sensor housing being arranged in such a position and a direction in the door or between the inner and outer panels along the left or right side of the vehicle as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the left or right side of said vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

27. The vehicle of claim 26, wherein said microprocessor contains an algorithm arranged to generate a time-varying signal representative of movement of said mass in the lateral direction, analyze the signal representative of the movement of said mass and generate a deployment signal based thereon.

28. The vehicle of claim 26, wherein said sensor housing is mounted onto a side door of the vehicle or onto a side of the vehicle between centers of front and rear wheels of the vehicle.