Vehicular electronic system with crash sensors and occupant protection systems

• US 7,657,354 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S., Johnson, Wendell C., DuVall, Wilbur E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H.
• Application Number:
  US11/926,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/29, 701/34, 280/728.1, 280/735, 280/5.514, 280/734, 340/436, 180/271
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01054 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01061 between the airbag system and other vehicle electronic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01109 power and data signal using transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01184 Fault detection or diagnostic circuits in power circuits B60R2021/01129
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• 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 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/017 including arrangements for providing electric power to safety arrangements or their actuating means, e.g. to pyrotechnic fuses or electro-mechanic valves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

Electronic system in a vehicle includes crash sensor systems each arranged to sense a crash involving the vehicle and occupant protection systems each including an occupant protection device arranged to protect an occupant in the event of a crash involving the vehicle. The crash sensor system(s) and the occupant protection system(s) are connected to a bus and supplied with power by the bus and communication through the bus. Each occupant protection device is actuated in the event of a crash involving the vehicle as sensed by a crash sensor system. Each occupant protection system may include a power supply for providing power to enable actuation of the occupant protection device, diagnostic circuitry for self-diagnosis, an occupant sensor and a controller for controlling actuation of the occupant protection device based on a signal received from a crash sensor system over the bus, and data from the occupant sensor.

Claims

1. An electrical system in a vehicle, comprising

a plurality of electronic crash sensor systems arranged to sense crashes involving the vehicle;

a plurality of occupant protection systems each including an occupant protection device arranged to protect an occupant in the event of a crash involving the vehicle;

a central module including an electronic control unit which controls actuation of said occupant protection devices based on crashes involving the vehicle as sensed by said crash sensor systems;

a first bus which couples at least one of said electronic crash sensor systems to said central module; and

a second bus which couples at least one of said occupant protection systems to said central module, said occupant protection systems being supplied with power by said second bus and communicating with said central module through said second bus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said occupant protection systems comprises diagnostic electronics for diagnosing functionality of said occupant protection system, the functionality of said occupant protection system including the ability of said occupant protection system to actuate said occupant protection device therein, said diagnostic electronics of each of said occupant protection systems being arranged to provide an indication of the functionality thereof to said central module, said central module being arranged to provide an indication of the functionality of all of said occupant protection systems to a display visible to an occupant of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems includes an electronic controller coupled to said second bus and arranged to receive signals from said central module over said second bus, said electronic controller in at least one of said occupant protection systems being arranged to determine whether to actuate said occupant protection device therein based on the signals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems is assigned an address, said second bus being arranged to transfer data in the form of messages each having an address of at least one of said occupant protection systems such that only said at least one of said occupant protection systems assigned to said address is responsive to said message having said address, at least one of said occupant protection systems being arranged to determine whether messages on said second bus include said address assigned to said occupant protection system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said second bus handles digital communications to enable assignment of the address to said at least one occupant protection system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems comprises an occupant sensor arranged to obtain data about an occupant of the vehicle to be protected by said occupant protection system and, based on the obtained data about the occupant, determines actuation of said occupant protection device in said occupant protection system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems comprises diagnostic electronics for diagnosing functionality of said occupant protection system, the functionality of said occupant protection system including the ability of said occupant protection system to actuate said occupant protection device therein.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said diagnostic electronics of said at least one of said occupant protection systems provide an indication of the functionality thereof to said central module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said central module is arranged to provide an indication of the functionality of said at least one occupant protection system to a display visible to an occupant of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems includes an electronic controller coupled to said second bus and arranged to receive coded signals from said central module over said second bus, said electronic controller in said at least one of said occupant protection systems being arranged to determine whether to actuate said occupant protection device therein based on the coded signals.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second buses handle digital communications.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems comprises a power supply for providing power to enable actuation of said occupant protection device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems comprises a housing, said occupant protection device being arranged in said housing, said power supply comprising a capacitor arranged in said housing.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said occupant protection device is an inflatable airbag such that actuation of said occupant protection device is deployment and inflation of said airbag and at least one of said occupant protection systems comprises an occupant protection system housing and an occupant sensor which obtains data about an occupant of the vehicle to be protected by said occupant protection system and, based on the obtained data about the occupant, determines deployment and inflation of said airbag.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said occupant protection device is an inflatable airbag such that actuation of said occupant protection device is deployment and inflation of said airbag, at least one of said occupant protection systems comprising a module including an occupant position sensor arranged to obtain data about the position of an occupant to be protected upon inflation of said airbag, said at least one of said occupant protection systems further comprising a controller coupled to said occupant position sensor for controlling deployment and inflation of said airbag based on the position of the occupant, said controller being arranged in said module, adjacent said module or proximate said module.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said occupant protection systems comprises an occupant protection system housing, said occupant protection device being an inflatable airbag arranged in said occupant protection system housing such that actuation of said occupant protection device is deployment and inflation of said airbag, said at least one of said occupant protection systems further comprising a controller for controlling deployment and inflation of said airbag.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said first bus is arranged to provide signals indicative of a crash involving the vehicle as obtained from said crash sensor systems.