Collision determining apparatus for a vehicle

• US 7,684,914 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yuan, Fang, Oosaki, Tatsuji, Hayasaka, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US11/230,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 701 45- 47, 701/301, 180/268, 180/271, 280/734
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• 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 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01336 using filtering
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion

Abstract

A collision determining apparatus for a vehicle includes: a first acceleration measuring device; a second acceleration measuring device; a movement amount calculating device; a change in movement speed calculating device; a first collision determining threshold value setting device which sets a collision determining threshold value for a correlation between the amount of movement of the occupant and the change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device; a first collision determining device which determines whether or not the correlation exceeds the collision determining threshold value; and a control signal generating device which generates a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus, in accordance with a result of a determination by the first collision determining device.

Claims

1. A collision determining apparatus for a vehicle having an air-bag apparatus and a seatbelt-pretensioner, comprising:

a first acceleration measuring device configured to measure an acceleration acting on an outer peripheral portion of the vehicle;

a second acceleration measuring device configured to measure an acceleration acting on a position further to an inner portion side of the vehicle than the first acceleration measuring device;

a first movement amount calculating device configured to calculate a distance of movement of an occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a first change in movement speed calculating device configured to calculate a change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a first collision-determining threshold-value-setting device configured to set at least first collision determining threshold values for a correlation between the distance of movement of the occupant and the change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device so that operation for the seatbelt pretensioner is facilitated more than operation for the air-bag apparatus when a predetermined significance of collision is detected by the first acceleration measuring device, the first collision determining threshold values are different between the air-bag apparatus and the seatbelt pretensioner;

a first collision-determining device configured to determine whether or not the correlation exceeds the first collision determining threshold value;

a change in acceleration calculating device configured to calculate a change in acceleration based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a second collision-determining threshold-value-setting device configured to set at least second collision determining threshold values for a correlation between the distance of movement of the occupant and the change in acceleration based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device, the second collision determining threshold values are different between the air-bag apparatus and the seatbelt pretensioner;

a second collision-determining device configured to determine whether or not the correlation exceeds the collision determining threshold value; and

a control signal generating device configured to generate a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus, in accordance with a result of a determination by the first and second collision determining devices and a safing signal that is put out from a safing sensor which detects an acceleration having a predetermined value or greater,

wherein second collision-determining threshold-value-setting device sets the second collision determining threshold values that are different between the air-bag apparatus and the seatbelt pretensioner so that operation for the seatbelt pretensioner is facilitated more than operation for the air-bag apparatus when the predetermined significance of collision is detected by the first acceleration measuring device.

2. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first collision determining threshold value setting device is configured to set a different collision determining threshold value for each one of a plurality of the occupant protection apparatuses.

7. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an airbag apparatus and a seatbelt pretensioner, wherein the collision determining threshold values correspond to;

a collision determining threshold value configured to specify whether operations of an airbag apparatus and a seatbelt pretensioner are to be allowed or not allowed;

a collision determining threshold value configured to specify whether an operation of an airbag apparatus is to be allowed or not allowed; and

a collision determining threshold value configured to specify whether an operation of a seatbelt pretensioner is to be allowed or not allowed.

3. A collision determining apparatus for a vehicle having an air-bag apparatus and a seat-pretensioner, comprising:

a first acceleration measuring device configured to measure an acceleration acting on an outer peripheral portion of the vehicle;

a second acceleration measuring device configured to measure an acceleration acting on a position further to an inner portion side of the vehicle than the first acceleration measuring device;

a movement amount calculating device configured to calculate a distance of movement of an occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a change in acceleration calculating device configured to calculate a change in acceleration based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device;

a collision-determining threshold-value-setting device configured to set at least collision determining threshold values for a correlation between the distance of movement of the occupant and the change in acceleration based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device, the collision determining threshold values are different between the air-bag apparatus and the seatbelt pretensioner;

a collision-determining device configured to determine whether or not the correlation exceeds the collision determining threshold value; and

a control signal generating device configured to generate a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus, in accordance with a result of a determination by the second collision determining device and a safing signal that is put out from a safing sensor which detects an acceleration having a predetermined value or greater,

wherein the collision-determining threshold-value-setting device sets the collision determining threshold values that are different between the air-bag apparatus and the seatbelt pretensioner so that operation for the seatbelt pretensioner is facilitated more than operation for the air-bag apparatus when a predetermined significance of collision is detected by the first acceleration measuring device.

4. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the second collision determining threshold value setting device is configured to set a different collision determining threshold value for each one of a plurality of the occupant protection apparatuses.

5. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

a change in movement speed calculating device configured to calculate a change in movement speed of the occupant based on the acceleration which is measured by the second acceleration measuring device; and

a collision stability determining device configured to determine whether or not the change in movement speed of the occupant is larger than a predetermined threshold value, wherein

the control signal generating device is configured to generate a control signal which controls operations of an occupant protection apparatus in accordance with a result of a determination by the second collision determining device, and the safing signal that is put out from the safing sensor, and a result of a determination by the collision stability determining device.

6. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

a collision determining area setting device configured to set the predetermined threshold value based on the acceleration which is measured by the first acceleration measuring device.

8. The collision determining apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

an airbag apparatus and a seatbelt pretensioner, wherein the collision determining threshold values correspond to;

a collision determining threshold value configured to specify whether operations of an airbag apparatus and a seatbelt pretensioner are to be allowed or not allowed;

a collision determining threshold value configured to specify whether an operation of an airbag apparatus is to be allowed or not allowed; and

a collision determining threshold value configured to specify whether an operation of a seatbelt pretensioner is to be allowed or not allowed.