Vehicle occupant position and velocity sensor

Abstract

An occupant position sensor utilizing either ultrasonic, microwave or optical technologies, or seatbelt spool out and seat position sensors, are used as inputs to the primary vehicle crash sensor circuit to permit the longest possible sensing time before the occupant gets proximate to the airbag and is in danger of being injured by the deploying airbag. The sensor further disables the inflatable restraint system if the occupant is in danger of being injured by the system deployment. Separate systems are used for the driver and passenger to permit the optimum decision to be made for each occupant.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONCrash sensors for determining that a vehicle is in a crash of sufficient magnitude as to require the deployment of an inflatable restraint system, or airbag, are either mounted in a portion of the front of the vehicle which as crushed by the time that sensor triggering is required, the crush zone, or elsewhere such as the passenger compartment, the non-crush zone. Regardless of where sensors are mounted there will always be crashes where the sensor triggers late and the occupant has moved to a position near to the airbag deployment cover. In such cases, the occupant may be seriously injured or even killed by the deployment of the airbag. This invention is largely concerned with preventing such injuries and deaths by preventing late airbag deployments.In a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) paper by Mertz, Driscoll, Lenox, Nyquist and Weber titled "Response of Animals Exposed to Deployment of Various Passenger Inflatable Restraint System Concepts for a V...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

In yet another preferred implementation, a beam of radiation is moved back and forth across the occupant illuminating various portions of the occupant and with appropriate algorithms the position of the occupant in the seat is accurately determined.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide an occupant position sensor which reliably permits, and in a timely manner, a determination to be made that he / she is out of position, or will become out of position, and likely to be injured by a deploying airbag.

It is also a principal object of this invention to provide a system which will accurately discriminate between the occupant's head or chest and other parts of the body in determining the occupant's position and velocity.

It is another object of this invention to independently prevent the deployment of the driver or passenger airbags if either occupant is out of position.

Problems solved by technology

When the vehicle is subjected to a crash of sufficient magnitude as to require deployment of the passive protective device, and the sensor system has determined that the device is to be deployed, the occupant position sensor and associated electronic circuitry determines the position of the vehicle occupant relative to the airbag and disables deployment of the airbag if the occupant is positioned so that he / she is likely to be injured by the deploying airbag.

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