AUTONOMOUS USE OF VEHICLE RESTRAINT DEVICES

Abstract

Vehicle system (125) comprising: a base plate (120); a driver's seat (105) rotatably mounted on the base plate (120); a sensor (135) programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver's seat (105) relative to the base plate (120) and to output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and a processor (140) programmed to receive the displacement signal and to select at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal, an impact zone, and a predicted impact angle, and to deploy only the selected passive safety devices during a collision.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present description generally relates to a vehicle system comprising: a base plate and a driver's seat that is rotatably mounted on the base plate. BACKGROUND

[0002] Fully and partially autonomous vehicles reduce the driver's workload. In some cases, the workload is reduced so much that the driver can participate in other activities, such as interacting with other passengers, watching videos, reading, etc. Accordingly, the reduced workload can allow the driver to relax during autonomous vehicle operation.

[0003] DE 42 09 605 A1 is known from the prior art. This describes a safety device for protecting a vehicle occupant occupying a vehicle seat, with a vehicle seat that pivots about an axis and pivots the vehicle seat in the event of a side impact.

[0004] Furthermore, DE 10 2009 050 968 A1 is known from the prior art. This describes an airbag device in a footwell of a vehicle seat near a lateral boundary surface, wherein the deployment of at least one airbag of the airbag device causes the legs and feet of a vehicle occupant sitting on the vehicle seat to be movable away from a lateral boundary surface of the vehicle interior in the direction of the vehicle axis.

[0005] DE 10 2014 016 351 A1 describes a vehicle with a vehicle seat, wherein the vehicle seat is mounted at least partially rotatably about the vehicle vertical axis and has an armrest designed as a vehicle occupant protection means, which can be controlled in such a way that it can be positioned from an initial position relative to a vehicle occupant on the vehicle seat.

[0006] A system having the features of claims 1, 7 and 14 is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 illustrates an example vehicle interior with rotating front and rear seats. Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary vehicle interior with rotating seats in the first and second rows and fixed seats in the third row. Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary vehicle interior with rotating seats in the first, second and third rows. Fig. 4 illustrates components of an exemplary vehicle system for detecting absolute angular displacement of a rotatable seat using a magnetoresistive sensor. The Fig. 5A-5B illustrate an example schematic diagram of the magnetoresistive sensor. Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary vehicle system for detecting absolute angular displacement of a rotatable seat using a Hall effect sensor. Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary vehicle system for detecting absolute angular displacement of a rotatable seat using a light emitter and a receiver. The Fig. 8A-8B illustrate an example schematic diagram and circuit diagram for detecting absolute angular displacement using the light emitter and the receiver. Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary signal flow diagram for a restraint control module. Fig. Figure 10 illustrates an example signal flow diagram for the deployment handlers. Fig. 11 illustrates an exemplary logic flow for determining which passive restraint devices should be selected based on the angular displacement of the rotating seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] One way to allow the driver to relax and interact with other passengers during autonomous vehicle operation is to allow some or all of the seats in the passenger compartment to rotate. For example, the front-row seats can rotate to allow the driver and front passenger to face each other. Alternatively, the front-row seats can rotate to face the rear seats.

[0008] However, rotating the seats can cause problems with the vehicle's passive safety systems. For example, rotating the seats can move an occupant away from one airbag and toward another. Therefore, the airbags and other passive safety systems can be controlled according to the seat orientation.

[0009] Detecting the orientation of the seats can also present several challenges, particularly when the seats rotate to more than two positions (i.e., a forward-facing position and a rearward-facing position). As mentioned above, the front-row seats can rotate 90 degrees toward the center of the passenger compartment to face each other, or 180 degrees to face the rear seats. Some implementations may allow the seats to rotate other angles, including a full 360-degree angular displacement. Accordingly, controlling passive restraint devices can be more complicated than simply determining whether a seat is facing forward or rearward.

[0010] Finally, the direction of impact and the area of ​​the vehicle where an impact occurs, categorized as virtual zones, can further inform which restraint device should be used depending on a given specific seat orientation.

[0011] An exemplary vehicle system capable of detecting seat orientation up to and including 360 degrees of rotation includes a base plate, a seat rotatably mounted on the base plate, a magnet generating a magnetic field, and a sensor. The sensor is programmed to measure an angular displacement of the seat relative to the base plate based at least in part on an orientation of the magnetic field generated by the magnet. Alternatively, the sensor may detect the angular displacement using a light emitter and a receiver instead of the magnet.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the sensor is programmed to output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement, and a processor is programmed to receive the displacement signal and select at least one passive safety device for deployment during a collision based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal. Furthermore, the processor may further deactivate another passive safety device depending on the angular displacement.

[0013] The depicted elements may take many different forms and may include multiple and / or alternative components and features. The example components illustrated are not intended to be limiting. Indeed, additional or alternative components and / or implementations may be utilized. Unless expressly stated, the depicted elements are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0014] The Fig. 1-3 illustrate exemplary vehicle interiors 100 with various rotating seats 105. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the front seats 105AB and the rear seats 105C-D are individually rotatable. That is, one or both of the front seats 105A-B can be rotated to face each other or to face the rear seats 105C-D. Furthermore, the rear seats 105C-D can be rotated to face each other. Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary vehicle interior 100 with rotating seats 105A-B in the first row, rotating seats 105C-D in the second row, and fixed seats 105E-F in the third row. Therefore, the first row seats 105A-B and the second row seats 105C-D can rotate as described above, but the third row seats 105E-F can remain forward-facing as shown. Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary vehicle interior 100 with rotating seats 105A-B in the first row, rotating seats 105C-D in the second row, and rotating seats 105E-F in the third row.

[0015] In the Fig. In the implementations illustrated in Figures 1-3, the rotating seats 105 can be individually rotated as a single unit. Each seat 105 can include, for example, a seat portion 110 and a seat back 115. The seat back 115 can be fixed relative to the seat portion 110 so that the seat back 115 can always remain in the same orientation relative to the seat portion 110, although the seat back 115 can still be adjusted relative to the seat portion 110. The seat 105 can further include a base plate 120 that can receive a rotation mechanism that enables rotation of the seat 105.

[0016] Each of the rotating seats 105 can be rotated to a specific position. The seats 105 can be individually rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The difference between a normal position (e.g., all seats 105 facing forward) and the specific position can be referred to as an angular displacement.

[0017] For example, the angular displacement may be associated with a magnitude represented in degrees or radians. In one possible approach, the angular displacement may have a magnitude of zero degrees for a seat 105 facing forward, 90 degrees for a seat 105 facing toward a centerline of the vehicle interior 100, 180 degrees for a seat 105 facing rearward, 270 degrees for a seat 105 facing away from the centerline of the vehicle interior 100, etc. The angular displacement may be represented with any level of granularity. For example, the angular displacement may be exactly within one degree, within three degrees, within 10 degrees, etc. The granularity of the angular displacement may be based on the structure of the mechanism for rotating the seats 105, as described in more detail below.

[0018] Any non-rotating seats 105, such as the seats 105E-F in the third row of Fig. 2, may be a different type of seat than the rotating seats 105. For example, the Fig. 2, the third row seats 105E-F shown may be bench seats instead of bucket seats or individual seats with armrests.

[0019] The vehicle interior 100 may be applied to any type of passenger or commercial vehicle, such as a car, a truck, an SUV, a crossover, a van, a pickup truck, a taxi, a bus, etc. In some possible approaches, the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that can operate in an autonomous (e.g., driverless) mode, a semi-autonomous mode, and / or a non-autonomous mode.

[0020] Fig. 4 illustrates components of an exemplary vehicle system 125 for detecting absolute angular displacement of a rotatable seat 105 using, for example, a magnet 130 and a magnetoresistive sensor 135. The rotatable seat 105 may include a base plate 120 and a seat portion 110 rotatably mounted on the base plate 120. The seat portion 100 may therefore rotate relative to the base plate 120. In other words, the base plate 120 may remain stationary while the seat portion 110 is rotated.

[0021] The magnet 130 may include a permanent magnet that generates a magnetic field. The magnet 130 may be arranged on the seat part 110 or on the base plate 120. The sensor 135 may be arranged on another part of the seat part 110 or the base plate 120, or otherwise spaced from the magnet 130 and rotatable relative to the magnet 130. In the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 4, the magnet 130 is arranged on the seat part 110, and the sensor 135 is arranged on the base plate 120. Thus, the magnet 130 can rotate with the seat part 110, while the base plate 120 and the sensor 135 remain stationary. Alternatively, the sensor 135 can be arranged on the seat part 110, while the magnet 130 is arranged on the base plate 120.

[0022] The sensor 135 may be spaced from the magnet 130 at a distance that allows the magnet 130 to rotate relative to the sensor 135 while still allowing the sensor 135 to detect the magnetic field generated by the magnet 130. The sensor 135 may include or be in communication with a processor 140 programmed to measure the angular displacement ω of the seat portion 110 based on the direction of the magnetic field associated with the orientation of the magnet 130 relative to the sensor 135. For example, different orientations of the magnet 130 may cause different currents to flow through internal circuitry of the sensor 135. Based on the current flow through the sensor 135, the sensor 135 may be programmed to determine the orientation of the magnet 130.Because magnet 130 is fixed relative to seat portion 110 (or base plate 120, as appropriate), the orientation of magnet 130 may be directly related to the angular displacement ω of seat 105. Processor 140 may therefore include any number of electronic components programmed to receive electrical signals generated in accordance with the magnetic field and determine the angular displacement in accordance with the generated signals.

[0023] Now with reference to the Fig. 5A-5B, where the sensor 135 includes or is implemented using magnetoresistive elements, the sensor 135 may include a plurality of resistors R1-R4 arranged in a Wheatstone bridge. The Wheatstone bridge may receive an input signal V in receive and two displacement signals V out-1 and V out-2The displacement signals can be output according to the orientation of the magnetic field. For example, each resistor R1-R4 can be oriented so that the magnetic field acts differently on each resistor. As shown in Fig. 5A, the resistors may be arranged in half-bridge pairs, with one half-bridge including resistors R1 and R3, while the other half-bridge includes resistors R2 and R4. The resistors in each half-bridge pair may be arranged in series with each other. The half-bridge pairs may each have a relatively constant total resistance. Furthermore, the resistances may be influenced by the direction of the magnetic field. For example, each of the resistors may be spin-valve resistors, and each pair may be arranged to output a sine or cosine function based on the orientation of the magnet 130 with respect to the sensor 135. Therefore, the outputs of the displacement signals Vout-1 and V out-2 represent the direction of the magnetic field, each up to a 180-degree rotation of the seat 105. Accordingly, the combination of both displacement signals can provide a displacement value of a full 360-degree rotation of the seat 105 with respect to the base plate 120.

[0024] The displacement signals V out-1 and V out-2 can be processed by the processor 140 (see Fig. 4) that is integrated into or in communication with the sensor 135. The processor 140 can determine the angular displacement ω from the displacement signals V out-1 and V out-2 determine.

[0025] Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary vehicle system 125 for detecting absolute angular displacement of a rotating seat 105 using a magnet 130 and a sensor 135 including a Hall-effect sensor. In this exemplary approach, the rotation mechanism includes a gear 145 disposed on the seat 105 and configured to rotate according to the rotation of the seat 105. Alternatively, the gear 145 may be disposed on the base plate 120, whereby the gear 145 is stationary with respect to the rotation of the seat 105. The magnet 130 and the sensor 135 may rotate with respect to the gear 145 and vice versa. Therefore, the magnet 130 and the Hall-effect sensor 135 may be disposed on the base plate 120 when the gear 145 is disposed on the seat 105. Alternatively, the magnet 130 and the Hall effect sensor 135 may be disposed on the seat 105 when the gear 145 is disposed on the base plate 120.In this way, the gear 145 can rotate relative to the magnet 130 and the sensor 135.

[0026] Although the magnet 130 and sensor 135 are spaced from the gear 145, they may be close enough to the gear 145 for the sensor 135 to determine how the gear 145 interacts with the magnetic field created by the magnet 130. The illustrated gear 145 includes a plurality of teeth 150. Each tooth 150 may be separated from at least one other tooth 150 by a gap 155. The deepest portion of the gap 155 (e.g., the portion of the gap 155 farthest from the magnet 130, the sensor 135, or both) may be referred to as a "tooth bottom 160." As the gear 145 rotates, different portions of the gear 145 interact with the magnetic field. Sometimes the gap 155 interacts with the magnetic field, and at other times the tooth 150 interacts with the magnetic field. In other words, the teeth 150 can change the strength of the magnetic field, which is detected by the sensor 135 when the gear 145 rotates.For example, the magnetic field strength may increase as a tooth 150 passes near the magnet 130, and the magnetic field strength may decrease as the gap 155 passes near the magnet 130. The gear 145 may include any number of teeth 150. More teeth 150 may allow for greater granularity in detecting the angular displacement of the gear 145 and thus of the seat 105. In other words, incorporating more teeth 150 into the gear 145 may allow for a more accurate determination of the angular displacement.

[0027] The sensor 135 can output displacement signals representing the magnetic field strength to, for example, a processor 140 that is programmed to determine the angular displacement of the gear 145, and thus of the seat 105, based on the changes in the strength of the magnetic field caused by the rotation of the gear 145. The sensor 135 or the processor 140 can be programmed to determine whether the gear 145 is rotating by monitoring the changes in the strength of the magnetic field. Furthermore, if the sensor 135 or the processor 140 knows the starting position of the gear 145 (e.g., an angular displacement of zero degrees for a forward-facing seat 105), the sensor 135 or the processor 140 can determine the angular displacement based on, for example,The number of teeth 150 in gear 145 and how often the strength of the magnetic field has changed determine what may represent the number of teeth 150 that have passed by magnet 130 and sensor 135 as gear 145 rotated. Furthermore, sensor 135 or processor 140 may be programmed to determine the direction of rotation of gear 145 by monitoring the power supply to the DC motors used to rotate the seats. Seat occupants can control the seat rotation direction and position using a DC motor control system. The DC motor direction of movement can be reversed by reversing the power supply between a positive and a negative voltage, for example, by pressing a switch. Thus, the seat direction of movement can be determined by monitoring the power supply to the DC motor in real time (i.e.detecting a positive voltage may indicate rotation in one direction and detecting a negative voltage may indicate rotation in the other direction).

[0028] Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary vehicle system 125 for detecting an absolute angular displacement of a rotatable seat 105 using a light emitter 165 and a light receiving sensor 135 (hereinafter referred to as a “receiver 170”).

[0029] The light emitter 165 may include any device capable of transmitting light. For example, the light emitter 165 may include a light-emitting diode (LED). The light emitter 165 may remain stationary while the gear 145 rotates. That is, the light emitter 165 may not rotate with the gear 145. The light emitter 165 may be positioned to project light onto or between the teeth 150 of the gear 145. Thus, rotation of the gear 145 may cause the teeth 150 to periodically block the light emitted by the light emitter 165. However, the gaps 155 of the gear 145 may allow light to pass through to the receiver 170.

[0030] The receiver 170 may include any device that can receive the light from the light emitter 165 and output a displacement signal according to the received light. For example, the displacement signal may indicate whether light is currently being received by the receiver 170 and may indicate the amount of received light (brightness), or the like. The receiver 170 may receive the light emitted by the light emitter 165 when, for example, the teeth 150 of the gear 145 are not blocking the light. During the rotation of the gear 145, the receiver 170 may therefore periodically receive the light emitted by the light emitter 165. The displacement signal may be output to a processor 140.

[0031] The processor 140 may process the displacement signal to determine the angular displacement of the gear 145. That is, the processor 140 may determine from the displacement signal how many times a tooth 150 has traveled between the light emitter 165 and the receiver 170, since a tooth 150 blocking the light from the light emitter 165 may change the displacement signal output by the receiver 170. The processor 140 may be programmed to determine that certain changes in the displacement signal indicate that a tooth 150 has traveled between the light emitter 165 and the receiver 170. The processor 140 may count the number of times the teeth 150 travel between the light emitter 165 and the receiver 170, which may indicate how much the gear 145 has rotated. The number of teeth 150 that have traveled between the light emitter 165 and the receiver 170 can therefore be used to determine the angular displacement of the gear 145 and thus of the seat 105.

[0032] The Fig. 8A-8B illustrate an exemplary schematic diagram of the vehicle system 125 for detecting absolute angular displacement using the light emitter 165 and the receiver 170.

[0033] With reference to Fig. 8A, the schematic diagram includes the light emitter 165, the gear 145, and the receiver 170. As shown, the receiver 170 may include an amplifier 175, a limiter 180, a bandpass filter 185, a demodulator 190, an integrator 195, and a comparator 200. The amplifier 175 may, for example, include one or more transistors that can detect the light generated by the light emitter 165 and output amplified signals representative of the detected light. The signals output by the amplifier 175 can be transmitted to the limiter 180. The limiter 180 may include any number of circuit components that allow all signals with certain power levels to pass unchanged while attenuating the power level of signals greater than a predetermined value.Limiter 180 may therefore output altered or unaltered versions of the signal output by amplifier 175 to bandpass filter 185. Bandpass filter 185 may include any number of circuit components that pass signals within a predetermined frequency range. Thus, if the signal from limiter 180 is within the predetermined frequency range, bandpass filter 185 may output the signal. If the signal from limiter 180 is outside the predetermined frequency range, bandpass filter 185 may not output anything. Demodulator 190 may receive the signal output by bandpass filter 185 and extract data from a modulated carrier wave received by bandpass filter 185. The output of demodulator 190 may be passed to integrator 195. Integrator 195 may include any number of circuit components that output a time integral of the input.In the example of . Fig. 8A, the output of integrator 195 may be the time integral of the signal output by demodulator 190. In some cases, integrator 195 may act as a low-pass filter, accumulating a value up to a certain threshold or limit. The output of integrator 195 may be provided to comparator 200, which may include any number of circuit components that compare the output of integrator 195 to a predetermined value. The predetermined value may be associated with an increment indicating whether gear 145 is moving (e.g., whether the amount of light received indicates that a tooth 150 has traveled between light emitter 165 and receiver 170). The output of comparator 200 may therefore represent the movement of gear 145 according to any number of movement increments (e.g., 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 15 degrees, etc.).The output of comparator 200 may be the shift signal passed to processor 140.

[0034] Fig. Figure 8B illustrates an example circuit diagram including light emitter 165, receiver 170, and two resistors 205. Light emitter 165 and receiver 170 are depicted as diodes. One of resistors 205A may be connected in series with light emitter 165, and the other resistor 205B may be connected in series with receiver 170. Resistors 205 may therefore stabilize the current through light emitter 165, receiver 170, or both. Furthermore, resistors 205 may have the same or different resistance values.

[0035] Fig. 9 illustrates an example signal flow diagram for a restraint control module 210 that may be integrated into the vehicle with rotating seats 105. As shown, the restraint control module 210 may receive signals output by the passive safety sensors 215, various seat position sensors 220, and active safety sensors 225. The passive safety sensors 215 may include driver-side (i.e., left (LH)) front accelerometers, passenger-side (i.e., right (RH)) front accelerometers, LH-side accelerometers, and RH-side accelerometers. The seat position sensors 220 may include the sensors discussed above that output signals representing the angular displacement of the seats 105. The active safety sensors 225 may include, for example, a front camera, a rear camera, a RADAR sensor, a LIDAR sensor, etc.The active safety sensors 225 may output signals to an early impact detection processor 230, which is programmed to make certain decisions about an impending impact based on the signals output by the active safety sensors 225. The decisions made by the early impact detection processor 230 may include information about the potential impact angle, the impact object, the impact severity, and others.

[0036] The passive safety sensors 215 and the seat position sensors 220 may output signals to the restraint control module 210. The signals output by the passive safety sensors 215 may include confirmation of a collision mode representing a virtual zone, namely, an area of ​​the vehicle involved in an impact, and an impact angle. The virtual zone may also be referred to as an "impact zone." In some possible approaches, the impact angle signal represents the angle relative to the vehicle with which a collision occurred. The seat position sensors 220 may output respective angular displacement signals representing the angular displacement of the respective seat 105.The restraint control module 210 may include a processor 140 that receives and processes the collision mode signal, which may represent the virtual zone and the impact angle, and the seat angle displacement signals to determine which restraint devices to select for deployment during a collision. That is, the restraint control module 210 may select particular restraint devices based on the angular displacement of one or more seats 105, the impact angle, the virtual zone, etc., and deploy one or more of the selected restraint devices during the collision and, in some cases, after the impact angle and the virtual zone have been confirmed.

[0037] For example, the restraint control module 210 may receive a seat angle displacement signal indicating that the driver seat 105 is in a rearward-facing position and that a full frontal impact has occurred. In response, the restraint control module 210 may select some restraint devices, such as the driver head restraint, for deployment during a collision but deactivate (i.e., not deploy) others, e.g., the front driver airbag, the front driver head airbag, the driver knee bolster, etc., during the same collision. In this way, appropriate airbags are deployed based on the orientation of the seats 105 and the collision mode if an impact occurs.

[0038] Fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary signal flow diagram for the deployment handlers 235. Each rotation sensor 135 may output angular displacement signals to the handlers 235 associated with the safety restraint devices 250 associated with each seat 105. Furthermore, the active and passive safety sensors 225, 215 may output signals to an impact detection module 240 and an impact classification module 245. The impact detection module 240 may process the signals output by the active and passive safety sensors 215 to determine a virtual zone associated with the impact. That is, the vehicle may, as in Fig. 11, into virtual zones, each representing a different area of ​​the vehicle. The impact detection module 240 may detect and confirm an impact and may determine, based on the outputs of the active and passive safety sensors 225, 215, which virtual zones are involved in the impact. The impact classification module 245 may classify the impact as a full frontal impact, a left frontal impact, a right frontal oblique impact, a driver side impact, a passenger side impact, or a right rear oblique impact, etc. (as shown in Fig. 11) based on the signals output by the active and passive safety sensors 215.

[0039] Both the impact detection module 240 and the impact classification module 245 may output command signals to the corresponding handlers 235 to select and / or deploy the appropriate restraint devices 250 depending on the type of impact. Furthermore, the handlers 235 may consider the angular displacement signals output by the corresponding rotation sensors when determining which restraint devices 250 should be selected or deployed, or both. Thus, the selection and deployment of the restraint devices 250 may be based on the virtual zone involved in a collision, the angle of impact, the orientation (e.g., angular displacement) of one or more seats 105, or various combinations of these or other factors.

[0040] Fig. 11 illustrates an example logic flow for determining which passive restraint devices 250 should be selected or deactivated based on the angular displacement of the rotating seat 105. The seat rotation sensors 135 may provide a seat angular displacement to one or more of the deployment handlers 235. As discussed above, deployment of a restraint device may be based at least in part on the virtual zone involved in a collision, the impact angle, and the angular displacement of one or more seats 105. The impact detection module 240 and the impact classification module 245 may determine the virtual zone in which an impact occurred and the impact angle and output a signal representing the virtual zone and impact angle (e.g., the collision mode signal) to one or more of the handlers 235.In response, handlers 235 may query a lookup table for a virtual zone, impact angle, and angular displacement of seats 105, and may query the same or another lookup table for selection of the appropriate restraint devices 250. Once the appropriate restraint devices 250 are selected, deployment handlers 235 may deploy the selected restraint devices 250.

[0041] In the Fig. 11, the impact occurs from the right frontal oblique direction. The impact classification module 245 may output the signal to each handler 235 indicating a right frontal oblique collision. The handler 235A associated with the driver seat 105 may determine the orientation of the driver seat 105 from the angular displacement signal output by a rotation sensor 135 associated with the driver seat 105A. The handler 235A may query the lookup table for the virtual zone associated with the orientation identified by the angular displacement signal for selecting and deploying safety restraint devices. In the example of Fig. 11, the handler 235A for the driver seat 105A may determine, based on the angular displacement of the driver seat 105A, the impact angle, and the virtual zone, that one of the appropriate restraint devices 250 includes deployment of the console airbag. In the example of Fig. 11, the handler 235B for the passenger seat 105B may determine the orientation of the passenger seat 105B based on the angular displacement signal output by the rotation sensor 135 associated with the passenger seat 105B. In this example, the handler 235B may deploy the passenger head restraints, the passenger side airbag, and the passenger front head airbag based on the angular displacement of the passenger seat 105B, the impact angle, and the virtual zone associated with that seat. These restraint devices 250 may be deployed upon detection of the impact.

[0042] In this way, only the restraint devices 250 associated with the impact area, impact angle, and seat rotational displacement can be deployed after an impact. Thus, the handler 235 can avoid deploying a restraint device that serves no purpose or is otherwise not useful during a collision.

Claims

[1] Vehicle system (125) comprising: a base plate (120); a driver's seat (105) rotatably mounted on the base plate (120); a sensor (135) programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver's seat (105) relative to the base plate (120) and to output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and a processor (140) programmed to receive the displacement signal and to select at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal, an impact zone, and a predicted impact angle, and to deploy only the selected passive safety devices during a collision. [2] The vehicle system (125) of claim 1, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to receive an impact angle signal confirming the predicted impact angle and impact zone and to deploy the at least one passive safety device selected according to the displacement signal and the predicted impact angle and impact zone. [3] The vehicle system (125) of claim 2, wherein the impact angle signal confirms a portion of a host vehicle involved in the collision. [4] The vehicle system (125) of claim 1, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal with a virtual zone. [5] The vehicle system (125) of claim 4, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to select at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the virtual zone associated with the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal. [6] The vehicle system (125) of claim 5, wherein activating at least one passive safety device based at least in part on the virtual zone includes querying a lookup table for the virtual zone. [7] Vehicle system (125) comprising: a base plate (120); a driver's seat (105) rotatably mounted on the base plate (120); a sensor (135) programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver's seat (105) relative to the base plate (120) and to output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and a processor (140) programmed to receive the displacement signal and to select at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal and an impact zone and a predicted impact angle, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to receive an impact angle signal confirming an area of ​​a host vehicle involved in a collision and to deploy only the at least one selected passive safety device according to the displacement signal, the impact zone, and the impact angle signal. [8] The vehicle system (125) of claim 7, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal with a virtual zone. [9] The vehicle system (125) of claim 8, wherein the virtual zone is associated with the at least one selected passive safety device. [10] The vehicle system (125) of claim 8, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to select at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices based at least in part on the virtual zone associated with the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal. [11] The vehicle system (125) of claim 10, wherein selecting the at least one passive safety device based at least in part on the virtual zone includes querying a lookup table for the virtual zone. [12] The vehicle system (125) of claim 11, wherein deploying the at least one selected passive safety device includes querying the lookup table for the virtual zone and the area of ​​the host vehicle involved in the collision and the impact angle signal. [13] The vehicle system (125) of claim 11, wherein the at least one selected passive safety device is deployed in response to receiving the impact angle signal confirming the collision in the impact zone. [14] Vehicle system (125) comprising: a base plate (120); a driver's seat (105) rotatably mounted on the base plate (120); a sensor (135) programmed to measure an angular displacement of the driver's seat (105) relative to the base plate (120) and to output a displacement signal representing the angular displacement; and a processor (140) programmed to receive the displacement signal, associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal with one of a plurality of virtual zones, identify at least one of a plurality of passive safety devices associated with the virtual zone associated with the angular displacement, and select the at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices associated with the virtual zone based at least in part on an impact zone and a predicted impact angle. [15] The vehicle system (125) of claim 14, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to receive an impact angle signal confirming the predicted impact angle and impact zone and to deploy the at least one selected passive safety device associated with the virtual zone in response to receiving the impact angle signal. [16] The vehicle system (125) of claim 15, wherein the impact angle signal confirms a portion of a host vehicle involved in a collision. [17] The vehicle system (125) of claim 14, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to associate the angular displacement represented by the displacement signal and the virtual zone with at least one of the plurality of passive safety devices by querying a lookup table. [18] The vehicle system (125) of claim 14, wherein the processor (140) is programmed to identify the at least one passive safety device associated with the virtual zone by querying a lookup table.

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