Personal protection system for a vehicle

Abstract

A personal protection system (3) for a vehicle (1), comprising an environmental sensor system (20) which detects at least one crash-relevant physical variable in the vehicle environment and generates corresponding first sensor information (S1), a contact sensor system (30) which detects at least one impact-relevant physical variable and generates corresponding second sensor information (S2), at least one personal protection device (40) and at least one evaluation and control unit (10) which receives and evaluates the first sensor information (S1) from the environmental sensor system (20) and the second sensor information (S2) from the contact sensor system (30) and, depending on the evaluation, generates a control signal (AS) and outputs it to the at least one personal protection device (40), characterized in thatthat the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) operates the contact sensor system (30) in a sleep mode or in a shutdown mode during normal operation of the vehicle (1) and switches the contact sensor system (30) to an operating mode via a wake-up signal (AW) if the evaluation of the first sensor information (S1) of the environmental sensor system (20) indicates an impending impact, wherein the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) evaluates the second sensor information (S2) of the contact sensor system (30) to check the plausibility of the first sensor information (S1), and wherein the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) generates and outputs the control signal (AS) if the first sensor information (S1) is assessed as plausible.,

Description

[0001] The invention is based on a personal protection system for a vehicle according to the preamble of independent patent claim 1. The present invention also relates to an operating method for such a personal protection system.

[0002] Active and passive passenger protection systems are playing an increasingly important role in the development of vehicles. In order to achieve optimal protection, very early accident detection is necessary. The basis for such accident detection and the activation of passenger protection systems are sensor systems that comprise one or more sensors, which are combined, for example, to form one or more sensor assemblies. Their signals are evaluated to detect an impact with an object and / or to detect a rollover of the vehicle in order to subsequently activate passenger protection devices. The signals emitted by the sensor systems are further processed, for example, by algorithms within an airbag control unit. If the algorithm detects that a pedestrian impact, side impact, or frontal impact has occurred, active restraint devices (e.g.Airbag) is activated in the vehicle to protect the pedestrian in the event of a pedestrian impact or the vehicle occupants in the event of a crash. A wide variety of sensor principles can be used for the individual sensors, such as acceleration, pressure, structure-borne sound sensors, piezoelectric and / or optical sensors, and / or yaw rate sensors, etc.

[0003] In conventional passenger protection systems, the sensors in the vehicle are usually connected to a control unit. There is a constant exchange of data between the vehicle's sensors, such as the airbag sensors, and the control unit in the vehicle. For airbag sensors, for example, the so-called PSI5 data protocol (PSI: Peripheral Sensor Interface) is used for this purpose. The standard data exchange format has a data transmission rate of 2 kHz. This is necessary, among other things, to ensure rapid deployment of the vehicle's restraint systems, such as the airbags. Due to the increased use of environmental sensors such as cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, lidar, etc., particularly in vehicles that can be used for automated driving, the associated control units are able to proactively detect an impending crash.This means that the vehicle's restraint devices can be triggered immediately before the crash, which provides even better protection for vehicle occupants and pedestrians.

[0004] For example, a safety device for motor vehicles is known from published patent application DE 10 2005 013 448 A1. The safety device comprises a sensor system for detecting the traffic environment, a prediction device for detecting a collision risk, and an actuator system for triggering a reaction depending on the collision risk. A self-monitoring device is designed to compare a prediction from the prediction device with the actual situation and, depending on a detected discrepancy, to initiate at least a partial deactivation of the actuator system. The sensor system comprises one or more sensors for locating objects in the vehicle's surroundings, for example, radar sensors, lidar sensors, video sensors, etc.To determine whether a collision has actually occurred, trigger signals from airbag systems, signals from crash or acceleration sensors, and signals from an electronic stability control system (ESP) can be used, for example. These signals can provide information about wheel speeds, acceleration, yaw rate, and the like. The actuator system can, for example, include warning signals and / or means for intervening in the braking system, the drive system, and / or the steering system in order to avoid a collision or, if this is no longer possible, at least to mitigate the consequences of the collision. Disclosure of the invention

[0005] The personal protection system for a vehicle with the features of independent patent claim 1 has the advantage that contact sensors and corresponding evaluation and control units can be designed with simpler and thus more cost-effective hardware. Furthermore, energy consumption within the vehicle can be advantageously reduced, since the contact sensors or individual crash sensors of the contact sensor system only exchange data with the evaluation and control unit when an actual crash of the vehicle has been detected by an environmental sensor system. This is a significant advantage, especially for battery-powered electric vehicles.

[0006] In embodiments of the invention, the actual crash detection is performed in a first step solely via the vehicle's environmental sensors. The contact sensors are used only to verify the plausibility of an impending or occurring crash. For this purpose, the corresponding crash sensors of the contact sensor system can be designed more cost-effectively by simplifying their functionality.

[0007] The crash sensors of the contact sensor system can, for example, be designed as so-called low-power wake-up sensors. This means that the crash sensors do not send any data to the corresponding evaluation and control unit during normal vehicle operation. Instead, the sensors are awakened from their "low-power mode" or sleep mode as soon as the vehicle's environmental sensors detect an impending crash. This occurs, for example, when the evaluation and control unit, to which the crash sensors are connected for communication purposes, sends a corresponding wake-up signal to the relevant crash sensors, thereby waking up and activating these sensors. Such a crash sensor is activated, for example, by the wake-up signal from the evaluation and control unit and then sends data to the evaluation and control unit for a specific period of time. In this embodiment, this period extends at least over the duration of the crash.

[0008] Additionally or alternatively, the contact sensor system can internally compare the acceleration and / or pressure and / or yaw rate signals from the crash sensors with thresholds during the crash and thus determine the crash severity. In this case, data on the crash severity is transmitted to the evaluation and control unit as soon as it has been determined by the contact sensor system. The data from the corresponding crash sensor is used within the evaluation and control unit to check the plausibility of the crash, which has already been detected or predicted by the vehicle's environmental sensors, and to activate an emergency call from the vehicle, for example. The crash sensor presented is advantageously designed to transmit at least one message to the evaluation and control unit if a crash has been detected by the environmental sensors and the crash sensor is responding to the detected or predicted level.predicted crash side of the vehicle or in the axial direction of the impact site.

[0009] By designing the crash sensors as low-power wake-up sensors, both the energy reserve within the contact sensor system and the energy reserve of the evaluation and control unit can be designed more simply and smaller. This saves costs. This is possible primarily because not all crash sensors exchange data with the evaluation and control unit at the same time.

[0010] Furthermore, in embodiments of the invention, the number of interfaces in the evaluation and control unit can be reduced by connecting multiple crash sensors to the evaluation and control unit via a common interface. This is particularly possible if only the crash sensors located on the corresponding crash side of the vehicle are activated. Here, too, costs can be saved on the evaluation and control unit side.

[0011] Furthermore, in embodiments of the invention, the contact sensor system can be operated not in idle mode during normal vehicle operation, but in a shutdown mode in which the contact sensor system is completely deactivated. Only when the environmental sensor system detects an impending crash can the relevant crash sensors of the contact sensor system be supplied with voltage and thus activated to verify the plausibility of the detected or predicted impact. The crash sensors can then transmit their signals for the duration of the crash or the preprocessed crash severity to the evaluation and control unit.

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention provide a personal protection system for a vehicle, comprising an environmental sensor system which detects at least one crash-relevant physical variable in the vehicle environment and generates corresponding first sensor information, a contact sensor system which detects at least one impact-relevant physical variable and generates corresponding second sensor information, at least one personal protection device and at least one evaluation and control unit which receives and evaluates the first sensor information from the environmental sensor system and the second sensor information from the contact sensor system and, depending on the evaluation, generates a control signal and outputs it to the at least one personal protection device.The at least one evaluation and control unit operates the contact sensor system in a sleep mode or in a shutdown mode during normal operation of the vehicle and switches the contact sensor system to an operating mode via a wake-up signal if the evaluation of the first sensor information from the environmental sensor system indicates an impending impact. The at least one evaluation and control unit evaluates the second sensor information from the contact sensor system to verify the plausibility of the first sensor information, wherein the at least one evaluation and control unit generates and outputs the control signal if the first sensor information is assessed as plausible.

[0013] In addition, an operating method for such a passenger protection system in a vehicle is proposed. In this case, at least one crash-relevant physical variable in the vehicle's surroundings is detected via an environmental sensor system and corresponding first sensor information is generated. In this case, at least one impact-relevant physical variable is detected via a contact sensor system and corresponding second sensor information is generated. The first sensor information and the second sensor information are evaluated and, depending on the evaluation, a control signal is generated and output to at least one passenger protection device. In this case, the contact sensor system is operated in a sleep mode or in a switch-off mode during normal operation of the vehicle and is switched to an operating mode via a wake-up signal if the evaluation of the first sensor information from the environmental sensor system indicates an impending impact.The second sensor information of the contact sensor is evaluated to check the plausibility of the first sensor information, whereby the control signal is generated and output if the first sensor information is assessed as plausible.

[0014] In this case, the evaluation and control unit can be understood to be an electrical device, such as a control unit, in particular an airbag control unit, which processes or evaluates detected sensor signals. The evaluation and control unit can have at least one interface, which can be implemented in hardware and / or software. In a hardware implementation, the interfaces can, for example, be part of a so-called system ASIC, which contains a wide variety of functions of the evaluation and control unit. However, it is also possible for the interfaces to be separate integrated circuits or to consist at least partially of discrete components. In a software implementation, the interfaces can be software modules, which are present, for example, on a microcontroller alongside other software modules.Also advantageous is a computer program product with program code stored on a machine-readable medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk memory or an optical memory and used to carry out the evaluation when the program is executed by the evaluation and control unit.

[0015] In this context, a sensor system is understood to be a structural unit comprising at least one sensor that directly or indirectly detects a physical quantity or a change in a physical quantity and preferably converts it into an electrical sensor signal. This can be done, for example, by transmitting and / or receiving sound and / or electromagnetic waves and / or by using a magnetic field or changing a magnetic field.

[0016] Possible sensors are optical sensors which, for example, have a photographic plate and / or a fluorescent surface and / or a semiconductor, which detect the impact or the intensity, the wavelength, the frequency, the angle, etc. of the received wave, such as infrared sensors. The optical sensors can also be designed as cameras, the images recorded from which can be evaluated by an image processing program. Likewise, acoustic sensors are conceivable, such as ultrasonic sensors, and / or high-frequency sensors and / or radar sensors and / or laser sensors and / or sensors which react to a magnetic field, such as a Hall sensor element and / or a magnetoresistive sensor element and / or an inductive sensor element which registers the change in a magnetic field, for example via the voltage generated by magnetic induction.

[0017] The recorded sensor signals can be evaluated by an evaluation and control unit integrated into the sensor system and converted into sensor information, which comprises a physical quantity with an associated unit, which is determined from a physical quantity recorded by the respective sensor. For example, a sensor determines the change in path in a certain time window and the evaluation and control unit uses this to calculate a speed and / or acceleration. Other calculable physical quantities are mass, speed, force, energy and / or other conceivable quantities, such as the probability of a certain event occurring. The sensor information generated in this way can then be transmitted to a higher-level evaluation and control unit for further evaluation. In addition, the recorded physical quantities can be stored in the respective sensor system orin the respective sensor are already compared with specified target and / or limit values, so that if these specified target and / or limit values are undershot, exceeded or reached, the higher-level evaluation and control unit can be indicated.

[0018] Plausibility check or plausibility check is a method within which a result or a value of a determined physical quantity is checked to determine whether it is acceptable and / or plausible and / or comprehensible and / or plausible.

[0019] The measures and further developments listed in the dependent claims make advantageous improvements to the personal protection system for a vehicle specified in independent patent claim 1 possible.

[0020] It is particularly advantageous that the at least one evaluation and control unit can use the first sensor information to perform a hazard analysis and an assessment of the current driving situation in order to detect the impending impact, at least with regard to an impact location and / or time of impact. For example, initial sensor information from environmental sensors such as cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, lidar, etc., can be evaluated to proactively detect the impact location and / or time of an impending crash. This means that the vehicle's restraint devices can be triggered immediately before the crash, thus providing even better protection for vehicle occupants and pedestrians.Thus, in the event of a detected impending impact, the at least one evaluation and control unit can perform an object classification based on the first sensor information and generate first impact location information, which can represent a predicted impact location. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one evaluation and control unit can generate first impact time information, which can represent a predicted impact time.

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment of the personal protection system, the at least one evaluation and control unit can evaluate the second sensor information for impact detection and crash severity determination. Furthermore, the at least one evaluation and control unit can generate second impact location information based on the second sensor information, which can represent an actual impact location. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one evaluation and control unit can generate second impact time information, which can represent an actual impact time. The at least one evaluation and control unit can then compare the first impact location information with the second impact location information to verify the plausibility of the first sensor information and evaluate the first sensor information as plausible if the predicted impact location and the actual impact location lie within a predetermined first tolerance window.Additionally or alternatively, the at least one evaluation and control unit can compare the first impact time information with the second impact time information to check the plausibility of the first sensor information and evaluate the first sensor information as plausible if the predicted impact time and the actual impact time lie within a predetermined second tolerance window. The contact sensors installed in the vehicle can advantageously prevent false triggering of the at least one personal protection device. Although a vehicle crash is detected by the environmental sensors, the plausibility is also checked via the contact sensors before the at least one personal protection device in the vehicle is triggered. This is possible, among other things, by the algorithms of the at least one evaluation and control unit checking whether a signal strength orthe impact location and / or time of impact detected by the contact sensors also correspond to the impact location and / or time of impact predicted by the environmental sensors.

[0022] In a further advantageous embodiment of the personal protection system, the at least one evaluation and control unit can switch the contact sensors to operating mode for a specified period of time or for the duration of a crash. This allows energy consumption to be further reduced, allowing the energy reserve within the contact sensors and also the energy reserve of the evaluation and control unit to be designed smaller and more cost-effectively.

[0023] In a further advantageous embodiment of the personal protection system, the contact sensor system can comprise multiple crash sensors, which can be distributed throughout the vehicle and can be implemented, for example, as acceleration sensors and / or pressure sensors and / or yaw rate sensors. Advantageously, the evaluation and control unit can switch only those crash sensors of the contact sensor system that detect an area of the predicted impact location into operating mode. This can further reduce energy consumption and further simplify the design of the at least one evaluation and control unit.

[0024] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description. In the drawings, identical reference numerals designate components or elements that perform identical or analogous functions. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a vehicle with an embodiment of a personal protection system for a vehicle according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of an embodiment of an operating method according to the invention for the personal protection system from Fig. 1. Embodiments of the invention

[0025] As from Fig. 1, the illustrated embodiment of a personal protection system 3 according to the invention for a vehicle 1 comprises an environmental sensor system 20 which detects at least one crash-relevant physical variable in the vehicle environment and generates corresponding first sensor information S1, a contact sensor system 30 which detects at least one impact-relevant physical variable and generates corresponding second sensor information S2, at least one personal protection device 40 and at least one evaluation and control unit 10 which receives and evaluates the first sensor information S1 of the environmental sensor system 20 and the second sensor information S2 of the contact sensor system 30 and, depending on the evaluation, generates a control signal AS and outputs it to the at least one personal protection device 40.

[0026] In this case, the at least one evaluation and control unit 10 operates the contact sensor system 30 in a sleep mode or in a switch-off mode during normal operation of the vehicle 1 and switches the contact sensor system 30 into an operating mode via a wake-up signal AW when the evaluation of the first sensor information S1 of the environment sensor system 20 indicates an impending impact.

[0027] In addition, the at least one evaluation and control unit 10 evaluates the second sensor information S2 of the contact sensor system 30 to verify the plausibility of the first sensor information S1. The at least one evaluation and control unit 10 generates and outputs the control signal AS if the first sensor information S1 is evaluated as plausible.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the personal protection system 3 for a vehicle 1 comprises a central evaluation and control unit 10 with a plurality of interfaces 12, 14, 16, 18. The evaluation and control unit 10 is electrically connected to the environmental sensor system 20 via a first interface 12 and receives the first sensor information S1 via the first interface 12. Via a second interface 14, the evaluation and control unit 10 is electrically connected to individual crash sensors 32, 33, 34, 35 of the contact sensor system 30, which are arranged on a first, here right-hand side of the vehicle. Via a third interface 16, the evaluation and control unit 10 is electrically connected to individual crash sensors 31, 36, 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30, which are arranged on a second, here left-hand side of the vehicle.The evaluation and control unit 10 outputs the wake-up signal AW to the right crash sensors 32, 33, 34, 35 of the contact sensor system 30 via the second interface 14 and receives the second sensor information S2 from the right crash sensors 32, 33, 34, 35 of the contact sensor system 30 via the second interface 14. The evaluation and control unit 10 outputs the wake-up signal AW to the left crash sensors 31, 36, 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30 via the third interface 16 and receives the second sensor information S2 from the left crash sensors 31, 36, 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30 via the third interface 16. The evaluation and control unit 10 outputs the activation signal AS to the at least one personal protection device 40 via a fourth interface 18.The data transmission between the evaluation and control unit 10 and the environmental sensor system and / or the individual crash sensors 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30 and the at least one personal protection device 40 can be wired via appropriate cables or wirelessly via appropriate radio channels.

[0029] To verify the plausibility of impending pedestrian accidents or an impending frontal impact, two crash sensors 31, 32 installed in the vehicle bumper are used in the illustrated embodiment. These crash sensors 31, 32 are designed as acceleration sensors in the illustrated embodiment. Alternatively, pressure tube-based systems (PTS - Pressure Tube Sensor) can be used in the front area of the vehicle 1. In both the acceleration- and pressure tube-based systems, the impact of an object in the relevant area of the bumper leads to a signal increase within the detecting contact sensor system 30. The amplitude of the detected signals depends, among other things, on the mass and speed of the impacting object.In addition, crash sensors designed as acceleration sensors (not shown) can be used to check the plausibility of an impending frontal impact, which can be arranged, for example, in a central control unit and / or additionally along a bending cross member of the vehicle 1.

[0030] To check the plausibility of impending side crashes, crash sensors 33, 34, 37, 38, also designed as acceleration sensors, are used in the illustrated embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, two crash sensors 33, 38 are each arranged on a B-pillar, and two crash sensors 34, 38 are each arranged on a C-pillar. In longer vehicles, crash sensors 33, 34, 37, 38, designed as acceleration sensors, can also be arranged on a D-pillar of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, pressure sensors can be used as crash sensors 33, 34, 37, 38 in the left and right side areas of the vehicle 1, each of which is arranged in a vehicle door. The amplitude of the detected signals depends, among other things, on the mass and speed of the impacting object.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, crash sensors 35, 36 designed as acceleration sensors are used to verify the plausibility of an impending rear-end collision and are installed in a vehicle rear bumper.

[0032] In the illustrated embodiment, the evaluation and control unit 10 and the interfaces 12, 14, 16, 18 support and use the open PSI5 protocol (PSI: Peripheral Sensor Interface). This allows up to four crash sensors 31, 32, 33, 35, 34, 36, 37, 38 per bus node to be queried in different configurations. Bidirectional communication for sensor configuration and diagnostics is also provided.

[0033] Using the PSI5 protocol, the evaluation and control unit 10 can specifically switch only the crash sensors 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30 into the operating mode, which detect an area of the predicted impact location.

[0034] For example, in the event of an impending central frontal impact, only the two crash sensors 31, 32 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged in the front area of the vehicle 1 can be switched to the operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In the event of an impending frontal impact that overlaps on the right, for example, only a right crash sensor 32 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged in the front area of the vehicle 1 can be switched to the operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In this case, a front crash sensor 33 arranged on the right side of the vehicle could also be activated. In the event of an impending frontal impact that overlaps on the left, for example, only a left crash sensor 31 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged in the front area of the vehicle 1 can be switched to the operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In this case, a front crash sensor 38 arranged on the left side of the vehicle could also be activated.

[0035] Similarly, in the event of an imminent impact on the right side of the vehicle, only the two crash sensors 33, 34 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged on the right side of the vehicle 1 can be switched to operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In addition, the right crash sensor 32 arranged at the front of the vehicle 1 and / or the right crash sensor 35 arranged at the rear of the vehicle 1 can be switched to operating mode via the wake-up signal AW, depending on whether the predicted impact location is located in the front or rear right side area of the vehicle 1. Similarly, in the event of an imminent impact on the left side of the vehicle, only the two crash sensors 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged on the left side of the vehicle 1 can be switched to operating mode via the wake-up signal AW.In this case, the left crash sensor 31 arranged at the front of the vehicle 1 and / or the left crash sensor 36 arranged at the rear of the vehicle 1 can also be switched to the operating mode via the wake-up signal AW, depending on whether the predicted impact location is located in the front or rear left side area of the vehicle 1.

[0036] In the event of an impending central rear-end collision, for example, only the two crash sensors 35, 36 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged at the rear of vehicle 1 can be switched to operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In the event of an impending right-hand overlapping rear-end collision, for example, only a right-hand crash sensor 35 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged in the rear of vehicle 1 can be switched to operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In this case, a rear crash sensor 34 arranged on the right-hand side of the vehicle could also be activated. In the event of an impending left-hand overlapping rear-end collision, for example, only a left-hand crash sensor 36 of the contact sensor system 30 arranged in the rear of vehicle 1 can be switched to operating mode via the wake-up signal AW. In this case, a rear crash sensor 37 arranged on the left-hand side of the vehicle could also be activated.

[0037] In the illustrated embodiment, the evaluation and control unit 10 switches the contact sensor system 30 into operating mode for the duration of the crash.

[0038] The environmental sensor system 20 includes, for example, video or radar sensors to detect impending contact with an object and perform object classification. Additionally or alternatively, the environmental sensor system may also include other suitable sensors, such as cameras, laser sensors, ultrasonic sensors, etc., which are suitable for monitoring the vehicle's surroundings and providing the first sensor information S1, which can perform a hazard analysis and an assessment of the current driving situation in order to detect an impending impact, at least with regard to an impact location and / or an impact time.

[0039] The at least one personal protection device 40 comprises occupant devices which are designed, for example, as irreversible restraint systems, such as airbags or pyrotechnic belt tensioners, and / or reversible restraint systems, such as electromotive belt tensioners, and pedestrian protection systems which are designed, for example, as external airbags, pop-up hoods, etc.

[0040] Based on the first sensor information S1 output by the environmental sensor system 20, algorithms within the evaluation and control unit 10 perform an object classification and generate first impact location information representing a predicted impact location. If the algorithm detects that a pedestrian impact, side impact, frontal impact, or rear impact is imminent, algorithms within the evaluation and control unit 10 evaluate the second sensor information S2 for impact detection and crash severity determination. Based on the second sensor information S2, algorithms within the evaluation and control unit 10 generate second impact location information representing a real impact location.To verify the plausibility of the first sensor information S1, the evaluation and control unit 10 compares the first impact location information with the second impact location information and evaluates the first sensor information S1 as plausible if the predicted impact location and the actual impact location lie within a predefined tolerance window. Depending on the plausibility check of the first sensor information S1 and the impending impact, personal protection devices 40 in the vehicle are activated to protect the pedestrian in the event of a pedestrian impact or the vehicle occupants in the event of a crash.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment (not shown), based on the first sensor information S1 and the second sensor information S2, in addition to checking the predicted impact location and the actual impact location, a temporal dependency of the predicted impact and the actual impact is also checked. Only if the actual impact has been temporally verified by at least one crash sensor 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 of the contact sensor system 30 within a time window predicted by the environmental sensor system 20 will the at least one personal protection device 40 be triggered or activated. For this purpose, the evaluation and control unit 10, in this embodiment (not shown), generates first impact time information based on the first sensor information S1, which represents a predicted impact time.Additionally, based on the second sensor information S2, the evaluation and control unit 10 generates a second impact time information item, which represents a real impact time. If the predicted impact time and the real impact time are not within a predetermined time window, the predicted impact is not plausible, and no personal protection device 40 is activated. Therefore, the evaluation and control unit 10 switches the contact sensor system 30 back to sleep mode or shutdown mode.

[0042] As from Fig.2, an operating method according to the invention for a personal protection system 3 of a vehicle 1 in the exemplary embodiment shown detects at least one crash-relevant physical variable in the vehicle's surroundings in step S100 via an environmental sensor system 20 and generates corresponding first sensor information S1, which is evaluated in step S110 for impact detection. In step S120, a check is carried out to determine whether the evaluation of the first sensor information S1 from the environmental sensor system 20 indicates an impending impact. If this is not the case, the method returns to step S100. If the first sensor information in step S120 indicates an impending impact, then in step S130, a contact sensor system 30 operated in a sleep mode or in a shutdown mode is switched to an operating mode via a wake-up signal AW.In step S140, the contact sensor system 30 detects at least one impact-relevant physical variable and generates corresponding second sensor information S2, which is evaluated in step S150 to check the plausibility of the first sensor information S1. In step S160, a check is carried out to determine whether the evaluation of the second sensor information S2 by the contact sensor system 30 results in an assessment of the first sensor information S1 as plausible, at least with regard to the time and / or location of impact. If the first sensor information S1 is not assessed as plausible, the method returns to step S100. If the first sensor information S1 is assessed as plausible, the control signal AS is generated in step S170 and output to the at least one personal protection device 40.

Claims

[1] Personal protection system (3) for a vehicle (1), comprising an environmental sensor system (20) which detects at least one crash-relevant physical quantity in the vehicle environment and generates corresponding first sensor information (S1), a contact sensor system (30) which detects at least one impact-relevant physical quantity and generates corresponding second sensor information (S2), at least one personal protection device (40) and at least one evaluation and control unit (10) which receives and evaluates the first sensor information (S1) of the environmental sensor system (20) and the second sensor information (S2) of the contact sensor system (30) and, depending on the evaluation, generates a control signal (AS) and outputs it to the at least one personal protection device (40), characterized byin that the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) operates the contact sensor system (30) in a sleep mode or in a switch-off mode during normal operation of the vehicle (1) and switches the contact sensor system (30) into an operating mode via a wake-up signal (AW) if the evaluation of the first sensor information (S1) of the environmental sensor system (20) indicates an impending impact, wherein the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) evaluates the second sensor information (S2) of the contact sensor system (30) to check the plausibility of the first sensor information (S1), and wherein the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) generates and outputs the control signal (AS) if the first sensor information (S1) is assessed as plausible. [2] Personal protection system (3) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) uses the first sensor information (S1) to carry out a hazard analysis and an evaluation of the current driving situation in order to detect the impending impact at least with regard to an impact location and / or an impact time. [3] Personal protection system (3) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by in that the at least one evaluation and control unit (10), in the event of a detected impending impact based on the first sensor information (S1), carries out an object classification and generates first impact location information representing a predicted impact location and / or first impact time information representing a predicted impact time. [4] Personal protection system (3) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized bythat the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) evaluates the second sensor information for impact detection and crash severity determination. [5] Personal protection system (3) according to claim 4, characterized by that the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) generates, based on the second sensor information (S2), a second impact location information representing a real impact location and / or a second impact time information representing a real impact time. [6] Personal protection system (3) according to claim 5, characterized byin that the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) compares the first impact location information with the second impact location information and / or the first impact time information with the second impact time information for the plausibility check of the first sensor information (S1), and evaluates the first sensor information (S1) as plausible if the predicted impact location and the actual impact location and / or the predicted impact time and the actual impact time each lie within a corresponding predetermined tolerance window. [7] Personal protection system (3) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the at least one evaluation and control unit (10) switches the contact sensor system (30) into the operating mode for a predetermined period of time or for a crash duration. [8] Personal protection system (3) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized bythat the contact sensor system (30) comprises a plurality of crash sensors (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) which are arranged distributed in the vehicle (1) and are designed as acceleration sensors and / or pressure sensors and / or rotation rate sensors. [9] Personal protection system (3) according to claim 8, characterized by that the evaluation and control unit (10) switches only the crash sensors (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) of the contact sensor system (30) into the operating mode, which detect an area of the predicted impact location. [10] Operating method for a personal protection system (3) of a vehicle (1), wherein at least one crash-relevant physical quantity in the vehicle environment is detected via an environmental sensor system (20) and corresponding first sensor information (S1) is generated, wherein at least one impact-relevant physical quantity is detected via a contact sensor system (30) and corresponding second sensor information (S2) is generated, wherein the first sensor information (S1) and the second sensor information (S2) are evaluated and, depending on the evaluation, a control signal (AS) is generated and output to at least one personal protection device (40), characterized byin that the contact sensor system (30) is operated in a sleep mode or in a switch-off mode during normal operation of the vehicle (1) and is switched to an operating mode via a wake-up signal (AW) when the evaluation of the first sensor information (S1) of the environmental sensor system (20) indicates an impending impact, wherein the second sensor information (S2) of the contact sensor system (30) is evaluated to check the plausibility of the first sensor information (S1) at least with regard to the time and / or location of the impact, and wherein the control signal (AS) is generated and output when the first sensor information (S1) is assessed as plausible.

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