Airbag Controller for Side Impact Occupancy Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
During side or front impacts, rear seat occupants without seatbelts may be at risk of injury due to lateral movement towards the impact side, as existing airbag deployment systems do not effectively protect un restrained occupants in rear seats, especially in jurisdictions where rear seatbelt usage is not mandatory.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle controller system that deploys an airbag between the front and rear seats only when a side impact occurs and the rear seat adjacent to the impact is unoccupied, using a processor to receive impact and occupancy signals to determine the need for airbag deployment, thereby reducing the risk of injury to rear seat occupants by positioning the airbag between the impact side and the rear seat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single airbag is used for both side impact and front impact protection, then cost is reduced, but the ability to protect all occupancy scenarios is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag's deployed position is dynamically adjusted based on the type of impact detected. The controller determines whether a side impact or front impact occurred and positions the airbag accordingly - between the front and rear seats for side impacts, or in front of the rear seat for front impacts. This dynamic repositioning allows a single airbag to effectively address multiple protection scenarios.
2Reliability
If the airbag is deployed during side impact with occupied rear seats, then protection is provided, but the airbag may interfere with occupied seats when not needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses occupancy sensors to detect whether rear seats are occupied and provides feedback to the controller. The controller processes this occupancy information along with impact type data to make intelligent deployment decisions. When a side impact is detected and the rear seat is occupied, the controller prevents airbag deployment, avoiding interference with the occupant while maintaining protection for scenarios where deployment is appropriate.
3Device complexity
If traditional airbag systems are used without occupancy detection, then system complexity is reduced, but inappropriate deployment occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of rear seat occupancy status before an impact occurs. Occupancy sensors continuously monitor whether the rear seats are occupied and store this information for rapid processing during an impact event. This preliminary action enables the controller to make accurate deployment decisions based on pre-collected occupancy data, ensuring appropriate deployment without requiring complex real-time analysis during the impact itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller for a vehicle includes a processor and a memory storing processor-executable instructions. The processor of the controller is programmed to receive a side-impact signal representing a collision to a side of the vehicle, receive an occupancy signal indicating that a first rear seat of the vehicle is occupied, and send an output control signal to deploy an airbag between a front seat adjacent the side of the vehicle and a second rear seat adjacent the side of the vehicle in response to the side-impact signal and the occupancy signal only when the second rear seat is unoccupied.