Dynamic Belt Tightener Activation Threshold for Rollover Risk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rollover accidents in heavy vehicles pose a significant risk to drivers, as existing belt tightener systems may activate too late, allowing the driver to slip out of the safety belt and incur injuries from vehicle components or airbags, due to unclear tilt threshold values and inability to differentiate between safe bends and hazardous rollover situations.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize a combination of sensors, including forward-looking cameras and GPS units, to assess drivability and vehicle tilt, activating the belt tightener at different tilt angles based on detected rollover risk, with a higher angle for low-risk situations and a lower angle for high-risk scenarios, ensuring earlier activation in potentially rollover situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single predetermined tilt angle threshold is used for belt tightener activation, then the system is simple to operate, but the belt tightener may activate too late in high-risk rollover situations or too early in safe bends
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the tilt angle threshold based on detected drivability conditions. When high rollover risk is detected, the threshold is lowered to trigger earlier activation. When low risk is detected, the threshold is raised to prevent false activation during normal bends. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between reliable timing and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the threshold parameter based on external conditions detected by sensors. The system monitors drivability data and modifies the activation threshold parameter accordingly - using a first threshold value for low-risk conditions and a second, lower threshold value for high-risk conditions. This parameter adaptation enables reliable activation timing without requiring overly complex fixed-threshold systems.
2Ease of operation
If the tilt threshold is set at a relatively large angle to avoid false activation during bends, then unnecessary activations are reduced, but the belt tightener activates too late allowing the driver to slip out of position
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic threshold adjustment to prevent both false activation and late activation. By monitoring drivability conditions in real-time, the system raises the threshold during safe bends to prevent false activation, while simultaneously lowering the threshold during high-risk situations to ensure timely protection. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction between preventing false alarms and ensuring timely protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary assessment of drivability conditions using forward-looking sensors and GPS data before the actual tilt event occurs. This preliminary action allows the system to pre-adjust the threshold based on predicted risk, ensuring the correct activation timing before the critical moment arrives, thus preventing both false and late activation.
3Measurement precision
If drivability data processing is implemented to assess rollover risk, then activation timing accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors that serve both navigation and safety assessment purposes. The forward-looking camera and GPS unit, which could be used for general vehicle navigation and monitoring, are also utilized for drivability assessment and rollover risk detection. This multi-functionality improves measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The calculation unit acts as an intermediary that processes raw sensor data and translates it into actionable threshold adjustments. Rather than requiring complex direct sensor-to-actuator connections, the calculation unit mediates between the sensors and the belt tightener control, simplifying the overall system architecture while improving detection accuracy through systematic data processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances driver safety by ensuring the belt tightener activates earlier in high-risk rollover scenarios, reducing the likelihood of injury from slipping out of the seat, while avoiding unnecessary activations during safe bends, thus improving traffic safety in heavy vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a tilt sensor to receive and send to the calculation unit data containing information about the vehicle's lateral tilt
Implementation Method 2
at least one sensor element to monitor, and transmit data containing information about, the drivability situation in front of the vehicle
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a device, a method and a motor vehicle comprising said device and/or method for belt tightener activation in a vehicle in rollover accidents. The device according to the present invention comprises a device for activating at least one belt tightener (102) in a safety belt system (101) in a vehicle(100), such that said vehicle (100) comprises at least one sensor element (103) to monitor and transmit data (104) containing information about the drivability of a region (108) in front of the vehicle to a calculation unit (105) situated in the vehicle (100), the vehicle comprises at least one tilt sensor (106) to receive and send data containing information about the vehicle's lateral tilt (107) to the calculation unit (105), and the calculation unit (105) is adapted to send a signal to the safety belt system (101) to activate the belt tightener (102) when the vehicle's angle of lateral tilt (107) exceeds a predetermined value (a, b). A distinguishing aspect of the invention is that said predetermined value (a, b) is represented by a first value (a) if said drivability data indicate no increased rollover risk to the vehicle (100) and by a second value (b) if said drivability data indicate an increased rollover risk to the vehicle, the second value (b) being smaller than the first value (a).