Coordinated Safety Function Triggering in Motor Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for triggering safety functions in motor vehicles often fail to coordinate interactions between different safety systems optimally, leading to potential injuries due to untimely or inappropriate activation of safety measures during accidents.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes a control unit and sensors to recognize imminent collisions, triggering a primary safety function, which in turn activates secondary safety functions through a shared interface, ensuring coordinated and timely activation of safety measures such as emergency braking and seatbelt tightening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety functions are triggered independently based on sensor detection, then each safety function can respond quickly to collision signals, but safety functions that are intended to interact may not be triggered in the optimal sequence or combination
Solution Approach 1:
A control unit is introduced as an intermediary component that receives trigger signals from sensors and distributes them to appropriate safety functions in the correct sequence. The control unit monitors which safety functions have been triggered and uses this information to determine when to trigger additional safety functions, ensuring proper coordination without requiring complex direct communication between all safety function components.
2Speed
If emergency braking is initiated first based on collision detection, then braking response time is reduced, but seatbelt tighteners may not be activated in time to prevent occupant injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed so that the control unit is prepared to trigger multiple safety functions in a predetermined sequence. When a collision is detected, the control unit immediately triggers emergency braking while simultaneously preparing to trigger seatbelt tighteners based on the recognized triggering state of the braking system, ensuring that seatbelts are tightened in time to protect occupants even though braking starts first.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the triggering states of safety functions and uses this feedback information to determine when to trigger additional safety functions. When emergency braking is triggered, the control unit recognizes this state and uses it as a basis for subsequently triggering seatbelt tighteners, ensuring proper sequencing based on real-time system state information.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for triggering at least two safety functions from a predefined plurality of safety functions in a motor vehicle, including a) recognizing a trigger signal for one first safety function, and b) generating a trigger signal for at least one second safety function, if according to step a) the trigger signal for the first safety function has been recognized, the first safety function being of a first function type and at least one of the second safety functions being of a second function type differing from the first function type.