Drive Arrangement for Vehicle Safety Device Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle safety systems face challenges in activating non-pyrotechnic safety devices due to the lack of standardized crash outputs from electronic control units, leading to limited design choices and increased costs, and existing solutions like CAN bus connections are prone to damage and proprietary dependencies.
Innovation Solution
A drive arrangement that receives a firing signal suitable for pyrotechnic squibs, analyzes it using dual current sensors and algorithms to determine if it would activate a pyrotechnic squib, and outputs a compatible signal for activating other vehicle safety devices, ensuring robustness and standardization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a crash output is provided on an electronic control unit to trigger non-pyrotechnic safety devices, then the ability to activate these devices is improved, but the cost increases and design choices are limited due to lack of standardization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device that sits between the electronic control unit and the non-pyrotechnic safety device. This intermediary receives the pyrotechnic-style firing signal from the control unit, analyzes its characteristics using dual algorithms, and conditionally generates the appropriate output signal for non-pyrotechnic devices. This mediator enables universal compatibility without requiring custom crash outputs for each device type.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive arrangement is designed to handle multiple functions: it can process firing signals for pyrotechnic squibs, convert them to appropriate signals for non-pyrotechnic devices, and provide a standardized interface that works with various safety devices. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for device-specific crash outputs and reduces system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a CAN bus connection is used to trigger safety devices, then non-pyrotechnic devices can be activated, but the system becomes vulnerable to damage during crashes and requires proprietary hardware and software
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the CAN bus intermediary with a dedicated drive arrangement that directly processes firing signals. This dedicated pathway bypasses the vulnerable CAN bus network, ensuring reliable signal transmission even during crash conditions when the CAN bus may be damaged or unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive arrangement uses a simple, robust signal processing approach that does not rely on complex proprietary CAN bus hardware or software. By using basic electrical signal analysis and conditional logic, the system achieves reliability without expensive specialized components.
3Reliability
If dual algorithm analysis is performed on the firing signal, then false activations are reduced, but the processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the signal analysis into two separate, independent algorithms that each evaluate different aspects of the firing signal. This segmentation allows each algorithm to be relatively simple while collectively providing robust false activation prevention. The dual-algorithm approach checks multiple conditions without requiring one complex analysis system.
Data Source
AI summary
A drive arrangement (1) for driving a vehicle safety device (18) incorporates an input (2) which is connected to an output (9) of an electronic control unit (5). The output (9) of the electronic control unit (5) is an output which is operable to provide a firing signal to activate a pyrotechnic squib in a safety device, such as an airbag module. The drive arrangement (1) incorporates first and second analyzers (14, 15) which perform first and second algorithms on a firing signal provided by the electronic control unit (5) to determine that the firing signal would have activated a pyrotechnic squib. The drive arrangement (1) provides an output signal to a safety device (18) if both the first and second analyzers (14, 15) determine that the firing signal would have activated the pyrotechnic squib.