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WO1999048729A1 - Systeme informatique de maintien supplementaire ameliore agissant en reponse au poids - Google Patents

Systeme informatique de maintien supplementaire ameliore agissant en reponse au poids Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1999048729A1
WO1999048729A1 PCT/US1999/006666 US9906666W WO9948729A1 WO 1999048729 A1 WO1999048729 A1 WO 1999048729A1 US 9906666 W US9906666 W US 9906666W WO 9948729 A1 WO9948729 A1 WO 9948729A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
weight
occupant
air bag
passenger
force
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1999/006666
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Joseph A. Tabe
Original Assignee
Tabe Joseph A
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from PCT/US1998/014184 external-priority patent/WO1999003711A1/fr
Application filed by Tabe Joseph A filed Critical Tabe Joseph A
Priority to AU34539/99A priority Critical patent/AU3453999A/en
Priority to AU37752/99A priority patent/AU3775299A/en
Priority to PCT/US1999/009435 priority patent/WO1999055560A1/fr
Publication of WO1999048729A1 publication Critical patent/WO1999048729A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R21/015—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats, and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
    • B60R21/01512—Passenger detection systems
    • B60R21/01516—Passenger detection systems using force or pressure sensing means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R21/015—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats, and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
    • B60R21/01512—Passenger detection systems
    • B60R21/01516—Passenger detection systems using force or pressure sensing means
    • B60R21/01526—Passenger detection systems using force or pressure sensing means using piezoelectric elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R2021/01204—Actuation parameters of safety arrangents
    • B60R2021/01252—Devices other than bags
    • B60R2021/01265—Seat belts
    • B60R2021/01272—Belt tensioners
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
    • B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
    • B60R22/46—Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding up
    • B60R2022/4685—Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding up with means to adjust or regulate the tensioning force in relation to external parameters
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R21/013—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
    • B60R21/0134—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle, e.g. using radar systems

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to passenger vehicle supplemental restraint systems commonly known as air bags. More specifically, the present invention relates to a supplemental restraint system which is sensitive to a calculated passenger weight.
  • Air bags are primarily designed for the benefit of adult passengers. When children or infants are placed in the front passenger seat, deployment of an air bag could cause, and has caused, serious injury. Automobile manufacturers, realizing this hazard, have recommended that children and infants only ride in the rear passenger seats of automobiles.
  • the solution lies in adapting the supplemental 2 restraint system to adjust deployment force to compensate for the presence of smaller passengers. It should be noted that, while less likely, smaller adults also may be injured by the deployment of an air bag.
  • a weight sensor in the seat determines if it is necessary to deploy an air bag. If an air bag is deployed, the weight sensor determines what level of protection is needed and a choice is made between deploying one or two canisters of propellant. First, the weight sensor is located in the seat itself, which inherently leads to inaccurate readings. Second, the level of response has only a handful of reaction levels, thus a passenger not corresponding to one of these levels may be injured due to improper correlation of deployment force used to inflate the air bag.
  • the present invention is designed to deploy an air bag intelligently through the use of weight sensors.
  • the applicant has recognized that there are two points of concern relative to air bag deployment, both centering around the concept that the force of air bag deployment can cause as much injury as an actual auto accident collision (without the protection of air bag).
  • the passenger's weight must be determined accurately.
  • air bag deployment must be controlled to apply an amount of force appropriate to protecting the passenger.
  • the present invention provides controlled air bag deployment with regard to the mass of the passenger.
  • a load cell underneath a passenger seat senses the weight of a passenger at regular intervals.
  • the load cell accurately determines passenger weight, as opposed to seat sensors embedded within the seat cushion which provide a "passenger present" signal.
  • the present invention discloses a mechanism for providing controlled air bag deployment based on the mass of the passenger.
  • the mechanism variably controls the amount of gas in a combustion chamber which propels the air bag.
  • the air bag can deploy with as little or as much force as is appropriate based upon the passenger's weight.
  • This improvement is based on the same concept as the first invention, The Weight Responsive Supplemental Restrain Computer System 1 .
  • Different elements are being used to perform the same functions.
  • the use of these other elements is designed to improve on the calculative speed of the air bag reaction to the occupant's weight value from the accelerometer, when the vehicle is involve in a collision of a prescribed magnitude or above.
  • this improvement deals with lots of transistorized switches, and other elements like chips and processors.
  • the preferred embodiment of this state of the art technology which is referred to as invention, includes the known standard configuration for all types of air bags. That is, this technology would be used to variably control the deployment force on frontal air bags, ceiling air bags, side door air bags and rear seating air bags with a controlled energy from the accelerometer.
  • the general description of this invention as it is further described, includes all the above mentioned air bags.
  • erasable memory chips that are lodged safe and secured inside a hard plastic or ceramic shells that are easy to handle and assemble into legions of digital devices to monitor the changing occupant's weight informations.
  • a chip motherboard is used, which includes a machined microprocessor nerve center, where all activities of the occupants and the like are sent for processing. All the chips are protected within some rectangular slabs or modules.
  • the module varies conspicuously in external dimensions and in number of contact points with copper paths that conduct large data and power throughout the circuit board with a minify im of control energy.
  • control module may be employed in this improved technological advancement, only the thyristor will be mentioned for the purpose of limiting order of a control module.
  • the thyristor is a silicon controlled rectifier which can be turned on at any point in the data computing cycle. Accordingly, a current pulse is applied to the gate to start the conduction process once an occupant is sensed by the load cell. Once the conduction is started, the pulse is no longer necessary, the silicon controlled rectifier will remain in conduction until the current goes to "0", which is an indication that there is no occupant on the seat. In all, the silicon controlled rectifier is soo important in this invention because of the fast switching speed needed to keep the microprocessors informed about the occupant's presence and the severity of the crash to initiate the initial deployment of the air bag. Accordingly, the silicon control rectifier works very closely with the computer logic circuit board.
  • the computer microprocessors of this invention resides inside a long narrow slab and mounted behind the socket that accepts informations from the load cell data output. That is, the presence of the occupant is input to the load cell. The weight of the occupant is output from the load cell to the control module.
  • the control module which is a silicon controlled rectifier that is used as gate arrays, helps in managing the flow of data from the load cell to the central processing unit(CPU). Small chip modules are scattered about the computer to help ease communication between the board's main functions.
  • the main memory of this computer device is mounted in the motherboard. This memory will always be recognized as parallel ranks of identical modules.
  • EPROM erasable programmable read only memory
  • This chip holds information fundamental to the operation of this device.
  • the information or data about a changing passenger is controlled at the address line by this chip, which is located inside the CPU and contains the operating software.
  • the chip module connectors or pins are plug into sockets soldered to the mother board.
  • the EPROM Sockets are pressed into a hole in the board before soldering. When an occupant takes the seat, this chip will send all the output information about the occupant to the address line to initiate the operating software.
  • the chip module is made of wires that are as fine as silk arch, gracefully forwarded from the ends of the pins to square contact pads that line the periphery of the chip.
  • wires are fused by heat to the pins and contact pads, which are connected through microscopic amplifier circuits, to the rows and columns of the memory cells that cover the chip.
  • the amplifier is designed to amplify the entire device for more speedy output to the accelerometer.
  • the module is tightly sealed against the entry of moistures and other contaminants. Contaminants could corrode the delicate wires and interrupt the flow of electrical signals from the chip to the pins.
  • CPU Central Processing Unit
  • the CPU is the brain, the messenger, and the boss of the microprocessor of this device.
  • the Random Access Memory (RAM) will take load cell data about the passenger from the address line and turn over to this central processing unit to manipulate.
  • the central processing unit will then use these informations to calculate the passenger's mass and any other information needed to feed the accelerometer microprocessor.
  • This processor will use the information from the CPU to adjust the accelerometer crystals to generate a controlled energy for the speed and acceleration that is proportional to the load cell output weight value of the occupant and the occupant's calculated mass for the safe and proper deployment of the air bag.
  • the same information from the CPU will be used by the canister microprocessor to adjust the sliding pot and the gas release valve to release the amount of gas that, when ignited by the gas igniter, will deploy the air bag at a speed and force that are proportional to the occupan's weight without causing any injury.
  • processors that are inside the computer that handles the signals coming from the CPU to the accelerometer to duplicate the same effect and compare with the accelerometer microprocessor before the deployment is initiated upon collision. These processors will get the passenger's weight information, process the information quickly in less than a millisecond, and signal the accelerometer to generate a controlled energy that will determine the exact acceleration needed to influence deployment when the collision sensor senses a collision of said prescribed magnitude.
  • the processors will handle the arithmetic logic unit that handles all the data manipulations.
  • the processors are connected to the RAM through this computer device motherboard or bus.
  • the bus interface unit will receive data and coded instructions from the computer RAM. Data will travel into the processor 1 Obits at a time.
  • the branch prediction unit will then inspect the instructions to decide on the logic unit.
  • the decode unit will then translates the response from the load cell into the instructions that the Arithmetic Logic Unit can handle. If decimal point numbers exist, the internal processor will kick in to handle the numbers.
  • the Arithmetic Logic Unit(ALU) will receive instructions up to 10 bits at a time.
  • the A LU will process all its datas from the electronic scratch pad or register. All results will then be made final at the RAM.
  • the module links are made of gold to resist corrosion from dampness that might enter the module, despite precautions.
  • a burst of electricity of about 5millivolt will energize the load cell.
  • the load cell will use the input energy from the occupant's body to start a string of events that will be sent to the computer device memory for processing and calculations. This input from the occupant's body will be received by the load cell as force energy.
  • the load cell will then output the force energy as weight and send to the control module to identify the seat that has the occupant. "When there is no occupant on the seat, the control module will further check to make sure that there is no person on the seat.
  • the weight of the seat and the Smillivolt will be recognized by the control module. Any additional weight will cause the control module to send immidiate signal to the CPU to calculate the mass.
  • the control module will then signal other processors to program the computer device to transmit signals for the proper air bag deployment force and speed.
  • the CPU will first check for the program f nctions and workable parts. If the CPU finds any unworkable part, it will send a human voice audio message out to let the driver no of the problem before hand. That is, the air bag will not deploy until repairs are made to safe guard the occupants. The deployment of the air bag when an unworkable path is found may further cause injuries to the occupant.
  • the microscopic switches in the heart of the microchips would let the CPU transform the force energy behavior coming from the occupant's body input to the load cell, which is then output to the control module as weight.
  • the weight value will then be transmitted all the way to the accelerometer processor that will energize the crystals to generate a proportionate amount of energy.
  • the accelerometer mass which is a dependant on the said energy generated by the crystal, will move to a distance D when the voltage generated by the crystals is acted upon its body.
  • the energy generated by the crystal is equal to the force needed to move the mass body to the distance D.
  • the distace D that the mass moved to, is equal to the distance contracted by the accelerometer spring.
  • the weight of the occupant, the energy generated by the crystal, the force acting on the accelerometer mass, and the contracting force acting on the spring are all proportionate. While the distance D that the mass moved to is proportionate to the distance contracted by the spring.
  • the contraction of the accelerometer spring determines the deployment acceleration and force of the air bag.
  • the weight value from the load cell is the same weight value that, when processed, will then be used to energize the air bag sliding pot and gas release valve to adjust to the release of gas which, when ignited, will influence the rate of deployment that is proportional to the said weight value.
  • the force energy created by the ignition of the gas inside the combustion chamber is proportionate to the contracting force of the accelerometer spring.
  • the energy generated by the combustion also determines the force of the deployment.
  • This intelligent device with all the microscopic switches, will constantly be flipping on and off in time to a dashing surge of electricity.
  • the operating system will take on more complicated tasks when the ignition switch is turn on. This includes making the hardware interact with the software to make sure that all the memories are workable.
  • an electrical signal of 5milivolt will energize the load cell before it gets to the computer.
  • it gets to the computer it will follow a permanently programmed path to the CPU to clear left over data about the previous passenger from the chips internal memory registers.
  • This electrical signal will reset the CPU register called program counter to a specific number. This number will tell the CPU the address of the next instruction that needs processing.
  • the measured weight of the occupant will be read by the load cell, then transform from analog to digital before sending to the address line in a set of read only memory chip that contains this computer device basic input and output system.
  • the device also utilizes a post, which is a self test that ensures that the hardware components and the CPU are functioning properly before any information is process and sent to the address.
  • the CPU uses the address to find and invoke the read only memory that will get all the information about the passengers from the load cell and send to the basic input and output system program. The CPU will send all these signals over the system bus, to make sure that they are all functioning properly. In addition, the CPU will also check the system's timer to make sure that all the operational functions are synchronized. The CPU will write data to each chip, then read it and compare what it reads with the data it sent to the chip at first.
  • a running account of the memory information is sent to the accelerometer processor that will message the crystals in the accelerometer to set to the desired acceleration that is dependant on the occupant's weight information. T he accelerometer input will then be used to control the energy needed to initiate variable deployment force of the air bag.
  • the post will send signals over specific paths on the bus to the load cell and check for the weight signal or response to determine the occupant's actual weight. The results of the post reading will always be compared with in the CMOS.
  • CMOS is the memory chip that retains its data when a passenger is replaced.
  • the operating system lets this computer device read different signals from the load cells.
  • the microchip contains the operating system that lets this computer device perform all assigned task by running the operating system for an alterative function.
  • the post When the key switch is turned on, the post will check all the hardware components' functionality.
  • the boot program on this computer device ROM and BIOS chip will check to see if there is any occupant on any of the seats. The program will then send the occupant's information on weight to 7
  • the program will check any additional weight. If the weight is less than 101b, the program may send undeployment message to the address. All the information about the occupant's weight will be read by the boot program from the load cell to the RAM. The information about the occupant will constitute the occupant's deployment force and speed of the air bags. That is, the occupant's weight will energize enough code that will activate the calculation of the occupant's mass, speed of the airbag, and deployment force that depend on this controlled energy. After all the calculations are done, the results will then be recorded into the memory at the tridecimal address 3 COO. The basic input output system will then pass the information control to the boot by bronching to this address.
  • the boot manager will assume control of the start up process and loads the operating system into ROM.
  • the operating system chip works with the BIOS to manage all operations, execute all programs, and respond to all signals from the hardware. Lots of transistors are used in this device to create binary informations for logical thinking inside the computer. If the current passes, the transistor will create a M l " and the system will run through a post. If there is no current, the transistor will create a" 0".
  • the Is and 0s are the bits used as on-off switches through out the logics.
  • This computer device will be able to create any number to match the occupant's weight, provided it has enough transistors grouped together to hold the Is and 0s required.
  • the computer is a 10-bits computer.
  • the transistors will be configured in various ways or logics that are combined into arrays called half adders and full adders.
  • transistors are needed to create the adder that can handle mathematical operations for 10 bit numbers. These transistors will make it possible for a small amount of electrical current to control a much stronger current in a millisecond. The transistors will also be able to control a more powerful energy through the load cell to the accelerometer in a millisecond during collision Thousands of transistors can be combined on a single slice of silicon. A small positive electrical charge of 5 millivolt will be sent down through an aluminum lead that runs into the transistors. This charge will be transferred to a layer of conductive polysilicon buried in the middle of a non conductive silicon dioxide. The positive charge will then attract negative charge electrons out of the base of the positive silicon that seperates two layers of the negative silicon.
  • the electrons will rush out of the positive silicon, creating an electronic vacuum filled by electrons rushing from another conductive lead called the source.
  • the electrons from the source will flow to a similar conductive lead called the drain in addition to filling the vacuum in the positive silicon, there by completing the circuit. This completion of the circuit will turn a transistor on so that it will represent a 1 bit. If a negative charge is applied to the polysilicon, electrons from the source will be applied and the transistor will turn off.
  • the transistors used for this device are combined on a single slice of silicon. The slice is embedded in a piece of plastic and attached to metal leads that expand to a size that makes it possible to connect the chip to other parts of a computer circuit. The leads carry signals into the chip and send signals from the chip to other computer components.
  • the RAM (Random access memory) chips are so important because the computer moves the processed information about the occupant's weight from the address to the RAM. All the informations and data are stored in RAM before the processor can manipulate the data. All data in the computer exist as Os and Is. An open switch represents an O while a closed switch represents a 1. When the key switch is turned on, RAM is a blank slate. The memory is filled with Os and Is that are read from the load cell to the address. When there is no occupant on the seat, every data in RAM will disappear.
  • the load cell When a person is on the seat, the load cell will energize the operating system. The operating system will then send a burst of electricity along an address line that will represent the occupant's weight.
  • the address line is a microscopic strand of electrically conductive material etched onto the RAM chip. The burst identifies where to record data among the address lines in the RAM chip.
  • the electrical pulse At each memory location where data can be stored, the electrical pulse will close a transistor that connects to a data line. These transistors, like all the other transistors, are microscopic electrical switches. When the transistors are closed, the load cell will send burst of electricity along selected data lines. Where each burst will represent either a 1 or a 0 bit.
  • the pulse When the electrical pulse reaches an address line where the transistor is closed, the pulse will flow through the closed transistor and charges the capacitor.
  • the capacitor which is an electronic device that stores electricity, will then let the process restart to refresh the data with the exact value of the occupant's weight.
  • the computer When the occupant leaves the seat and all the other seats empty, the computer will then turn off the process.
  • Each charged capacitor represent a 1 bit. While the uncharge represent a 0 bit.
  • the software will read data stored in the RAM through another electrical pulse sent to the address line, closing the transistors connected to it. Every where along the address line that there is a capacitor holding a charge, the capacitor will discharge through the circuit created by the closed transistors, there by sending electrical pulses along the data lines.
  • the software will recognize which data lines the pulses are coming from, and interprets each pulse as a 1. Any line on which a pulse is not sent is represented as a 0.
  • the combination of Is and Os from eight data lines will form a byte of data.
  • the RAM is a collection of transistorized switches for the control room.
  • the Is and Os which is an on and off switch, are used to control displays, and can also be used to add numbers by representing the" 0s H and the" 1 s" in the binary number system. This binary number system will allow the computer to do any other form of math. Everything in the computer, maths, words, numbers software instructions will communicate in the binary numbers. That means all the switches (transistors) can do all types of manipulation.
  • the clock inside the computer regulates how fast the computer should work, or how fast the transistorize switches should open or close.
  • the speed is measured in gigahertz, which is some billions of ticks per second.
  • Current passing through one transistor may be used to control another transistor, in effect turning the switch on and off to change what the second transistor represents as a logic gate. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a supplemental restraint system having an accurate weight sensor to determine the presence and weight of a passenger.
  • Still another object of the invention is to prevent the deployment of an air bag when no passenger is present.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism to detect the imminence of a rear impact and to timely deploy an air bag in response thereto.
  • Fig. 1 is side view of a passenger in a vehicle using the supplemental restraint system of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2. is a block diagram of the primary components of the supplemental restraint system of the present invention.
  • Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of the components of the present invention.
  • Fig. 4 shows the deployment components of the present invention.
  • Load cell(l 5) Machined high strength steel beams with strain gages(l 1) bonded inside. A sensing device that is mounted between the seats of the occupants and the floor of the vehicle for sensing the occupant's weight informations. Strain gage(l 1): Electrical resistance element. A device used to measure the accurate weight of the occupants. Specialized arrays: Help manage the flow of datas about the occupants and the like in the computer. Microprocessors: Follow the instructions of a computer programmer
  • the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the known standard configuration of the passenger's and driver's side air bags(l,2). It also includes side door and ceiling air bags(l,2), rear seating air bags(l,2), or any air bag that may further be used, for the accurate deployment of
  • Such air bags(l,2) base on the weight and mass of the occupant(l 10).
  • more than one load cell(15) may be used to properly and precisely compute the occupant's weight for the accurate deployment of the air bags(l,2).
  • Another device that may be used in place of the load cell(lS) is the pressurized bag, inflatable bag or inflated bag that could be mounted on the surface of the seat(l ⁇ ) or beneath the seat (10).
  • the weight of the occupant (110) will displace X amount of the stored pressure to a relay valve, or the weight of the occupant(l 10) will initiate the inflatable air bag to inflate X amount of air tothe relay valve that will record the displacement X, or inflation X, as the occupant weight value.
  • the displaced pressure or inflated air pressure is the maximum pressure that when the collision sensor(75) senses a collision, it will activate the accelerometer(40) which will then initiate a deployment speed and force of the air bags(l,2) that will equal the said maximum displaced pressure X.
  • the stored pressure is the maximum pressure for the maximum acceleration and deployment force of the air bags(l,2) that may be initiated when the collision sensor(75) senses a collision of the preset magnitude.
  • the weight of the replacing occupant(75) will displace the stored pressure to an amount X, that is equal to the weight value of the occupant(l 10). If the weight value max or exceeds the stored pressure, then the acceleration and the deployment force will have a constant value when a collision is sensed.
  • the recorded displacement X will be transformed into a weight unit for the CPU to recognize.
  • the CPU will then carry on the calculations and computations the same way as the load cell. Every process is the same from the displacement point X, when comparing the prssurized bag operation with the load cell operation. Accordingly, for more accurate description, only the load cell will be elaborated in the entire description.
  • the applicant is claiming the use of any pressurized bag used for restraining, for the purpose of trying to adopt said bag to control the deployment force of the air bag from the behavior between the said bag and the occupant, to prevent any further injury to the occupant during collision.
  • the air bag system generally comprises the known standard configuration for a passenger and driver's side frontal air bags, all configured in the same manner.
  • an electrical current of Smihvolt will energize the load cell before the current gets to the computer.
  • the load cell will use the input energy from the occupant's body to start strings of events that will be sent to the computer device memory for processing and computation.
  • the post inside the computer will then check all the hardware components fiinctionallity to ensure that the hardware components and the CPU are functioning properly.
  • the post will later send signals over specific paths on the chip motherboard to the load cell to check for the weight signals or responses to determine the occupant's actual weight value.
  • the input energy from the occupant's body is received as force energy.
  • the load cell will then output the force energy as weight and send to the control module to identify the seat that has the occupant(l 10), before activating the motherboard.
  • This chip motherboard is where all activities are sent for processing.
  • the result of the post reading will then be compared with, in the CMOS.
  • the boot program will further check to see if there is any occupant on any of the seats. This program will then send the occupant's informations on weight to the address line.
  • the passenger seat (10) is mounted on the load cell(l 5) which is bolted between the metal base of the seat(l ⁇ ) and the floor(100) of the vehicle to provide a solid support and an attaching structural strength, while maintaining a precise and accurate loading of the occupant's weight on the load cells.
  • the load cell(15) ascertains the weight of the passenger seat(l ⁇ ) and any occupants(l 10) therein.
  • the load cell(15) can also be callibrated so that the weight of the seat(l ⁇ ) will be the zero point reading.
  • the present invention is more likely to obtain an accurate computation of the passenger's weight, without subjecting to faulty readings due to the nature and configuration of the cushioning(12) between the thickness of the contact seating surfaces(13) of the passenger's seat(l 10) and the passenger movement.
  • the load cell(15) weighing system is a high accuracy scale with an in vehicle information system.
  • this high accuracy weighing system could be designed to carry in vehicle informations about the occupant(l 10), by incorporating a ROM or BIOS memory(32) and a software program inside the load cell(lS) to record any and all the information about the changing occupant(l 10). It will display and record in the memory(32), all the necessary computed weights and also calculate the mass and other necessary informations needed to aid the control of a variable deployment force of the air bag(l,2).
  • the deployment of such air bag(l,2) generates a deployment force, where such generated force, with the use of the present invention, or by incorporating the software program inside the load cell(15), is proportional to the computed weight of the occupant(l 10) on the sensed seat(l ⁇ ).
  • the software program will be able to communicate with the driver and the passenger if necessary, to properly protect the occupants(l 10) from an uncalled behavior when the vehicle is in motion. All the air bags(l,2) in the vehicle will be supported and controlled by this deployment force control system.
  • Another alternative mentioned above is to install an inflating, inflated or pressurized bag beneath the seat.
  • the weight When a passenger takes the seat, the weight will displace X amount of the stored pressure to a relay that will record the displacement as weight.
  • the stored presure is the maximum presure for the maximum acceleration and deployment force of the air bag.
  • the weight of the replacing passengers will displace the stored pressure to an amount equal to the passengers weight value. If the weight value max or exceed the stored pressure, then the acceleration and deployment force will stay constant at that point.
  • the recorded displacement will be transformed into a weight unit for the CPU to carry on the calculation the same way as the load cell. Every process is the same from the displacement point, when compared to the load cell. Therefore only the load cell will be elaborated in the entire description.
  • the applicant have realized that, by designing the seat belts to only be disconnected when the engine is not running, passengers will not confront the problem of thier kids disconnecting the seat belt while they are driving in the belt way. Therefore, once the seat belt is worn by an occupant in any of the seats, the seat belt will not be able to be disconnected in any way or form onless the engine is cut off. 14
  • the seat belt processor will monitor this process and signal the key switch or starting means. That is, as long as the is a passenger on any of the seat, without the seat belt, the engine will not start. Again, if the passenger wears the seat belt, he will not be able to disconnect the seat belt until the engine is shut off
  • the load cell together with this computerized system that supports the control of the air bag deployment, make the safety of passengers a prime factor. In conjimction with the load cell, the seat belt will always be worn at all times. Even if the passenger is on the back seat, without putting the seat belt on the engine will not start.
  • the seat belt processor will signal the key swich or starting means to cut off.
  • the car will only be able to start when the passenger buckles-up the seat belt.
  • the load cell(15) which is a corrosion resistant high alloy steel with a dynamic load cell capacity of up to 10001b or more, is constructed from machined high steel beams with strain gages(l 1) bonded inside.
  • This load cell(l 5) is designed for vehicles with air bags or any restrain system like the seat belt.
  • the strain gages(l 1) which are electrical resistance elements, are properly sealed with sealants that will not allow moisture or any conterminant to disrupt the strained imformation.
  • the load cell When the occupant's body is input into the seat where the load cell is bolted on, the load cell will process the input information and the weight of the occupant will be applied on the strain gages. The strain gages will then be strained to the weight amount of the occupant and the load cell will output this amount as the occupant's weight. That is, the weight of the occupant will create a reaction force that is being applied on the passenger seat(l ⁇ ). The strain gages(l 1) will then be strained, compressed, pressured, or stretched in a corresponding amount, causing a change in voltage signal. As the strain gages are stressed, strained, compressed, or pressured, the effective resistance of the strain gages(l 1) will varies in an amount corresponding to the strain.
  • the strain thereacross varies in an amount corresponding to the weight of the occupant(l 10). That is, the induced voltage across each strain is divided so that a voltage signal is obtained that corresponds to the weight of the occupant(l 10) on the seat where the gages are strained.
  • the control module which is a silicon control rectifier, will then identify the seat where the weight signal is outputing from, and manage the flow of the weight data to the ROM.
  • the ROM will receive the data about the occupant from the control mudule and send to the basic input and output system program or address.
  • the RAM will take the load cell data about the passenger from the address line and turn over to the CPU to manipulate.
  • the CPU uses the address line to find and invoke the ROM to insure an accurate calculation of the occupant's mass and any other information needed to feed the accelerometer, including tensioning of the seat belt when the impact force is determined.
  • the accelerometer microprocessor will use the information from the CPU to energize the accelerometer crystals.
  • the crystals will then generate a controlled energy for the deployment force and acceleration that is proportionate to the load cell output weight value of the occupant. This energy that is generated by the crystals is used to energize the accelerometer mass.
  • the accelerometer mass which is dependant on the said energy generated by the crystals, will move to a distance D, when energized by the generated voltage of the crystals. This energy that is generated by the crystals is equal to the force needed to move the accelerometer mass body to a 15
  • distace D The same energy from the crystals is used to energize the canister microprocessor to adjust the sliding pot and the gas release valve relay. These sliding pot and release valve relay will operate from thegenerated control energy and a proprotionate amount of gas will be released.
  • the controlled released gas will then be ignited by the gas current igniter. Where the amount of current generated to ignite the controlled gas, is proportionate to the voltage generated by the crystals.
  • the voltage generated by the crystals goes through voltage to current transformation to initiate the proportionate amount of current to ignite the controlled gas when released.
  • the amount of voltage that is being transformed is the generated energy from the crystals, which is proportional to the weight of the occupant. When the gas is ignited, combustion is created inside the air bag.
  • the space where the combustion takes place is the combustion chamber, and the combustion energy will deploy the air bag at a speed and force that is proprotionate to the occupant's weight without causing any further injury.
  • the distance D, that the accelerometer mass moved is equal to the distance the accelerometer spring will contract.
  • the weight of the occupant, the energy generated by the crystals, the force acting on the accelerometer mass, and the contracting force of the spring are all proportionate.
  • the distace D that the mass moved is proportionate to the distance the spring contract.
  • the contraction of the accelerometer spring determines the deployment force and acceleration of the air bag, When a passenger is replaced, the EPROM will control that information at the address.
  • the amplifiers amplify the entire device for a more speedy output to the accelerometer.
  • processors All the operation of the processors are done by signals, turning on and off different combinations of switches.
  • These processors handle the arithmetic logic unit that handles all the data manipulations and are connected to the RAM through the computer motherboard.
  • the motherboard interface unit will receive data and coded instructions from the computer RAM. Datas will travel 1 Obits at a time and the branch prediction unit will then inspect the instructions to decide on the logic unit.
  • the decode unit will then translate the response from the load cell into the instructions that the arithmetic logic unit can handle.
  • the ALU will process all its datas from the electronic scratch pad or register that is secured on the motherboard. All results are made final at the RAM.
  • the load cell(lS) serves an initial and secondary purpose. Initially, a base line is developed in conjunction with the load cell(15), representing the weight of only the passenger seat(l ⁇ ). Once the initial base line is ascertianed, during the operation of the vehicle, if the base line amoimt is not exceeded by a certain amount, the air bag(l,2) is disabled, thereby preventing the air bag(l,2) from being used when a passenger(l 10) is not present. At this point, the boot program will send a 0 message to the RAM and the RAM will recognize that there is an empty seat.
  • the load cell(15) secondarily functions to accurately weigh the passenger(l 10) when the baseline representing the weight of the passenger seat(l ⁇ ) is exceeded.
  • control module(25) which will determine the air bag(l,2) that should deploy in case the vehicle is involve in an accident. This determination is based on the line signals from the load cells(15) to the control module(25) that will activate other devices to initiate the proper force at which the air bag(l,2) should deploy based on the passenger's weight.
  • a control module(25) is defined as a device that transmit load cell(lS) output informations through its internal encoder.
  • the encoder which is an analog to digital transmitter, will then transform this load cell(lS) output signals from analog to digital and send to the address line as the occupant's weight.
  • the RAM will then receives the digital weight signal from the address line and send to the CPU for computations.
  • the CPU will then calculate the occupant's mass and also compute all 16
  • the control module will signal the amplifiers(20) to amplify the accelerometer processor when a colhsion is sensed at the collision sensor.
  • the accelerometer(40) will compute the air bag(l,2) acceleration from the weight and mass information of the occupant(l 10) from the address line.
  • the accurate deployment force at which the air bag(l,2) should deploy is based on the occupant's weight.
  • the accelerometer microprocessor is amplified when the colhsion sensor(75) senses a colhsion of the said magnitude.
  • the acceleration at the deployment point is directly proportional to the force generated by the weight of the occupant(l 10).
  • the acceleration is based on the measurement of the force acting on the mass(52) of the accelerometer(40).
  • the collision force exacted on the occupant(l 10) is determine by generating a weight force necessary to prevent the accelerometer mass(52) from moving relative to the acceleration.
  • the mechanical spring(21) and the mass(52) inside the accelerometer(40) gives the accelerometer(40) a resonance. Where the resonance is define as the peak in the frequency response. The frequencies in the movement of the mass(52) must be less than the resonant frequency.
  • the accelerometer sensor is so dynamic. Accordingly, the colhsion sensor(7S) senses collision of a prescribed magnitude and signal the control module(2S).
  • the control module(25) will then check to see which load cell(15) that is outputing signals and discriminate to ensure deployment of only the air bag(l,2) that is linked to the occupied seat.
  • the control module(25) output will then pass through the specialized array to the CPU before reaching the accelerometer(40).
  • the value of the occupant's weight will initiate an equal amount of force that will then input into the accelerometer crystals(4S).
  • This input force acting on the crystals(45) will create electrical energy that is proportional to the said force.
  • the electrical energy created by the crystals(45) will then be output to the accelerometer mass(52).
  • the accelerometer mass(52) upon receiving the input electrical energy, output a force generated by the said electrical energy on the accelerometer spring(21). Said force acting on the spring is proportional to the weight of the occupant(l 10).
  • the accelerometer spring(21) after receiving its input energy from the accelerometer mass(52), initiate the air bag acceleration by contracting to a distance Z. Where Z is the measured acceleration
  • a transient voltage suppressor(200) is located between the control module, and the address line. Recognizing that electronic equipment characteristically suffers from transient voltage spikes and that such spikes would cause abnomal readings or reactions for the RAM, the applicant has positioned voltage suppressor(200) to filter out transient spike phenomenon. Thus, the accurate weight value is ensured.
  • An electrical signal from the loadcell(15) is amplified by the transistorized switches and sent to the control module,which assist in managing the flow of data from the loadcell input and output signals before the signal is sent to the CPU for computation.
  • the control module discriminates between the passenger side and the driver side load cell(l 5) to determine which air bag(s ⁇ i ,2) are to be enabled.
  • the signal is next processed by the control module encoder, which will convert this signal from analog to digital before carrying further transmissions in binaries.
  • the accelerometer(40) when amplified by the amplifier(20), sends line signals to the gas canister sliding pot(61) and the gas relay valve to open to an area that is proportional to the occupant's weight signal and release the volume of igniting gas(65) that, when ignited, generates a 17
  • the energy generated by the crystals(45) displaces the accelerometer mass(52) in the accelerometer(40) to generate a corresponding amount of electrical energy therefrom, such as might occur with this piezoelectric accelerometer.
  • Other types of accelerometer may be used, but only one would be described in this invention as a device used to compute the air bag deployment speed with a controlled energy.
  • the electrical energy generated by the crystals(45) is recorded in volt.
  • the resultant voltage developed by the crystals(45) is correlated to the necessary force required to protect the occupant(l 10). This voltage is functionally transform into current to variably generate the igniting current(55) and also controls the amount of energy needed to initiate the sliding pot(61) and the gas release valve so as to meet the smart and variable force and speed control criteria.
  • the voltage is used to generate a current that is used by the gas ignher(55) to ignite gases(65) from the canister(60) in the combustion chamber.
  • the combustion chamber is the inside space of the air bag(l,2), where the weight controlled igniting gas(65) and the weight generated current igniter(55) ignite, when a colhsion is sensed by the colhsion sensor(75), to initiate the deployment force of the air bag(l,2).
  • the current and the volume of igniting gas(65) employed are controlled to provide the desired expansion rate of the air bag(l,2).
  • the is an allowance for a changeable variation between the upper and lower threshhold for the deployment force of the air bag(l,2).
  • the control module will analyze the digital electrical output as the occupant's weight and convert it into a weight value.
  • This weight value corresponds to the weight of the passenger and is then sent to the address line.
  • the RAM picks this weight signal from the address line and pass it on to the CPU to calculate the passenger's mass and all neccessary calculations.
  • the weight value and the mass value are then passed onto the accelerometer processor.
  • the accelerometer converts the weight value corresponding to the passenger's weight into an acceleration value corresponding to the proper amount of acceleration at which the air bag would have to be deployed to protect the passenger when a colhsion of the prescribed magnitude is sensed. Since the reading from the load cell is dynamic, a new acceleration value is calculated each time a new signal is output from the load cell.
  • the weight value and the mass value are input in the accelerometer to apply a proportional amount of force against the crystals to generate electrical energy inside the accelerometer. Accordingly, the voltage developed across the crystal is proportional to the amount of acceleration required to deploy the air bag properly. This is accompUshed by displacing the mass inside the accelerometer. This displacement amounts to having the force created by the electrical energy generated by the crystals, to exert said force on the accelerometer mass, which wiU then apply an equal force against the accelerometer spring.
  • the force on the accelerometer spring determines the deployment acceleration, and is proportional to the force exerted by the 18
  • the accelerometer processor is employed to control the acceleration of all electronic or computerized accelerometer, by feeding electrical energy from the load ceU to any processing means.
  • the load cell uses electrical means to accurately transmit informations about the occupants weight values.
  • the resultant voltage developed by the crystal is correlated to the necessary force required to protect the passenger.
  • the voltage will be used to generate current to ignite the gases from the gas canister inside the air bag.
  • the current and the amount of gas employed are controlled by the CPU output through the means of the occupan's weight.
  • the CPU also controls the gas discharge processor that controls thegas discharge release valve by means of the passenger's weight to mass value.
  • the discharge Ut or sliding pot of the canister uses the controUed energy from the crystals, through the output from the CPU, to provide the desired expansion rate of the air bag.
  • the discharge Ut or sliding pot is defined as the outlet or a means to release a controlled volume of gas from a contained space.
  • the controled release of gas from the canister is accompUshed by a sliding outlet pot or a discharge Ut or control valve which is openend a specific amount through the influence of the voltage generated by the accelerometer crystals or the processed data from the CPU.
  • the force of the deploying air bag should correctly match the force of the passenger or the person on any of the front seats.
  • the present invention uses a radar unit to sense the imminence of a rear impact. This data is fed into the control module which wiU immediately cause the deployment of the air bag with the proper force as discussed above.
  • coUision sensor(75) In a frontal impact of about 13.2MPH, coUision sensor(75) is activated.
  • the speed of 13.2MPH represent the threshold speed at which the efficacy of any air bag system should usuaUy become activated.
  • the air bag system tends to become less effective and expensive to deploy.
  • the present invention can function even if the the front impact is of extremely low speed, the preferred embodiment of the present invention would not engage until the front impact of 13.2MPH is achieve. At that time the data stored in RAM is used as the proper force calibration, and the air bag(l,2) is deployed with the proper volume of propeUant.
  • an enhanced embodiment of the present invention includes a radar unit(70) which is used to sense the imminence of a rear impact. This rear impact data is received by the radar receiver(71) and fed into the control module(25), which wiU immediately discriminates between the occupied seat(l ⁇ ) and the unoccupied seat(l ⁇ ).
  • the amplifier(20) wiU then receive signals from the control module(25) to amplify the deployment process of the air bag(l,2), with the proper force as discribed above.
  • the radar unit(70) and the radar receiver(71) are seen to Ulustrate the primary embodiment of the present invention. In the 19
  • the air bag(l,2) has two layers(3,4) to further minimize the impact of deployment.
  • An internal layer(3) is the base of the air bag(l,2) itself, which is deployed according to the system described above.
  • An external layer(4) is the cushion layer characterized by being foamy. There is a gap(6) between the two layers.
  • the weight of the occupant(l 10) is correlated into an expected impact force and the desired amount of propellant or gas(6S) is ignited to provide the cushioning which balances this force, but does not over power the occupant(l 10), and force the occupant backward into the passenger's seat(l ⁇ ) at such rate as to cause injury.
  • Another embodiment of the present invention includes several conventional sensors(7,8) positioned on the seat belt(17) of the occupant(l 10) and on the air bag(l,2) itself
  • the sensors (7) and (8) which are of magnetized elements, communicate so that the deployment direction of the air bag(l,2) can be minimized away from the head of the occupant(l 10), so as to further prevent injury.
  • the time constant is soo important in this computer device because the timing determine the performance of the device.
  • the device can use different time constant circuit. But the applicant wUl address the RL time constant for now.
  • the RL time constant is an inductor and resistor used for the design of the time circuit.
  • a current is flowing in the inductor, a magnetic field will build up around the inductor. If the current is interrupted, the magnetic field coUapses very quickly.
  • the magnetic field is aUowed to coUapse at a controlled rate by an intermediate condition between maintaining the magnetic field and allowing it to collapse rapidly.
  • the resistor determines the rate at which the magnetic field coUapses.
  • This time constant is a measure of the time required to discharge the controUed gas for the air bag deployment whh a controlled energy.
  • the time constant is a specific amount of time required to attain 100 percent of discharge of the controlled volume of gas inside the combustion chamber, initiated by the weight or calculated mass of the occupant.
  • the piezoelectric accelerometer generates electricity when put under mechanical stress. This stress is caused by applying pressure or force against the surface of the crystals or by twisting. The effect takes place in crystalline substances like qurtz, rockeUe salts tourmalines, diamonds, and sapphires, to name just a few.
  • the pressure that results in the piezoelectric accelerometer cause an electric potential in the attached wires to the discharge pot or control valve of the gas canister. The pressure is initiated by the passenger seating on the front seat.
  • the electromotiveforce created by the piezoelectric accelerometer is exremely smaU, and is measured in millivolts or microvolts. The smaU amount of emf created wiU keep this computer device safe at aU time.
  • the device utilizes buUt in logic in the CPU to precisely control aU the system that provide means for activating the air bag.
  • the purpose of the processors are to provide sensed informations to the CPUand other devices about the occupant on the seat for processing. AU the informations are instantanouosly regulated by the CPU to provide variable force-speed deployment.
  • the control module works together with the CPU to perform aU calculations. The amount of discharged gas is properly controlled to protect passengers of aU sizes. The discharge and combustion occurs in variable mode due to the changing passengers. 20
  • the decimal digital readings wiU be transformed into binaries.
  • the electronic switches will then recognize the binaries as OFF and ON switshes that will repressent " 1 s" and "Os".
  • Os wttl represent OFF signals
  • Is wiU represent ON signals.
  • the OFF is an open chcuit and an ON is a closed circuit.
  • This advanced and smart technology wiU appreciate weight size of any value and fully protect the occupant with a controUed energy generated from the said weight value of the occupant.
  • Some of the few weight sizes that shows how fast it wiU take the computer to respond to the weights of the occupants by turning the switches on and off on time, for the computer to timely speed up to the immediate respense when a coUision is sensed.
  • the computer uses logic fimctions to timely open and close aU circuits with this switches. These logics depend on the switches to open and close on time for this inteUegent device to know who the occupant is, and activate the deployment of the air bags that will deploy from a controUed energy that depend on the weight of the siad occupants.
  • the weights are promptly transmitted to all the intelligent devices used in this invention to enfluence the controUed energy that wiU enforce deployment that is totaUy dependant on the occupant's weight value.
  • the switches are activated when the coUision sensor senses a coUision.
  • the arrangement of the electronicaUy conducting line signals for the entire circuits are used for signaUing the RAM and the computer's CPU to initiate the controUed deployment.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Air Bags (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de maintien supplémentaire des passagers. Ce système comprend une boîte dynamométrique (15) pour détecter le poids d'un passager. Un contrôleur (25) contrôle un air bag (1) de telle sorte que ce dernier (1) se déploie selon une vitesse déterminée en fonction du poids du passager.
PCT/US1999/006666 1998-03-26 1999-03-26 Systeme informatique de maintien supplementaire ameliore agissant en reponse au poids WO1999048729A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU34539/99A AU3453999A (en) 1998-03-26 1999-03-26 Advanced weight responsive supplemental restraint computer system
AU37752/99A AU3775299A (en) 1998-04-27 1999-04-27 Smart seatbelt control system
PCT/US1999/009435 WO1999055560A1 (fr) 1998-04-27 1999-04-27 Systeme de commande intelligente pour ceinture de securite

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US7949698P 1998-03-26 1998-03-26
US60/079,496 1998-03-26
USPCT/US98/14184 1998-07-13
PCT/US1998/014184 WO1999003711A1 (fr) 1997-07-14 1998-07-13 Systeme informatique de retenue supplementaire en reponse au poids

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1999048729A1 true WO1999048729A1 (fr) 1999-09-30

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1999/006666 WO1999048729A1 (fr) 1998-03-26 1999-03-26 Systeme informatique de maintien supplementaire ameliore agissant en reponse au poids

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU3453999A (fr)
WO (1) WO1999048729A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3861710A (en) * 1971-11-22 1975-01-21 Fujitsu Ten Ltd Vehicle safety system
DE3809074A1 (de) * 1988-03-18 1989-10-05 Audi Ag Sicherheitssystem fuer kraftfahrzeuge unter einbeziehung eines aufblasbaren aufprallschutzkissens
US5232243A (en) * 1991-04-09 1993-08-03 Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. Occupant sensing apparatus
US5810392A (en) * 1997-02-15 1998-09-22 Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. Seat occupant sensing system

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3861710A (en) * 1971-11-22 1975-01-21 Fujitsu Ten Ltd Vehicle safety system
DE3809074A1 (de) * 1988-03-18 1989-10-05 Audi Ag Sicherheitssystem fuer kraftfahrzeuge unter einbeziehung eines aufblasbaren aufprallschutzkissens
US5232243A (en) * 1991-04-09 1993-08-03 Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. Occupant sensing apparatus
US5810392A (en) * 1997-02-15 1998-09-22 Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. Seat occupant sensing system

Also Published As

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