Trw Limited

Huahn-Fern (Jeff) Yeh

Chek-Peng (Anson) Foo

Kevin Daniel Weiss

Anne Marie Shields

Wei-Te Chiang

An apparatus for controlling an actuatable occupant restraint device for a vehicle (,) having first and second actuatable stages (,). The apparatus includes a crash sensor (,) mounted near the front of the vehicle (,) for providing a crash acceleration signal (,). An average crash acceleration determiner (,) determines an average crash acceleration value, and provides a signal indicative thereof. A controller (,) is operatively coupled to the actuatable stages (,). The controller effects actuation of the first actuatable stage when the determined average acceleration value exceeds a first threshold value (,). The controller (,) determines a crash severity index having a value according to a time interval from when the determined average crash acceleration value exceeds the first threshold value (,) to when it exceeds a second threshold value (,). The controller effects actuation of the second actuatable stage in response to the crash severity index value (,).

Method and apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraint device using crash severity indexing and crush zone sensor

A sensor (22) senses crash acceleration and provides a crash acceleration signal indicative thereof. A processor (54) sums the crash acceleration signal with an occupant spring-mass model (56, 60) so as to provide an adjusted or 'virtual' crash acceleration signal (64) more nearly representative of the actual acceleration of the vehicle occupant during a crash event. A discriminating circuit (70, 76, 80, 82, 90, 92, 84, 100, 104, 108, and 96) controls the actuatable restraining device (28) in response to the adjusted crash acceleration signal (64).

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Novi, MI, United States of America

Huahn-Fern (Jeff) Yeh