Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Joseph Robert Brown

Marshall Lawrence Quade

Manoharprasad K Rao

Mark Anthony Cuddihy

David Webster Clark

Dean M Jaradi

Brian Robert Spahn

Joseph F Mazur

David James Bauch

Curtis David Kalina

Jialiang Le

Brian K Blackburn

Scott B Gentry

Richard Edward Ruthinowski

Clifford C Chou

Kirsten Marie Carr

Karen M Balavich

Chris Bujak

Janak Chitalia

Julie Ann Zychowicz

Glen Lichtenberg

A system for providing post-impact signals in a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes at least one impact zone with a passive safety sensor positioned at designated sections of the vehicle. The system comprises a plurality of passive safety sensors, a passive safety controller, and an active safety controller. The passive safety controller determines the impact location, impact direction and intensity. The passive safety controller transmits a passive output signal indicative of the impact intensity, impact direction and impact location. The active safety controller stabilizes the vehicle post-impact in response to the passive output signal.

Post impact safety system with vehicle contact information

A re-settable vehicle seat belt pre-tensioner apparatus is disclosed having a first member engagable with a second member that is moveable relative to the first member, and re-settable in response to various sensed driving conditions to pretension the seat belt around the operator and return to a non pre-tensioned status when the driving conditions have passed. The apparatus may be operated by positioning the belt for use; determining whether the seat belt buckle is in use; locking the pre-tensioner and lowering the seat belt buckle below the seat occupation plane; determining whether a threshold vehicle seat belt pre-tension load has been met; raising the belt buckle to a design position, unlocking the retractor; determining whether a threat event is imminent and locking the retractor; lowering the vehicle seat buckle relative to the plane of occupation, determining whether a crash event is occurring, and if yes, deploying a pyrotechnic deployment to secure the occupant in the seat.

Re-settable vehicle seat belt buckle pre-tensioner presenter system and method of operation

The embodiments described herein provide a vehicle seat assembly that is coupled to a floor of a vehicle. The assembly comprises a seat back frame, a seat cushion frame, at least one leg and at least one blocking member. The seat cushion frame is pivotally coupled to the seat back frame. The leg is pivotally coupled to the seat cushion frame and pivotally coupled to the floor of the vehicle. The blocking member is coupled to the seat cushion frame and capable of moving into engagement with the leg as the assembly moves from the folded position to the upright seating position. The blocking member is adapted to block movement of the leg and to stabilize the seat assembly in the event of a vehicle collision.

Seat restraining device

A dual mode contact sensor for an automotive vehicle includes an impact-responsive tubular sensing member, and a first linear contact which is closed with the outer surface of the tubular sensing member. A second linear contact is mounted within the tubular sensing member such that a higher force impact, sufficient to cause plastic deformation of the tubular sensing member will cause a circuit to be closed with the second linear contact.

Dual mode contact sensor for automotive vehicle

An occupant safety restraint system ('OSR system') () and method for fully deploying an airbag () before an occupant contacts the airbag (). In one embodiment, the OSR system () includes a seatbelt restraint system (), a variable-output airbag system (), and a controllercoupled to the seatbelt restraint system () and the airbag system (). The seatbelt restraint system () includes a seatbelt restraint () for restraining the occupant and a seatbelt-tension sensor () for detecting a load or tension in the seatbelt restraint (). The controllerutilizes the seatbelt load for determining a current seatbelt-tension rate and actuating the airbag system () to deploy the airbag () at one or more output rates. In other words, the controllercan utilize the seatbelt restraint system () and the airbag system () in combination for regulating the output rate of the airbag system ().

Occupant safety-restraint system and method for fully deploying an airbag prior to occupant contact

A method of operating a restraint system includes classifying a collision into a collision classification, generating a protruding contact sensor output and deploying the restraint system in response to the contact sensor output and the output classification. The method may also use a pre-crash sensor with or without classification and deploy the restraint system in response to the pre-crash sensor signal and the protruding contact sensor signal.

Method for operating a pre-crash sensing system with protruding contact sensor

A method and apparatus for detecting an improperly installed auxiliary child seat of the type that is secured in a motor vehicle by the seatbelt, and providing an alert to a vehicle operator in the case of improper installation. A seat occupancy sensor, a seatbelt buckle condition sensor, and a seatbelt tension sensor provides electrical signals to a child seat detection module, which determines that an improper installation condition exists if the auxiliary child seat is present and the seatbelt buckle is unfastened. The child seat detection module further determines an improper installation condition if the auxiliary child seat is present, the seatbelt buckle is fastened, and the seatbelt tautness is not within an acceptable range. If an improper installation condition is detected, the child seat detection module triggers an alerting device, such as a warning light on the instrument panel or audible chime. The seat occupancy sensor may a bladder-type weight sensor, or a pressure pattern sensor that is able to detect a child seat based on the weight distribution over the area of the seat. The child seat detection module includes a memory unit containing information for all auxiliary child seats that are compatible with the vehicle. A user interface allows the vehicle operator to input the type of seat installed in the vehicle, the weight of the child to be carried, and other pertinent information if necessary, and the child seat detection module calculates the range of acceptable tension values or looks up the correct values in a saved table.

Method and apparatus for detecting improper installation of child seat in a vehicle

An assembly includes a seathaving a seat base, an occupant sensor positioned in the seat base, said occupant sensor comprising a fluid filled bladder coupled to a pressure sensor, said pressure sensor generating a pressure signal, and an audio system having an electrical output coupled to a speaker, said speaker positioned near the seat, said speaker audibly coupled to the bladder. The assembly includes a compensation circuit () for a sensor () generating electrical sensor output near a speaker () of an audio system () that comprises an inverting circuit () coupled to the electrical output () of the audio system. The inverting circuit () generates an inverted electrical signal corresponding to a speaker audio output. A sensor controller () coupled to the inverting circuit () and the sensor () generates a compensated electrical output in response to the electrical sensor output and the inverted electrical signal.

Audio noise cancellation system for a sensor in an automotive vehicle

A side impact collision sensing system for use on a vehicle . System includes several door mounted impact sensors and a sensor which is disposed in relative close proximity to the center of the vehicle's passenger compartment . System determines whether a side impact collision has occurred or is occurring and selectively activates one or more restraint assemblies if such a determination is made. System reduces the likelihood of a false and/or unnecessary activation of restraint assemblies by using sensors and sensor in a distributed algorithm to detect side impact collisions.

System for sensing a side impact collision

An automotive instrument panel (IP) has a thermostatically controlled electric heating element for maintaining the plastic material of the IP at a temperature warm enough to inhibit brittle fracture during deployment of an airbag mounted within the IP. The heating element is formed by depositing a layer of electrically conductive material on an inner surface of the outermost layer of the IP along the perimeter of an airbag deployment path, bonding the outermost layer to a substrate, and using a laser to simultaneously score the IP around the deployment path and cut the conductive layer so that it forms a circuit through which electric current may be passed for resistance heating.

Method of manufacturing an automotive airbag enclosure with an embedded heating element

A seat belt restraint system for securing a child seat on a vehicle passenger seat in a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle. The system includes a seat belt tension sensor located between one end of a seat belt for the child seat. A releasable mini-buckle attaches the seat belt end to the seat belt tension sensor. The seat belt tension sensor is anchored to a structural floor of the passenger compartment whereby the seat belt tension sensor can be removed readily from the restraint system for servicing.

Seat belt restraint system for vehicle occupants with automatic belt tension compensation

An inflatable restraint system for attachment to an occupant seat of an automotive vehicle has a canister with an inflatable restraint deployable therefrom, a chute member slidably engaged with the canister for directing deployment of the inflatable restraint and movable between a stowed position when the inflatable restraint is uninflated and the deployed position when the inflatable restraint is inflated. Tethers or other retention devices are attached between the canister and the chute member to retain the chute member in a predetermined position with respect to the canister so as to direct deployment of the inflatable restraint in a predetermined direction from the occupant seat.

Vehicle inflatable restraint system

A vehicle occupant restraint system includes a restraint curtain stowed adjacent a roof rail of the vehicle to deploy downwardly adjacent the side wall of the vehicle. The curtain is formed with a slit extending from a lower edge upwardly toward an upper edge to divide the curtain into first and second sections. A short, rod-like connecting member is attached to the curtain adjacent the lower edge and spans the slit, tying the first and second sections together. A ring encircles the connecting member and a flexible tether is attached to the ring. The end of the tether opposite the ring is slidingly engaged with a guide track disposed on a pillar extending downwardly from the vehicle roof. The curtain is placed in the stowed condition by rolling it in a spiral fashion, starting at the lower edge and rolling toward the upper edge in a direction parallel to the slit so that the connecting members remain accessible through the slit even in the stowed condition. The connecting member is free to rotate within the ring so that the curtain may roll and unroll freely without the tether becoming wound up in or otherwise entangled with the curtain. When the curtain is in the stowed condition, the tether is slid to the upper end of the guide track. As the curtain unrolls to the deployed condition the tether travels downwardly along the guide track, holding the lower edge of the curtain close to the pillar.

Vehicle rollover curtain with improved deployment

A method for sensing the occurrence of a vehicle crash is provided for a vehicle having an occupant restraint system operatively connected with a crash sensor having an accelerometer, which produces an accelerometer signal, and with an occupant position sensor which produces a position signal. The crash sensor includes an adjustable filter. The method includes the steps of: a) calculating an estimated occupant displacement by integrating the accelerometer signal twice; b) comparing the estimated occupant displacement to the position signal; and c) adjusting the adjustable filter based upon the comparing step to optimize control of the occupant restraint system. In this manner, actual body position of the occupant may be more accurately predicted and measured, which allows optimization of air bag deployment.

Method and apparatus for determining time to fire an occupant restraint system using occupant sensor inputs

A seamless side inflatable restraint deployment system for an occupant seated in a seat includes a side inflatable restraint module attached to a frame of the seat and having an inflatable restraint, a pad disposed adjacent the side inflatable restraint module having a deployment opening therein, and a tear initiator envelope enclosing the side inflatable restraint module and extending through the deployment opening to concentrate deployment forces of the inflatable restraint to form a desired exit location in a seat trim of the seat for the inflatable restraint to deploy therethrough.

Growing community of inventors

Grosse Ile, MI, United States of America

Joseph Robert Brown