Zf Friedrichshafen Ag

Kiran Balasubramanian

Charles Anthony Bartlett

Huahn-Fern Yeh

Harald Pfriender

Andreas Fleckner

Raymond J David

Kyeora Lee

Michal Duchowski

Carl Munch

Maciej Rejer

Chunqi Wang

Steven Kanzler

Pawel Koziel

Chuck Zhan

Adriano Putetto

Luca Zaffalon

Annette Schanz

A method for controlling an actuatable safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle includes utilizing an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) to determine that a vehicle collision is impending. In response to determining the existence of an impending vehicle collision, a mass spring damper model uses sensed vehicle longitudinal acceleration (IMU_X) to estimate the occupant movement that will result from the impending vehicle collision. The estimated occupant movement is used to determine how to control deployment of an actuatable safety device in response to the crash.

System and method for estimating occupant movement in response to automatic emergency braking

A method for controlling actuation of an actuatable restraint in response to a vehicle rollover event includes detecting whether the vehicle () is being driven off-road. The method also includes determining whether the vehicle () is undergoing a roll event () that would warrant actuation of the actuatable restraint () if the vehicle was being driven on-road. The method further includes actuating the actuatable restraint () in response to determining that a roll acceleration (D RATE) of the vehicle () indicates that the roll event is continuing. A vehicle safety system () includes an actuatable restraint and a controller () configured to control actuation of the actuatable restraint according to this method.

Method and apparatus for controlling an actuatable protection device with off-road and rollover detection

A vehicle safety system for helping to protect a vehicle occupant in the event of a frontal collision includes a controller, one or more crash sensors for sensing a frontal collision, and an active sensor for detecting objects in the path of the vehicle. The controller is configured to implement crash discrimination metrics that detect the occurrence of a frontal collision in response to signals received from the crash sensors. The crash discrimination metrics implement thresholds for determining whether the signals received from the crash sensors indicate the occurrence of a frontal collision. The controller is configured to implement an algorithm that uses information obtained from the active sensor to detect an object in the path of the vehicle and to select the thresholds implemented in the crash discrimination metrics in response to detecting the object.

Vehicle safety system implementing integrated active-passive front impact control algorithm

A vehicle safety system for helping to protect a pedestrian in the event of a vehicle frontal collision with the pedestrian includes a plurality of crash sensors for sensing a vehicle frontal collision, an actuatable pedestrian protection device, a controller for controlling actuation of the pedestrian protection device, and at least one active sensor for determining the presence of a pedestrian in the path of the vehicle.

Passive pedestrian protection system utilizing inputs from active safety system

A method helps to protect an occupant of a vehicle () equipped with an automated driving system () and a vehicle safety system () by detecting low impact crash events () with the vehicle (). The method includes utilizing automated driving sensors () of the automated driving system () to identify possible low impact collision risks. The method also includes utilizing vehicle safety system sensors () of the vehicle safety system to determine a low impact collision resulting from the identified possible low impact collision. A vehicle safety system () includes an airbag controller unit () configured to implement the method to determine low impact crash events with the vehicle ().

Low impact detection for automated driving vehicles

A vehicle safety system implements a method for helping to protect a vehicle occupant in the event of a frontal collision. The method includes determining a passive safety crash mode classification in response to crash signals received in response to the occurrence of a crash event. The method also includes determining an active safety crash mode classification in response to active safety signals received prior to the occurrence of the crash event. The method also includes determining an active safety confidence factor for the active safety crash mode classification. The method also includes determining the weighted crash mode classification as being the active crash mode classification in response to the active safety confidence factor exceeding a predetermined confidence value. The method further includes determining the weighted crash mode classification as being the passive crash mode classification in response to the active safety confidence factor not exceeding the predetermined confidence value.

Vehicle safety system and method implementing weighted active-passive crash mode classification

A method for controlling the actuation of an actuatable restraint to help protect a vehicle occupant in response to a rollover event is implemented in a controller of a vehicle safety system that includes the actuatable restraint. To implement the method, the controller is configured to execute a roll discrimination metric that discriminates the occurrence of a ramp rollover event or an embankment rollover event in response to a vehicle roll rate (R_RATE) having a magnitude that exceeds a predetermined threshold roll rate (R_RATE). The controller is also configured to execute a switching metric that is operative to reduce the predetermined threshold roll rate (R_RATE) in response to a vehicle pitch rate (P_RATE) having a magnitude that exceeds a predetermined threshold pitch rate (P_RATE).

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Kiran Balasubramanian