Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Continental Automotive Gmbh

Siemens Vdo Automotive Corporation

Oskar Leirich

Clemens Otte

Michael Feser

Thomas Blank

Emmanuel V Garcia

Markus Heiser

Jochen Uhde

Michael Bischoff

Johann Guggenberger

Manfred Krätschmer

A method for detecting a rollover on the basis of a signal of an acceleration sensor in the direction of the vertical axis of the vehicle is described, wherein the time period in which acceleration lies within a specified range is assessed. For this purpose, a counter and a clock generator are provided, wherein the counter is incremented each clock pulse if acceleration lies within a specified range, and the counter is decremented maximally to the value of zero if acceleration lies outside of a specified range. An emergency call may be triggered if a specified counter reading is reached. Additionally, a maximum speed may be specified in the travel direction above which the counter or the triggering is not active.

Method for detecting a rollover of a motor vehicle

The invention relates to a passenger restraint system that contains two electronic acceleration sensors that are arranged separately from each other and that are coupled with a control device that triggers the restraint system in the event of a collision of the vehicle. The inventive system is further characterized in that the restraint system is only triggered if the sum of the integrated acceleration signals weighted with a weighting coefficient exceeds a defined minimum sum.

Passenger restraint system for a motor vehicle

A triggering algorithm contains an accident classification section. The accident classification section senses the type of an accident that occurs. The accident classification section forms probability values for the types of accident in question when an accident cannot be classified unambiguously. By reference to the type of accident or the probabilities that are determined, weighting factors are formed and are taken into account in the calculation of the criterion and/or of one or more comparison thresholds. The triggering algorithm is modular and can thus be easily standardized on a module-specific basis.

Method and device for controlling the triggering of a motor vehicle occupant protection system

The crash detection system employs a plurality of electronic acceleration sensors distributed at different locations of a vehicle body. The plurality of electronic acceleration sensors measures changes in acceleration of the vehicle body at different locations and therefore the rate of deformation of the vehicle body. The signals from the plurality of electronic acceleration sensors are filtered, amplified, and passed to an evaluation unit, which reads and compares the signals. Based on the rate of deformation of the vehicle body, the evaluation unit then makes a determination of the severity of the vehicle crash and communicates this information to a passenger safety system.

Distributed electronic acceleration sensing for crash severity recognition

A device for protecting vehicle occupants in a motor vehicle has an impact sensor unit which is provided in a front region of the motor vehicle. A control unit is provided in a central region of the motor vehicle and has an acceleration sensor for controlling a vehicle occupant protection device. The control unit triggers the vehicle occupant protection device as a function of the evaluated acceleration signal and of a code signal which is transmitted by the impact sensor unit via a data line.

Device for protecting vehicle occupants in a motor vehicle

A process and a circuit control a control unit of a system for protecting vehicle occupants, with a view toward triggering the protection system if the accident is sufficiently serious. The control unit contains one or more sensors which supply sensor signals during the accident, and it contains a computing unit. During the accident, the latter establishes one ACTUAL value or a plurality of different ACTUAL values characterizing the course of the accident on the basis of the sensor signals. It also automatically and continuously redefines a time-variable triggering threshold value in each case, which is namely directly or indirectly dependent on the changes in the sensor signals during the course of the accident. The computing unit compares one or more ACTUAL values with the triggering threshold value being respectively assigned to the ACTUAL value. However, on the basis of the progression of the ACTUAL value/ACTUAL values, it defines the triggering threshold value at any instant in such a way that it changes in a fluctuating manner at least during an accident phase, namely without delay in dependence on the instantaneous value of the ACTUAL value/ACTUAL values, even if during this accident phase there occur constantly major decelerations without the collision direction altering.

Growing community of inventors

Mintraching, Germany

Oskar Leirich