Trw Limited

Trw Automotive U.S. LLC

Suthep Thanapathomsinchai

Chek-Peng Foo

Paul Leo Sumner

Timothy Chester Wright

Meng-Fu Tsai

Huahn-Fern Yeh

Rosalin Irwan

An apparatus for controlling an actuatable occupant restraint device of a vehicle comprises a central crash accelerometer that senses crash acceleration at a vehicle location and that provides a first crash acceleration signal indicative thereof. A side pressure sensor senses pressure in a chamber disposed at a side of the vehicle and provides a side pressure signal indicative thereof. A controller actuates the actuatable occupant restraint device in response to the first crash acceleration signal and the side pressure signal. The controller determines a first moving average of acceleration value comprising a moving average of acceleration in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle determined from the first crash acceleration signal. The controller determines a change in pressure value comprising a change in pressure in the chamber determined from the side pressure signal. The controller actuates the actuatable occupant restraint device when both the first moving average of acceleration value exceeds a first threshold and the change in pressure value exceeds a second threshold.

Method and apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraint device using a side pressure sensor

The present invention is directed to controlling a vehicle multistage actuatable occupant restraining system ( ). A crash sensor ( ) senses crash acceleration and provides a crash acceleration signal ( ) indicative thereof. Crash velocity and crash displacement are determined ( ) in response to the crash acceleration signal. A first stage ( ) of the multistage actuatable occupant restraining system is actuated when the determined crash velocity as a function of crash displacement exceeds a low threshold ( ). A crush zone accelerometer ( ) senses crash acceleration at a crush zone location. The crush zone acceleration as a function of the crash displacement is compared ( ) against a crush zone threshold ( ). The value of the low threshold ( ) is switched to a different value ( ) when the crush zone acceleration exceeds the crush zone threshold.

Method and apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraining device using switched thresholds based on crush zone sensors

The present invention is directed to controlling a vehicle multistage actuatable occupant restraining system ( ). A crash sensor ( ) senses crash acceleration and provides a crash acceleration signal ( ) indicative thereof. Crash velocity and crash displacement are determined ( ) in response to the crash acceleration signal. A first stage ( ) of the multistage actuatable occupant restraining system is actuated when the determined crash velocity as a function of crash displacement exceeds a low threshold ( ). A transverse accelerometer ( ) senses transverse crash acceleration. The transverse acceleration as a function of the crash displacement is compared ( ) against a transverse threshold ( ). The value of the low threshold ( ) is switched to a different value ( ) when the transverse acceleration exceeds the transverse threshold.

Method and apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraining device using switched thresholds based on transverse acceleration

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Suthep Thanapathomsinchai