Denso Corporation

Tatsuki Tanaka

Hidehiko Kumazawa

Takashi Inamoto

A sensor device includes a communication line having a high-level line and a low-level line, and printed wiring layers. The printed wiring layers are connected to the communication line so as to have a differential communication with an electronic control unit of an occupant protection system. First and second layers are ungrounded, and have a low-level conduction pattern connected to the low-level line and a circuit element having a standard corresponding to the low-level line. Third printed wiring layer is arranged between the first and second layers through insulations, and has a high-level conduction pattern connected to the high-level line.

Sensor device for occupant protection system

A communications network for a passenger protection system of a vehicle has an electronic control unit and a plurality of sensors, which is bus-connected to the electronic control unit. Each of the sensors includes a current detection circuit for detecting a current of the sensor, and a control circuit including a memory. The control circuit sets a specific address for the sensor in the memory when the detected current attains a predetermined relation to a predetermined threshold current. The control circuit transmits a notification of completion of setting the specific address to the electronic control unit, and controls a mode of the sensor to a specific mode, which consumes current less than the predetermined threshold current.

Communications network of passenger protection system

An electronic control unit charges capacitors of sensors to produce idle phase waveforms having different waveform parameters assigned to the sensors, and transmits nothing between the signal phase time periods. Each sensor detects the idle phase waveform parameter of the capacitor. The sensor responds to the ECU during the signal phase time period, if the detected parameter corresponds to predetermined waveform parameter.

A vehicular occupant protection system includes an air bag sensor; a base signal generating unit that generates a base signal for abnormality diagnosis for the air bag sensor; a diagnosis-signal generating unit that generates a diagnosis signal for the air bag sensor base on the base signal; an abnormality diagnosing unit that executes the abnormality diagnosis by using output signal that the air bag sensor outputs based on the diagnosis signal; and a condition-signal generating unit that generates a condition for a start of generating of the diagnosis signal. Here, the diagnosis-signal generating unit generates the diagnosis signal based on the base signal when the condition signal satisfies a given condition.

Vehicular occupant protection system

In a circuit device for analyzing analog signals from first and second circuits. The first and second circuits are designed to output analog signals which are opposite to each other in the positive and negative signs of phase. When short-circuit occurs, the output signals from the first and second circuits interfere with each other and thus these signals are offset by each other, so that malfunction caused by the short-circuit can be prevented, and also neither a device not a terminal is required to be added.

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Nagoya, Japan

Tatsuki Tanaka