The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 19, 2001
Filed:
May. 19, 2000
Farid Khairallah, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
Scott E. Kolassa, Canton, MI (US);
Russell J. Lynch, West Bloomfield, MI (US);
Keith R. Miciuda, Grosse Pointe Park, MI (US);
Jon Kelly Wallace, Redford, MI (US);
TRW, Inc., Lyndhurst, OH (US);
Abstract
A vehicle occupant protection system (,) includes an actuatable device (e.g.,,) for protecting a vehicle occupant (,). An accelerometer (e.g.,,) and a crash determination portion (,) of a controller (,) derive a first metric indicative of a vehicle crash condition. A Z-axis accelerometer (,) and a safing portion (,) of the controller (,) derive a second metric indicative of a vehicle vertical acceleration characteristic. The controller (,) actuates the device (e.g.,,) to protect the occupant (,) in response to the first metric indicating a vehicle crash condition and the second metric exceeding a predetermined threshold. Preferably, the system (,) includes a second device (e.g.,,) and another accelerometer (e.g.,,) and another crash determination portion (,) of the controller (,) to derive a third metric indicative of a vehicle crash condition. The controller (,) actuates the device (e.g.,,) to protect the occupant (,) in response to the third metric indicating a vehicle crash condition and the second metric exceeding a predetermined threshold. Thus, the second metric is utilized twice.