Process for triggering side airbags of a passive safety device for motor vehicles

US5544915A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Temic Telefunken Microelectronik · DE

Inventors

• Gunter Fendt · Schrobenhausen, DE
• Peter Hora · Schrobenhausen, DE
• Hans Spies · Brackenheim, DE
• Helmut Steurer · Gerolsbach, DE
• Willibald Watzka · Aichach, DE
• Guido Wetzel · Neubukow, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 19, 1995
• Grant date: Aug 13, 1996
• Expiry date: Jul 19, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B60R2021/01006
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

To trigger driver and passenger airbags as well as side airbags, the sensor signals generated by collision sensors will be fed into a central control unit for processing. According to this invention, side airbags will be activated by evaluating sensor signals generated by a collision sensor for detecting head-on and side collisions, centrally located within the motor vehicle, as well as by a left-hand and right-hand collision sensor each detecting side collisions, by the control unit generating a triggering signal whenever the centrally located collision sensor and at least one of the two side collision sensors generate a collision signal, with one of these two collision sensors having a greater value, or if the centrally located collision sensor as well as one of the two side collision sensors provide a signal of equal value, with the other side collision sensor simultaneously generating a collision signal with a value either equal or lower than the value of the collision signal generated by the central collision sensor. The process according to this invention will lead to a very high degree of triggering certainty for the entire occupant protection system, and advantageously does…