Patent · US Expired

Vehicle travel safety device

US6260880A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
5References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 12, 1999
Grant dateJul 17, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 12, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB60T7/22
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A vehicle travel safety device carries out automatic braking in order to prevent a subject vehicle from coming into contact with an object, and proximate expansion of an air bag is reliably prevented. When there is a possibility of a subject vehicle coming into contact with an object, automatic braking is carried out in order to prevent the contact. If a seat belt wear state sensor detects that an occupant is not wearing a seat belt and an air bag expansion possibility estimating means estimates that there is a possibility of an air bag expanding, by means of an automatic braking means, the deceleration rate of the automatic braking is reduced so that the occupant is prevented from moving forwards due to the inertia accompanying the braking and causing proximate expansion. When the speed of the subject vehicle at the time when automatic braking is started is high, the relative speed between the subject vehicle and the object at the time when automatic braking is started is high. Thus, the time taken for the subject vehicle to come into contact with the object is short or the speed of the subject vehicle at which it will come into contact with the object is high. Therefore, the air …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.