US 7,546,193 B2
Vehicle occupant protection apparatus and initiation method to use for vehicle occupant protection apparatus
Mineyuki Oishi, Tokyo (Japan); and Takashi Nakano, Tokyo (Japan)
Assigned to Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Jun. 22, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/158,341.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-204078 (JP), filed on Jul. 12, 2004; and application No. 2004-227434 (JP), filed on Aug. 04, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2006/0009895 A1, Jan. 12, 2006
Int. Cl. B60R 22/00 (2006.01); B60R 21/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 701—45  [701/70; 280/735; 180/282] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
6. A vehicle occupant protection apparatus, comprising:
a first acceleration sensor, attached to a front portion of a vehicle, for detecting acceleration in the vehicle's longitudinal direction;
a second acceleration sensor, attached to a position which is closer to a center in the vehicle's longitudinal direction than the front portion to which the first sensor is attached, for detecting acceleration in the vehicle's longitudinal direction;
an integral initiation control device for issuing an integral initiation command at the time acceleration detected by the first acceleration sensor exceeds a present threshold value for determining whether collision of the vehicle is occurring;
a first acceleration integral device for obtaining a first integral acceleration value by taking the time integral of output from the first acceleration sensor based on the integral initiation command;
a second acceleration integral device for obtaining a second integral acceleration value by taking the time integral of output from the second acceleration sensor based on the integral initiation command;
a subtraction device for receiving the first integral acceleration value and the second integral acceleration value and for subtracting the second integral acceleration value from the first integral acceleration value to obtain a difference thereof;
an initiation determination device for comparing the difference to a first threshold value and to a second threshold value, both of which are predetermined in accordance with lapsed time from start time of taking time integral, to output a first command at the time the difference reaches the first threshold value and a second command at the time the difference reaches the second threshold value; and
an airbag driving device for initiating a first inflator of an airbag apparatus based on the first command and initiating a second inflator of the airbag apparatus based on the second command.