Apparatus for automatic release of passenger protection devices in the event of an accident

Abstract

An apparatus for the automatic release of passenger protection devices in motor vehicles in the event of an accident has a sensor (35) having a mass (10) secured outside the center of mass (11). This mass (10) generates a comparably high torque in the suspension in the event of both positional change and rotational acceleration. These torques are detected with known measuring methods and split, with the aid of a high-pass filter (36) and a low-pass filter (40), into a high-frequency and a low-frequency portion. The high frequency portion corresponds to the rotational acceleration, from which the rotational velocity is obtained by means of an integrator (38). The low-frequency portion corresponds to the position of the motor vehicle. Thus both measurement variables that must be detected for releasing a roll bar are obtained with a single sensor (35).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.