Vehicular impact reactive system and method
AssigneeAutomotive Technologies International, Inc.
InventorDavid S. Breed
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
System and method for reacting to an expected impact involving a vehicle including an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur prior to the impact and an impact responsive system coupled to the sensor system and actuated after its determination of the expected impact. The sensor system includes wave receivers spaced apart from one another, each receiving waves generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle. The impact responsive system attempts to reduce the potential harm resulting from the impact and can be a protection apparatus which protects a vehicular occupant or a pedestrian, such as one including an airbag and an inflator for inflating the airbag.
Claims29
In a motor vehicle, a system for reacting to an expected impact involving the vehicle, comprising:
- an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur prior to the impact, said sensor system comprising a plurality of wave receivers spaced apart from one another and each being structured and arranged to receive waves generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle, said sensor system including a processor arranged to apply a pattern recognition technique to the received waves or signals derived therefrom in order to obtain information about the common object exterior of the vehicle and assess the probability or effect of an impact with the common object exterior of the vehicle based on the obtained information;
- and
- an impact-determination responsive system coupled to said sensor system and actuated after the determination by said sensor system of an expected impact involving the vehicle and being arranged to attempt to reduce the potential harm resulting from the impact.
A vehicular system for reacting to an expected impact in order to attempt to reduce the potential harm resulting from the impact, comprising:
- receiving means for receiving waves at a plurality of spaced apart locations generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle;
- processing means coupled to said receiver means for processing signals from said receiving means representative of waves received by said receiving means into an indication of the probable severity of an expected impact between the object and the vehicle, said processing means being arranged to apply a pattern recognition technique to the received waves or signals derived therefrom in order to obtain information about the common object exterior of the vehicle and assess the probable severity of an impact with the common object exterior of the vehicle based on the obtained information;
- and
- an impact-determination responsive system coupled to said processing means and actuated based on the probable severity of the expected impact and being arranged to attempt to reduce the potential harm resulting from the impact.
A method for reducing injury to a vehicular occupant in an impact involving the vehicle, comprising:
- arranging a deployable protection apparatus on the vehicle;
- arranging a plurality of wave receivers in spaced apart positions on the vehicle in which they are receivable of waves generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle;
- receiving waves via the wave receivers;
- determining whether an expected impact of the object with vehicle will require deployment of the protection apparatus based on the received waves, the step of determining whether the expected impact will require deployment of the protection apparatus comprising applying a pattern recognition technique to the received waves or signals derived therefrom in order to obtain information about the common object exterior of the vehicle and assessing the probability or effect of an impact with the common object exterior of the vehicle based on the obtained information;
- and
- deploying the protection apparatus when the expected impact is determined to require such deployment.
In a motor vehicle, a system for reacting to an expected impact involving the vehicle, comprising:
- an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur prior to the impact, said sensor system comprising a plurality of wave receivers spaced apart from one another and each being structured and arranged to receive waves generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle;
- and
- an impact-determination responsive system coupled to said sensor system and actuated after the determination by said sensor system of an expected impact involving the vehicle and being arranged to attempt to reduce potential injury to an occupant resulting from the impact,
- said impact-determination responsive system including a deployable occupant protection apparatus and being arranged to deploy said protection apparatus prior to the impact such that the deployed protection apparatus reduces injury to the occupant during the impact.
A vehicular system for reacting to an expected impact in order to attempt to reduce potential injury to an occupant resulting from the impact, comprising:
- receiving means for receiving waves at a plurality of spaced apart locations generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle;
- processing means coupled to said receiver means for processing signals from said receiving means representative of waves received by said receiving means into an indication of the probable severity of an expected impact between the object and the vehicle;
- and
- an impact-determination responsive system coupled to said processing means and actuated based on the probable severity of the expected impact and being arranged to attempt to reduce the potential injury to the occupant resulting from the impact,
- said impact-determination responsive system including a deployable occupant protection apparatus and being arranged to deploy said protection apparatus prior to the impact such that the deployed protection apparatus reduces injury to the occupant during the impact.
A method for reducing injury to a vehicular occupant in an impact involving the vehicle, comprising:
- arranging a deployable protection apparatus on the vehicle;
- arranging a plurality of wave receivers in spaced apart positions on the vehicle in which they are receivable of waves generated by, modified by, or reflected from a common object exterior of the vehicle;
- receiving waves via the wave receivers;
- determining whether an expected impact of the object with vehicle will require deployment of the protection apparatus during the impact based on the received waves;
- and
- deploying the protection apparatus prior to the impact when the expected impact is determined to require such deployment during the impact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.