US5359515A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle occupant safety system and method for operating the same
Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
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Filing: 1990-05-16
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Granted: 1994-10-25
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Expires: 2010-05-16
Abstract
Abstract A vehicle occupant safety system, in particular a restraining system such as an airbag, safety-belt tightener or the like, includes a sensor device having at least two sensors, a preprocessing device comprising at least two preprocessing circuits, for the sensor signals, a computing system and a trigger circuit including at least two stages, for a safety device. For providing a high degree of safety with relatively low costs, the computing system is constructed as a single-computer system in such a way that it processes the data of two preprocessing circuits in two programs with staggered timing with respect to one another.
Inventors
- 👤 Hugo Weller
- 👤 Peter Taufer
- 👤 Knut Balzer
- 👤 Wilfried Burger
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 21:57
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/013; B60R21/0132; G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/0796; G06F11/14; G06F11/1497; B60R2021/01122; B60R2021/01184; B60R2021/0119
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A safety system for activating a restraining device of a vehicle, comprising: at least two sensors, each sensor generating a respective sensor signal; at least two preprocessing circuits, each preprocessing circuit coupled to a respective sensor for receiving the respective sensor signals and for generating respective preprocessing signals based thereon; a computing system coupled to the preprocessing circuits for continuously processing the preprocessing signals in respective programs which are executed during respective time intervals which are staggered with respect to one another, and starting at times which are determined based on respective independent interrupts; and at least two trigger circuit components coupled to the computing system for activating the restraining device.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
111 words
A safety system for activating a restraining device of a vehicle, comprising: at least two sensors, each sensor generating a respective sensor signal; at least two preprocessing circuits, each preprocessing circuit coupled to a respective sensor for receiving the respective sensor signals and for generating respective preprocessing signals based thereon; a computing system coupled to the preprocessing circuits for continuously processing the preprocessing signals in respective programs which are executed during respective time intervals which are staggered with respect to one another, and starting at times which are determined based on respective independent interrupts; and at least two trigger circuit components coupled to the computing system for activating the restraining device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein the times at which execution of the respective programs start are n·T and (2n+1)·(T/2), respectively, n being positive integers, and T being a processing period.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The safety system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a watchdog circuit triggered by a trigger signal generated by the programs, and coupled to a reset input of the computing system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The safety system as recited in claim 3, wherein the watchdog circuit is a window watchdog circuit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The safety system as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the program generates half of the trigger signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The safety system as recited in claim 3, wherein the time at which execution of one program starts corresponds to the rising edge of the trigger signal, and the time at which execution of the other program starts corresponds to the trailing edge of the trigger signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein the execution of each program ends before the execution of the other program begins.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The safety system as recited in claim 7, wherein each program tests for the end of the other program.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The safety system as recited in claim 8, wherein each program has an end identifier which is monitored by the other program.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein the restraining device is activated only if the executions of the programs produce approximately identical results.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
106 words
A method for activating a restraining device of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: generating a respective sensor signal with each of at least two sensors; preprocessing the sensor signals with respective preprocessing circuits coupled to each of the at least two sensors and generating respective preprocessing signals based thereon; continuously processing with a computing system the preprocessing signals in respective programs which are executed during respective time intervals which are staggered with respect to one another, and starting at times which are determined based on respective independent interrupts; and activating the restraining device using at least two trigger circuit components coupled to the computing system.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
106 words
A method for activating a restraining device of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: generating a respective sensor signal with each of at least two sensors; preprocessing the sensor signals with respective preprocessing circuits coupled to each of the at least two sensors and generating respective preprocessing signals based thereon; continuously processing with a computing system the preprocessing signals in respective programs which are executed during respective time intervals which are staggered with respect to one another, and starting at times which are determined based on respective independent interrupts; and activating the restraining device using at least two trigger circuit components coupled to the computing system.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the times at which execution of the respective programs start are n . T and (2n+1)·(T/2), respectively, n being positive integers, and T being a processing period.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the steps of: triggering a watchdog circuit with a trigger signal generated by the programs; and resetting the computing system with the watchdog circuit if the programs fail to properly trigger the watchdog circuit.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the watchdog circuit is a window watchdog circuit.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method as recited in claim 13, wherein each of the programs generates half of the trigger signal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the time at which execution of one program starts corresponds to the rising edge of the trigger signal, and the time at which execution of the other program starts corresponds to the trailing edge of the trigger signal.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the execution of each program ends before the execution of the other program begins.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method as recited in claim 17, wherein each program tests for the end of the other program.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as recited in claim 18, wherein each program has an end identifier which is monitored by the other program.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the activating step is performed only if the executions of the programs produce approximately identical results.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-10-24 | 1998-04-25 | 1998-10-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-10-24 | 2002-04-25 | 2002-10-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-10-24 | 2006-04-25 | 2006-10-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |