Pre-crash assessment of crash severity for road vehicles

Claim 1

A method of predicting the severity of an imminent collision of first and second vehicles which are closing on each other, said method comprising the steps of: determining that a collision of said vehicles is imminent, exchanging vehicle crash-related information between the vehicles when an imminent collision is determined, said crash-related information, for said first vehicle, being represented by first vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said first vehicle and, for said second vehicle, being represented by second vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said second vehicle, processing, onboard said first vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a first crash-defining data signal, processing, onboard said second vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a second crash-defining data signal, predicting onboard said first vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said first crash-defining data signal, and predicting onboard said second vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said second crash-defining data signal.

Claim 2

A method of predicting the severity of an imminent collision of first and second vehicles which are closing on each other, said method comprising the steps of: determining that a collision of said vehicles is imminent, exchanging vehicle crash-related information between the vehicles when an imminent collision is determined, said crash-related information, for said first vehicle, being represented by first vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said first vehicle and, for said second vehicle, being represented by second vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said second vehicle, processing, onboard said first vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a first crash-defining data signal, processing, onboard said second vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a second crash-defining data signal, predicting onboard said first vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said first crash-defining data signal, and predicting onboard said second vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said second crash-defining data signal.

Claim 9

A method of controlling the occupant protection devices in each of first and second road vehicles, said method comprising the steps of; determining whether said vehicles are closing on each other, if said vehicles are closing on each other, determining whether collision of said vehicles is imminent, developing, onboard said first vehicle, first vehicle condition-defining signals which represent pre-crash conditions affecting the severity of a crash with another vehicle, developing, onboard said second vehicle, second vehicle-condition defining signals which represent pre-crash conditions affecting the severity of a crash with another vehicle, if a collision is imminent, transmitting said first vehicle condition-defining signals from said first vehicle to said second vehicle and transmitting said second vehicle condition-defining signals from said second vehicle to said first vehicle, processing, onboard said first vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a first crash-defining data signal, processing, onboard said second vehicle said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a second crash-defining data signal, predicting onboard said first vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said first crash-defining data signal and controlling the occupant protection devices onboard said first vehicle in accordance with the predicted severity, and predicting onboard said second vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said second vehicle based upon said second crash-defining data signal and controlling the occupant protection devices onboard said second vehicle in accordance with the predicted severity.

Claim 10

A method of controlling the occupant protection devices in each of first and second road vehicles, said method comprising the steps of; determining whether said vehicles are closing on each other, if said vehicles are closing on each other, determining whether collision of said vehicles is imminent, developing, onboard said first vehicle, first vehicle condition-defining signals which represent pre-crash conditions affecting the severity of a crash with another vehicle, developing, onboard said second vehicle, second vehicle-condition defining signals which represent pre-crash conditions affecting the severity of a crash with another vehicle, if a collision is imminent, transmitting said first vehicle condition-defining signals from said first vehicle to said second vehicle and transmitting said second vehicle condition-defining signals from said second vehicle to said first vehicle, processing, onboard said first vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a first crash-defining data signal, processing, onboard said second vehicle said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a second crash-defining data signal, predicting onboard said first vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said first crash-defining data signal and controlling the occupant protection devices onboard said first vehicle in accordance with the predicted severity, and predicting onboard said second vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said second vehicle based upon said second crash-defining data signal and controlling the occupant protection devices onboard said second vehicle in accordance with the predicted severity.

Claim 21

A method of predicting the severity of an imminent collision of a vehicle with another object, said method comprising the steps of: determining that a collision of the vehicle and the object is imminent, exchanging vehicle crash-related information between said vehicle and said object when an imminent collision is determined, said crash-related information for said vehicle, being represented by vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said first vehicle and, for said object, being represented by a crash characteristics signal for said object, processing onboard said vehicle, said vehicle condition defining signals and said crash characteristics signal from said object to obtain a crash-defining data signal for said vehicle, and predicting onboard said vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said vehicle based upon said crash-defining data signal.

Claim 22

A method of predicting the severity of an imminent collision of a vehicle with another object, said method comprising the steps of: determining that a collision of the vehicle and the object is imminent, exchanging vehicle crash-related information between said vehicle and said object when an imminent collision is determined, said crash-related information for said vehicle, being represented by vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said first vehicle and, for said object, being represented by a crash characteristics signal for said object, processing onboard said vehicle, said vehicle condition defining signals and said crash characteristics signal from said object to obtain a crash-defining data signal for said vehicle, and predicting onboard said vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said vehicle based upon said crash-defining data signal.