US 7,321,817 B2 | ||
Automobile frontal collision location detection for coordinated activation of safety systems | ||
Kwaku O. Prakah-Asante, Commerce Township, Mich. (US); Manoharprasad K. Rao, Novi, Mich. (US); Gary S. Strumolo, Beverly Hills, Mich. (US); and Jeanette J. Epps, Southfield, Mich. (US) | ||
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, Mich. (US) | ||
Filed on Dec. 05, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/729,104. | ||
Claims priority of provisional application 60/432973, filed on Dec. 13, 2002. | ||
Prior Publication US 2004/0117091 A1, Jun. 17, 2004 | ||
Int. Cl. B60R 21/32 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 701—45 [280/735; 180/271] | 15 Claims |
1. A safety system for a vehicle, said safety system comprising:
a plurality of collision detection sensors coupled to the periphery of said vehicle and operable to generate at least one
collision detection signal; and
a controller coupled to said plurality of collision detection sensors and comprising (i) a collision contact location estimator
for determining a collision type, which includes determining a collision severity and a collision contact location on said
vehicle, in response to said at least one collision detection signal, and (ii) a coordinated device activation system for
performing at least one countermeasure in response to said collision type;
wherein said collision contact location estimator, in determining said collision severity, is operable to generate at least
one collision severity signal corresponding to approximately KiVi(1−e−τt), in which Vi is voltage output from the ith collision detection sensor, Ki is an adaptive gain, and τ is an adjustable filter time-constant.
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