초록 ▼

An electronic crash sensing unit for detecting and discriminating a crash and actuating occupant safety device(s) such as air bags. The unit is designed and constructed to operate within an aircraft, but may be used in ground and sea-going vehicles as well. It provides crash acceleration sensing cov

An electronic crash sensing unit for detecting and discriminating a crash and actuating occupant safety device(s) such as air bags. The unit is designed and constructed to operate within an aircraft, but may be used in ground and sea-going vehicles as well. It provides crash acceleration sensing coverage for impact angles occurring throughout aircraft upper and lower hemispherical directions, which are defined by longitudinal, lateral, and vertical aircraft fixed axes as well as any combination of coordinates thereof. It can sense an aircraft acceleration event, determine if the acceleration is a normally occurring event not requiring air bag deployment or a crash event that warrants deployment. The crash sensing unit uses a microprocessor and algorithm to discriminate crash events that warrant safety device deployment from non-crash events, and to actuate deployment. The crash sensing unit compares continuously measured acceleration and calculated total velocity change to defined go/no-go threshold criteria. A crash event is defined as the exceeding both acceleration and velocity change thresholds.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A three-axis aircraft crash sensing system comprising:(a) an x-axis solid-state accelerometer;(b) a y-axis solid-state accelerometer mounted orthogonally to the x-axis solid-state accelerometer;(c) a z-axis solid-state accelerometer mounted orthogonally to the x-axis and

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A three-axis aircraft crash sensing system comprising:(a) an x-axis solid-state accelerometer;(b) a y-axis solid-state accelerometer mounted orthogonally to the x-axis solid-state accelerometer;(c) a z-axis solid-state accelerometer mounted orthogonally to the x-axis and y-axis solid-state accelerometers;(d) a microprocessor and one or more ignition circuits;(e) one or more air bags; and(f) one or more gas generators, each of said gas generators comprising an igniter, wherein each igniter is electrically connected to an ignition circuit,wherein said gas generators are capable of fully inflating all of the one or more air bags,wherein each of the accelerometers continuously measures acceleration in its respective direction, and provides signals representative of the acceleration to the microprocessor,wherein the microprocessor calculates an x-axis total velocity change, a y-axis total velocity change and a z-axis total velocity change from the signals representative of the acceleration,wherein the microprocessor contains an x-axis total velocity change threshold, an x-axis acceleration threshold, a y-axis total velocity change threshold, a y-axis acceleration threshold, a z-axis total velocity change threshold and a z-axis acceleration threshold,and wherein the microprocessor is programmed to issue a command to the ignition circuit to initiate ignition of one or more igniters if:(i) the x-axis acceleration is greater than the x-axis acceleration threshold and the x-axis total velocity change is greater than the x-axis total velocity change threshold, or(ii) the y-axis acceleration is greater than the y-axis acceleration threshold and the y-axis total velocity change is greater than the y-axis total velocity change threshold, or(iii) the z-axis acceleration is greater than the z-axis acceleration threshold and the z-axis total velocity change is greater than the z-axis total velocity change threshold.