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A plurality of gas generators provide for controllably inflating a plurality of inflatable confinements responsive to a prediction by a predictive collision sensor of both a size of an expected collision object and an expected location of the collision. The inflatable confinements are associated wit

A plurality of gas generators provide for controllably inflating a plurality of inflatable confinements responsive to a prediction by a predictive collision sensor of both a size of an expected collision object and an expected location of the collision. The inflatable confinements are associated with different zones across a door of a vehicle, each zone having an associated structural stiffness and level of proximity to the occupant. For a pole-like object expected to impact a relatively less-stiff zone of the vehicle, the inflatable confinements are controlled so as to deflect the point of impact towards a stiffer zone away from the occupant. For a barrier-like object, inflatable confinements associated with relatively stiff zones are inflated relatively higher than those associated with relatively less stiff zones so as to transfer impact energy to the relatively stiff zones.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle, comprising:a. predicting if the vehicle is likely to crash with the object at an impact location; b. determining a prediction of said impact location on the vehicle; c. dete

1. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle, comprising:a. predicting if the vehicle is likely to crash with the object at an impact location; b. determining a prediction of said impact location on the vehicle; c. determining a size of the object; and d. controlling an inflation of a plurality of inflatable confinements external of the vehicle responsive both to said impact location and to said size of the object. 2. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of controlling the inflation of said plurality of inflatable confinements comprises controlling a pattern of inflation of said plurality of inflatable confinements.3. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 2, wherein said pattern of inflation comprises initially inflating a first set of inflatable confinements to a first level of inflation, and then inflating a second set of inflatable confinements to a second level of inflation.4. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 2, wherein said pattern of inflation is further responsive to the arrangement, size and location of said inflatable confinements relative to the vehicle, and to the location of the center of gravity of the vehicle.5. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of controlling the inflation of a plurality of inflatable confinements comprises controlling an inflation power by which at least one inflatable confinement is inflated, and said inflation power is controlled responsive to at least one of a measure of impact speed, a mass of the vehicle, and a stiffness of the vehicle proximate to said at least one inflatable confinement.6. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein responsive to said size being less than a first threshold and the vehicle being likely to crash with the object, the operation of controlling the inflation of a plurality of inflatable confinements comprises providing for inflating at least two of said plurality of inflatable confinements by substantially different amounts so as to cause a lateral deflection of the object relative to the vehicle following engagement of the object by at least one of said plurality of inflatable confinements.7. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 6, wherein an inflatable confinement located proximate to said impact location is inflated to a higher level than another of said plurality of inflatable confinements.8. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 6, wherein said operation of controlling the inflation of a plurality of inflatable confinements is further dependent upon said impact location comprising a location proximate to a location of an occupant of the vehicle.9. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 8, wherein said location proximate to a location of an occupant of the vehicle comprises a location on a door of the vehicle, wherein said door is proximate to said plurality of inflatable confinements.10. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein responsive to said size being greater than a threshold and the vehicle being likely to crash with the object, the operation of controlling the inflation of a plurality of inflatable confinements comprises providing for inflating at least one of said plurality of inflatable confinements that is adapted to transfer load to at least one structural member of the vehicle that is substantially stiffer responsive to the collision than is a portion of said vehicle proximate to a proximate occupant location.11. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 10, wherein said at least one structural member comprises either an A-pillar, a B-pillar or a C-pillar of the vehicle.12. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 11, wherein said plurality of inflatable confinements comprise at least two inflatable confinements, and said at least one structural member comprises at least two different structural members selected from an A-pillar, a B-pillar and a C-pillar of the vehicle.13. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the object comprises a ground surface, the operation of predicting if the vehicle is likely to crash comprises predicting whether the vehicle is likely to rollover, said impact location comprises a leading side of the vehicle, and responsive to a prediction that the vehicle is likely to rollover, the operation of controlling the inflation of a plurality of inflatable confinements comprises providing for inflating at least one of said plurality of inflatable confinements that is adapted to transfer load to at least one structural member of the vehicle that is substantially stiffer responsive to the collision than is a portion of said vehicle proximate to a proximate occupant location.14. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a collision between the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle as recited in claim 13, wherein said at least one structural member comprises either an A-pillar, a B-pillar or a C-pillar of the vehicle.15. An occupant protection system, comprising:a. at least one external air bag inflator module, wherein said at least one external air bag inflator module comprises a plurality of inflatable confinements and an associated plurality of gas generator modules, wherein said plurality of inflatable confinements are located so as to cooperate with a common side or end of the vehicle; b. a predictive collision sensing system, wherein said predictive collision sensing system comprises at least one predictive collision sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, and said predictive collision sensing system is adapted to provide i) an indication of whether the vehicle is expected to collide with an external object, ii) a measure of a size of the object, and iii) a predicted location on the vehicle at which the object is expected to collide; and c. a processor operatively coupled to said plurality of gas generator modules and to said predictive collision sensing system, wherein said processor controls an actuation of at least one gas generator module responsive to said indication of whether the vehicle is expected to collide with an external object, said measure of said size of the object, and said predicted location on the vehicle at which the object is expected to collide. 16. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said plurality of inflatable confinements are arranged across a door substantially adjacent to one another.17. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 16, wherein said plurality of inflatable confinements are adapted to cooperate with a door reinforcing beam when inflated so as to transfer an impact force from at least one inflatable confinement to said door reinforcing beam.18. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one said inflatable confinement is adapted to vent inflation gases generated by said associated gas generator module.19. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one said inflatable confinement is adapted to span across both a pillar region and a door region of the vehicle, and responsive to said processor indicating that a collision is likely, and responsive to said measure of said size of the object being less than a threshold, said at least one inflatable confinement is inflated by said at least one external air bag module only if said predicted location on the vehicle at which the object is expected to collide is within said door region.20. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one said inflatable confinement is adapted to span across both a pillar region and a door region of the vehicle, and responsive to said processor indicating that a collision is likely, and responsive to said measure of said size of the object being greater than a threshold, said at least one inflatable confinement is inflated by said at least one external air bag module.21. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one said inflatable confinement has an inflated shape that along a lateral cross-section thereof, comprises a taper of decreasing extent in a downwards direction.22. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least two of said plurality of inflatable confinements are located proximate to relatively stiff regions of the vehicle.23. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of said plurality of inflatable confinements is located proximate to a door proximate to a seating location of the vehicle.24. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least two of said plurality of inflatable confinements comprise separate chambers of an air bag.25. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least two of said of plurality of inflatable confinements comprise separate air bags.26. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 25, wherein said separate air bags are adapted to interlock with one another when inflated so as to resist penetration therebetween by an impinging object.27. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 25, further comprising an external shroud at least partially surrounding at least two of said separate air bags when two of said separate air bags are inflated.28. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of said gas generator modules comprises a plurality of gas generator elements.29. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one external air bag inflator module comprises a plurality external air bag inflator modules, each proximate to a different door location on the same side of the vehicle.30. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one external air bag inflator module is located rearwards of a rearmost door.31. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one external air bag inflator module is located in a fixed portion of the vehicle at least partially surrounding a door, and said at least one external air bag inflator module comprises an air bag that inflates so as to extend across and beyond a surface of door.32. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 31, wherein a first at least one said gas generator module is located in a rocker panel below said door.33. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 32, wherein a second at least one said gas generator module is located in a first pillar region of the vehicle adjacent to said door.34. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 33, wherein said second at least one said gas generator module is located above said first at least one said gas generator module.35. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 33, wherein said at least one external air bag module comprises an air bag, and when said air bag is inflated, a first height of said air bag at a location behind a proximate occupant location is greater than a second height of said air bag at a location at or in front of said proximate occupant location.36. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 33, wherein a third at least one said gas generator module is located in a second pillar region of the vehicle adjacent to said door at a location above said first at least one said gas generator module, and said first and second pillar regions are distinct from one another.37. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, further comprising at least one means for sensing an interaction of said inflatable confinement with an impinging object, wherein said processor is operatively coupled to said at least one means for sensing an interaction of said inflatable confinement with an impinging object and the actuation of at least one gas generator module is controlled responsive thereto.38. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 37, wherein said at least one means for sensing an interaction of said inflatable confinement with an impinging object comprises a pressure sensor.39. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one predictive collision sensor is selected from a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a capacitive sensor and a magnetic sensor adapted to sense a region external of the vehicle.40. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said at least one predictive collision sensor comprises a magnetic sensor adapted to sense a region external of the vehicle.41. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said processor controls the actuation of at least one gas generator module responsive to at least one of a measure of the velocity of the object relative to the vehicle and a measure of collision severity responsive to said measure of the velocity of the object relative to the vehicle.42. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 41, wherein said measure of collision severity is further responsive to at least one of said predicted location on the vehicle at which the object is expected to collide and said measure of said size of the object.43. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said predictive collision sensor comprises a rollover sensing system, and responsive to a prediction of a rollover by said rollover sensing system, at least one said inflatable confinement proximate to at least one relatively stiff region of the vehicle proximate to said predicted location is inflated to a higher level of inflation than at least one other said inflatable confinement.44. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 43, wherein said at least one inflatable confinement comprises a plurality of inflatable confinements operatively coupled to a corresponding associated plurality of different relatively stiff regions of the vehicle.45. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein responsive to said indication indicating that the vehicle is expected to collide with an external object, said processor initially provides for inflating a first set of said plurality of inflatable confinements to a first level of inflation.46. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 15, wherein said processor provides for inflating a second set of said plurality of inflatable confinements to a higher level of inflation than a remaining set of said plurality of inflatable confinements, and said second set of said plurality of inflatable confinements comprises at least one inflatable confinement proximate to said predicted location on the vehicle at which the object is expected to collide.47. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 46, wherein responsive to said measure of said size of the object being less than a threshold, if said predicted location on the vehicle at which the object is expected to collide is proximate to an occupant location, then at least one inflatable confinement proximate to said predicted location is inflated to a higher level of inflation than at least one other inflatable confinement.48. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 47, wherein at least one inflatable confinement adjacent to said predicted location is inflated to a higher level of inflation than at least one other inflatable confinement.49. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 37, wherein if said at least one means for sensing an interaction of said inflatable confinement with an impinging object detects an interaction with at least one said inflatable confinement, then said at least one inflatable confinement is inflated to a higher level of inflation than at least one other inflatable confinement.50. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 46, wherein responsive to said measure of said size of the object being greater than a threshold, at least one said inflatable confinement proximate to at least one relatively stiff region of the vehicle proximate to said predicted location is inflated to a higher level of inflation than at least one other said inflatable confinement.51. An occupant protection system as recited in claim 50, wherein said at least one inflatable confinement comprises a plurality of inflatable confinements operatively coupled to a corresponding associated plurality of different relatively stiff regions of the vehicle.52. A method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a rollover of the vehicle, comprising:a. predicting whether the vehicle is likely to rollover; and b. controlling an inflation of at least one inflatable confinement external of the vehicle responsive to the operation of predicting whether the vehicle is likely to rollover. 53. A method of providing for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from a rollover of the vehicle, comprising:a. providing for predicting whether the vehicle is likely to rollover; and b. providing for controlling an inflation of at least one inflatable confinement external of the vehicle responsive to the operation of predicting whether the vehicle is likely to rollover. 54. An occupant protection system, comprising:a. a rollover sensing system adapted to predict whether a vehicle is likely to rollover; and b. at least one external air bag inflator module, wherein said at least one external air bag inflator module comprises at least one inflatable confinement and an associated at least one gas generator module, wherein said at least one inflatable confinement is adapted to deploy external of the vehicle responsive to a signal from said rollover sensing system.