GB1390689A - Occupant restraint airbag system for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1390689 Automatic fault indication HITACHI Ltd and NISSAN MOTOR CO Ltd 28 Dec 1972 [29 Dec 1971] 59820/73 Heading H2K [Also in Division G1] An automobile air-bag system includes means 21 for detecting a collision and inflating the airbag, fault detecting means for detecting a fault in the means 21, means 50 for recording an output from the fault detecting means, and means 51 for disconnecting the recording means on detection of a collision. In the arrangement shown, a fault lights an indicating lamp and causes a signal to appear at a terminal 502 to render a transistor 503 conductive. This causes a transistor 506 to stop conducting to allow a capacitor 508 to charge until a zener diode 512 breaks down. Transistors 510, 511 now conduct and cause the blowing of a recording fuse 513. The collision detector 21 may interrupt the supply at 51 or render the output signal of the fault detecting means ineffective so that a collision would not cause operation of the means 513. In an alternative arrangement, Fig. 5 (not shown), the fault signal causes a transistor to conduct to cause current to flow through an electrolytic recording device in which the reduction in length of a copper electrode rod indicates the duration of the fault.