KR101817118B1 - Apparatus and Method for control of airbag) - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method to control an airbag, and more specifically, relates to an apparatus and a method to control an airbag, capable of deploying the airbag even though an airbag control unit (ACU) detects an impact level lower than an existing impact level through user′s control for coping with the situation. Accordingly, a reference impact level is lowered in the case of not only a collision level capable of being coped with by a driver, but also a collision level incapable of being coped with by a driver, thereby deploying the airbag at a small collision level to protect a passenger. When a collision with an electric pole or a tree, or an intentional collision in sudden unintended acceleration is required, the reference collision level is lowered by using situation management in accordance with driver′s intention, thereby deploying the airbag at the small collision level to protect the passenger. According to the present invention, the apparatus comprises a collision sensor, a steering wheel pressure sensor, a foot brake switch, a steering wheel locking device, a steering wheel switch, and the ACU.

Description

[0001] Apparatus and Method for Controlling Airbag [0002]

The present invention relates to an airbag control apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an airbag control apparatus and an airbag control apparatus that allow an airbag to be deployed even when an airbag control unit (ACU) ≪ / RTI >

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Generally, an automobile is provided with an airbag device which is deployed between a structure of a vehicle body and a passenger at the time of a collision of an automobile, to prevent the passenger from coming into direct contact with the structure of the vehicle body to be injured.

Wherein the airbag device comprises: a sensor mounted on the vehicle body for detecting whether the vehicle collides with the vehicle body; an ACU calculating an impact amount according to a value sensed by the sensor and controlling the deployment of the airbag when the impact amount is greater than a reference value; Airbag Control Unit).

However, even if the vehicle collides with the vehicle, the airbag is not deployed when the impact is detected due to a malfunction of the impact sensor or an actual amount of impact.

Therefore, even if the calculated amount of the impact is small, a new technique is required for protecting the passenger by deploying the airbag in a situation where the deployment of the actual airbag is necessary.

Open Patent No. 10-2005-0093104 (published on September 23, 2005) Published Patent No. 10-2011-0121939 (published on November 11, 2011)

The inventors of the present invention have completed the present invention by constructing the airbag to be deployed by using the conditional reflection situation of the driver and the situation coping according to the driver's will.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag control apparatus and method capable of protecting a passenger by deploying an airbag at a small impact amount by lowering a reference impact amount by using a situation- .

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling an airbag that can deploy an airbag with a small amount of impact by adjusting a reference impact amount while maintaining the existing airbag deployment system.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a shock sensor comprising: a shock sensor for sensing a magnitude of an impact upon collision of a vehicle; A steering wheel pressure sensor that is provided on the steering wheel and senses an applied pressure and generates a first signal value when the applied pressure is equal to or higher than a reference pressure; A brake foot switch provided on the brake and generating a second signal value when pressed by the brake; A steering wheel lock device that fixes the steering wheel to the steering shaft normally but releases the steering wheel when receiving a predetermined signal value; A steering wheel switch provided at a predetermined position between the steering wheel and the steering shaft and generating a third signal value when pressed by the steering wheel; And an airbag control unit for controlling the deployment of the airbag based on a signal from the steering wheel pressure sensor, the brake foot switch, and the steering wheel switch together with the magnitude of the vehicle impact sensed by the impact sensor, Thereby providing a control device.

In a preferred embodiment, when the control unit receives the first signal value from the steering wheel pressure sensor and the second signal value from the brake foot switch, the control unit controls the steering wheel lock unit to release the steering wheel lock .

In a preferred embodiment, when the airbag control unit receives the third signal value from the steering wheel switch, it reduces the magnitude of the reference impulse amount for determining the deployment of the airbag from the normal impact amount to the magnitude of the emergency impact amount.

In a preferred embodiment, the airbag control unit controls the deployment of the airbag when the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude.

In a preferred embodiment, the steering wheel pressure sensor is a thin film type pressure sensor provided to surround the steering wheel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel pressure sensor, comprising: a steering wheel pressure sensor for detecting a pressure applied to a steering wheel pressure sensor; Generating a second signal value when the brake foot switch is depressed by the brake; When the airbag control unit receives both the first signal value and the second signal value, controlling the steering wheel lock device to release the steering wheel from being locked on the steering shaft; Generating a third signal value when the steering wheel lock device is released and the driver presses the steering wheel downward to depress the steering wheel switch; When the airbag control unit receives the third signal value, reducing the magnitude of the reference impulse amount for determining the deployment of the airbag from the normal impact amount to the magnitude of the emergency impulse amount; And controlling the deployment of the airbag when the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude is detected.

The present invention has the following excellent effects.

First, according to the airbag control apparatus and method of the present invention, the airbag is deployed not only at a time of a large collision where the driver can not cope with the situation but also at a small impact amount even at a small collision where the driver can cope with the situation, There is an effect that can protect.

In addition, according to the airbag control apparatus and method of the present invention, when the collision or intentional collision of a vehicle or a tree is required, the airbag is deployed at a low impact level by lowering the reference collision amount by using a situation- So that the passenger can be protected.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an airbag control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an airbag control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart showing an air bag control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Although the terms used in the present invention have been selected as general terms that are widely used at present, there are some terms selected arbitrarily by the applicant in a specific case. In this case, the meaning described or used in the detailed description part of the invention The meaning must be grasped.

Hereinafter, the technical structure of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an airbag control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an airbag control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, an airbag control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an impact sensor 110, a steering wheel pressure sensor 120, a brake foot switch 130, a steering wheel switch 140 , A steering wheel lock device 150, an airbag control part (ACU) 160, and an airbag 170. [

For example, in the case of a front airbag, the impact sensors 110 may be disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle bumper so that when a collision occurs in the bumper, And transmits a signal to the airbag control unit 160. [

The impact sensor 110 may be any of various sensors capable of detecting a collision of an automobile, such as a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, or an acceleration sensor.

In the airbag controller 160, a reference impulse amount for determining the deployment of the airbag is input. The initial reference impulse amount is a normal impulse amount.

When a large vehicle collision that can not cope with the situation occurs under such a configuration, the impact sensor 110 detects the impact amount and sends the value to the airbag control unit 160. If the detected impact amount exceeds the reference impact amount The airbag controller 160 controls to deploy the airbag.

According to the present invention, the airbag is deployed to protect the passenger even in the event of a small collision where the driver can not cope with a situation, as well as when the driver can cope with the situation.

That is, the airbag controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention lowers the reference impulse amount through the secondary control using the situation coping according to the driver's will, together with the primary control according to the driver's coping with the condition- So that the air bag is deployed even when the impact amount is increased.

The primary control according to the driver's conditional reflex situation response is performed through the steering wheel pressure sensor 120 and the brake foot switch 130. [

In other words, in the embodiment of the present invention, as the conditional reflection action, the steering wheel 10 is strongly held and the brake 20 ).

The steering wheel pressure sensor 120 senses a pressure generated when the steering wheel 10 is strongly gripped during a conditional reflection of the driver and generates a first signal value when the value is equal to or greater than a reference pressure.

The steering wheel pressure sensor 120 may include various sensors capable of sensing a pressure generated when the steering wheel 10 is gripped. In the embodiment of the present invention, a thin film type pressure sensor is used. The thin film type pressure sensor can be manufactured using a conductive fiber having a wide range of pressure sensing and capable of wrapping the steering wheel 10. That is, when the driver strongly grasps the steering wheel 10 as a conditional reflection behavior, the steering wheel pressure sensor 120, which is a thin film type pressure sensor, senses it and generates a first signal value when the value is equal to or greater than a reference pressure.

The brake foot switch 130 generates a second signal value when it is depressed by the brake 20 by strongly depressing the brake 20 as a conditional reflection behavior of the driver.

The brake foot switch 130 may be provided at the lower end of the brake 20 so that the brake foot switch 130 can be easily pressed when the brake 20 is depressed.

Here, the airbag controller 160 performs the first-order control when receiving the first signal value from the steering wheel pressure sensor 120 and the second signal value from the brake footswitch 130, The airbag controller 160 controls the steering wheel lock device 150 so that the steering wheel 10 is released from the steering shaft 30. [

The steering wheel 10 is driven in a state of being fixed to the steering shaft 30. Normally the steering wheel lock device 150 is in a locked state such that the steering wheel 10 is fixed to the steering shaft 30, . When the signal is received through the primary control of the airbag controller 160, the steering wheel lock device 150 is driven so that the steering wheel 10 is released from the steering shaft 30.

The steering wheel 10 is in a state of being able to switch on to generate the third signal value when the steering wheel lock device 150 is released.

That is, a steering wheel switch 140 for generating a third signal value is provided at a predetermined position between the steering wheel 10 and the steering shaft 30, The third signal value is generated.

This means a secondary control using the situation coping according to the driver's will, and is performed through the steering wheel switch 140. [

In other words, when the driver depresses the steering wheel 10 downward, that is, when the driver depresses the steering wheel 10, the steering wheel switch 140 is pressed to generate the third signal value.

Upon receiving the third signal value from the steering wheel switch 140, the airbag control unit 160 reduces the magnitude of the reference impulse amount for determining the deployment of the airbag to the magnitude of the emergency impulse amount from the normal impulse amount, and then stores the value . This is to adjust the reference load so that the airbag can be deployed even with a small impact.

As described above, the airbag control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention lowers the reference impulse amount through the secondary control using the situation coping according to the driver's will, together with the primary control according to the driver's coping with the condition- When the collision of the vehicle occurs under this condition, the airbag is deployed if it is determined that the detected impact amount is smaller than the initial reference impact amount but larger than the adjusted emergency load amount.

If both the primary control and the secondary control are not performed, the existing airbag deployment process is applied, and the deployment of the airbag is determined based on the initial reference impact amount.

3 is a flowchart showing an air bag control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Such an air bag control method can be applied when a collision such as a collision with a vehicle or a tree or the like requires a small collision or an intentional collision in the case of sudden emergence.

First, the pressure applied to the steering wheel pressure sensor 120 is sensed (S10). When the sensed pressure value is determined to be equal to or higher than the reference pressure, a first signal value is generated (S11). That is, when a pressure is applied to the steering wheel pressure sensor 120 as a conditional reflection behavior of the driver, the steering wheel pressure sensor 120 senses the pressure and generates a first signal value when the pressure is greater than a reference pressure.

When the brake foot switch 130 is depressed by the brake 20, a second signal value is generated (S20). That is, when the brake foot switch 130 is pressed as a conditional reflection of the driver, the second signal value is generated.

Then, when the airbag controller 160 receives both the first signal value and the second signal value, the airbag controller 160 controls the steering wheel lock device 150 to release the steering wheel 10 from the steering shaft 30 (S30). This means that the steering wheel 10 is in a state of being able to act as a switch (ON) for depressing the steering wheel switch 140, which means the primary control according to the driver's coping with the conditional reflection situation.

When the steering wheel lock device 150 is released, the driver pushes the steering wheel 10 downward to generate the third signal value when the steering wheel switch 140 is pressed (S40).

Subsequently, when the airbag control unit 160 receives the third signal value, the magnitude of the reference impulse amount for determining the deployment of the airbag is reduced from the normal impact amount to the magnitude of the emergency impact amount at step S50. This means that the airbag control device is in a state in which the airbag can be deployed when an impact amount smaller than the first reference impact amount is detected and is larger than the emergency impact amount adjusted in response to the driver's will .

Finally, when a vehicle collision occurs, the vehicle impact sensor 110 senses the amount of the impact (S60). If the detected amount of the impact is less than the amount of the emergency, the airbag is not deployed. If it is larger than the impact amount in an emergency, control is performed so as to deploy the airbag (S61).

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, Various changes and modifications will be possible.

100: air bag controller 110: shock sensor
120: Steering wheel pressure sensor 130: Brake foot switch
140: Steering wheel switch 150: Steering wheel lock
160: air bag controller 170: air bag

Claims (6)

A shock detection sensor for detecting the magnitude of the impact upon collision of the vehicle;
A steering wheel pressure sensor that is provided on the steering wheel and senses an applied pressure and generates a first signal value when the applied pressure is equal to or higher than a reference pressure;
A brake foot switch provided on the brake and generating a second signal value when pressed by the brake;
A steering wheel lock device which fixes the steering wheel to the steering shaft normally but releases the steering wheel when receiving a predetermined signal value;
A steering wheel switch provided at a predetermined position between the steering wheel and the steering shaft and generating a third signal value when pressed by the steering wheel; And
And an airbag control unit for controlling the deployment of the airbag based on signals from the steering wheel pressure sensor, the brake foot switch, and the steering wheel switch together with the magnitude of the vehicle impact sensed by the impact sensor,
Wherein the airbag control unit controls the steering wheel lock device to release the steering wheel lock when receiving the first signal value from the steering wheel pressure sensor and the second signal value from the brake foot switch, Wherein the control unit reduces the magnitude of the reference impulse amount that determines the deployment of the airbag from the normal impact amount to the magnitude of the emergency impact amount. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the airbag control unit controls to deploy the airbag when the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude of the magnitude. The method according to claim 1 or 4,
Wherein the steering wheel pressure sensor is a thin film type pressure sensor provided to surround the steering wheel. Sensing a pressure applied to the steering wheel pressure sensor and generating a first signal value when the pressure is greater than a reference pressure;
Generating a second signal value when the brake foot switch is depressed by the brake;
When the airbag control unit receives both the first signal value and the second signal value, controlling the steering wheel lock device to release the steering wheel from being locked on the steering shaft;
Generating a third signal value when the steering wheel lock device is released and the driver presses the steering wheel downward to depress the steering wheel switch;
When the airbag control unit receives the third signal value, reducing the magnitude of the reference impulse amount for determining the deployment of the airbag from the normal impact amount to the magnitude of the emergency impulse amount; And
And controlling the deployment of the airbag when the magnitude of the detected magnitude of the collision is greater than the magnitude of the magnitude of the collision.

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