Patent ID: 7076353
Filing Date: 2006-07-11
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for activating an occupant restraint device of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising: a roll condition detector for detecting a roll condition of the vehicle; a lateral acceleration sensor for sensing a lateral acceleration of the vehicle in a width direction of the vehicle; a trip-over determination unit determining whether an anticipated rollover of the vehicle has a pattern of trip-over in response to both the lateral acceleration and the roll condition of the vehicle; a trip-over pattern recognition unit recognizing the pattern of trip-over based on the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, when the anticipated rollover of the vehicle has the pattern of trip-over; a rollover determination criteria unit setting a rollover determination criterion for the vehicle depending on the recognized pattern of trip-over; a rollover determination unit determining whether the vehicle will roll over based on both the roll condition of the vehicle and the rollover determination criterion for the vehicle; and an activation unit activating the occupant restraint device of the vehicle depending on a determined result from said rollover determination unit, the determined result being indicative of that the vehicle will roll over, wherein said trip-over pattern recognition unit recognizes the pattern of trip-over depending on a parameter selected from a set of parameters indicative of characteristics of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and wherein the set of parameters indicative of characteristics of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle includes a rate of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle in a rising stage thereof, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a length of duration of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle.