Patent ID: 6789818
Filing Date: 2004-09-14
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
A vehicle airbag system comprising:an airbag; an airbag inflator for selectively inflating the airbag; at least one strip connected to the airbag; at least one sensor generating an output based upon deployment of the at least one strip, the sensor sensing a velocity of the strip; and a controller determining whether the airbag has contacted a vehicle occupant based upon a frequency of the output from the at least one sensor, the at least one strip including a pattern that generates the frequency in the output of the sensor that varies based upon the velocity of the strip, and the controller causes the airbag inflator to reduce inflation of the airbag based upon a determination that the airbag has contacted the vehicle occupant as indicated by a decrease in velocity of deployment of the airbag, the controller applying a frequency domain transform to the output from the sensor and the controller analyzing the frequency domain-transform to determine whether the airbag has contacted the vehicle occupant.