Patent ID: 6776435
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An apparatus for controlling a vehicle actuatable occupant restraining system comprising:a crash sensor sensing crash acceleration and providing a crash acceleration signal indicative thereof; means for determining crash velocity in response to the crash acceleration signal; means for determining crash displacement in response to the crash acceleration signal; a controller comparing the determined crash velocity as a function of crash displacement against one of a discrimination threshold and a switched discrimination threshold; a crush zone accelerometer sensing crash acceleration at a crush zone location; and said controller including means for comparing a value functionally related to the crush zone acceleration as a function of the determined crash displacement against a crush zone threshold and means for switching the value of the discrimination threshold to the switched discrimination threshold when the value functionally related to crush zone acceleration exceeds the crush zone threshold and actuating the actuatable occupant restraining system in response to the determined crash velocity as a function of crash displacement exceeding the one of the discrimination threshold and the switched discrimination threshold.