Patent ID: 7225069

Claim:
A device for triggering a restraint device, comprising: a control unit for placement in a central location in a vehicle having at least one acceleration sensor and a plurality of upfront sensors, wherein: the control unit triggers the restraint device if specific derived signals of the at least one acceleration sensor and of the upfront sensors exceed specific thresholds, the control unit changes the specific thresholds as a function of the signal of at least one of the upfront sensors, the control unit uses a maximum of the signals of the upfront sensors for changing the respective thresholds, the restraint device includes a two-stage restraint device, first and second stages of the two-stage restraint device are triggered if the signal of the acceleration sensor exceeds the threshold values associated with the upfront sensors, and the threshold values associated with the upfront sensors are changed as a function of the maximum, wherein the threshold values are time dependent.