Patent ID: 6999863

Claim:
A method of determining variation in acceleration-time history values from an acceleration sensor located on a vehicle body where such values are to be used in a candidate algorithm for on-vehicle sensing of a crash event, said method comprising identifying sources contributing to variation in said acceleration values and determining acceleration variation values at a predetermined sigma (σ) level for each of said sources; preparing an acceleration variation-time vector history for each of said identified variation sources; integrating each of said acceleration variation-time vector histories to produce a velocity variation-time history vector corresponding to each of said acceleration variation vectors; combining said velocity variation-time history vectors by a sum of the squares method to produce a velocity variation-time history vector representing the total variation in velocity attributable to said sources; differentiating said total velocity variation-time history vector to produce a total acceleration variation-time history vector; adding said total acceleration variation vector to said acceleration-time history to produce said acceleration plus/minus variation-time history; and using said variation values in combination with said acceleration-time history values as an acceleration plus/minus variation-time history in calibration or validation of said algorithm.