Patent Application
20080023946
In the single FIGURE of the drawing, an exemplary embodiment of a driver restraining system according to the present invention is illustrated in basic form and will be explained in more detail in the subsequent description.
The FIGURE in the drawing shows a schematic side view of a detail of a driver's area of a motor vehicle 1, a driver 2 being seated on a driver's seat 3 in front of a steering device 4.
Of the steering device 4, a steering wheel 5 and part of a steering column 6 as well as a device 7 for adjusting the steering column 6 and the steering wheel 5 are illustrated schematically. The device 7 for adjusting the steering column 6 can be used here both for adjusting it axially according to an arrow 8 in the FIGURE, adjusting it vertically according to an arrow 9 in the FIGURE and pivoting it.
Furthermore, it is apparent that an airbag 10 is arranged in the steering column 6, centrally with respect to the steering wheel 5, and the exit flap 11 of said airbag is arranged essentially centrally with respect to the steering wheel 5. A so-called knee cushion element 12 is provided underneath the steering device 4 as a further protection device for the driver 2.
The driver's seat 3 has, as main component, a seat lower part 13, a backrest 14 and a headrest 15, the seat lower part 13 being longitudinally adjustable in an axial direction according to an arrow 17 in the FIGURE on seat rails 16 in a known manner. A motor-operated seat adjustment device 20 which is provided for this purpose also permits the driver's seat 3 or the seat lower part 13 and the backrest 14 which is connected thereto by a joint device 19 with an adjustable angle of inclination to be adjusted in height according to the arrow 18.
The axial position of the driver's seat 3 is determined by means of at least one sensor 21 on the seat rail 16, while the vertical position is detected by means of a sensor 22 which is arranged on a seat shell, and the angular position of the backrest 14 is detected by means of a sensor 24 which is arranged on the joint 19. Furthermore, the position of the headrest 15 is determined by means of a sensor 23.
In the embodiment shown, a sensor 31, which is illustrated in enlarged form in the FIGURE and arranged therein on the exit flap 11 of the airbag 10, is provided for sensing a distance D1 of the driver 2 from the steering wheel 5. The sensor 31 can be embodied in any known design of a distance determining sensor but it is particularly advantageous if the sensor 31 is embodied as a capacitive sensor.
All the data of a passenger compartment sensor system 30 which includes these sensors is input into a control unit 25 which, as well as connections, for example, to the sensors 21, 22, 23, 24 of a seat adjustment detection system 28, also has a connection to the electric-motor-operated seat adjustment device 20, to the adjustment device 7 of the steering device 4, to a seatbelt pretensioning system 26 and to a central crash detection sensor 27. When an imminent crash situation is detected by the crash detection sensor 27, an optimum position of the steering device 4 and driver's seat 3 with respect to a distance D1 of the driver 2 from the steering wheel 5 or the airbag exit flap 11 can be set by means of the control unit 25 by actuating further protection devices, in particular the seatbelt pretensioning device 26, in an adapted fashion.
It is useful here that a sensor system for sensing morphological data of the driver 2 is provided which, in order to detect the weight of the driver 2, has weight sensors 33, 34, which here are integrated into the driver's seat 3 and which are at the same time components of a seat occupation detection system.
Furthermore, the sensor system for sensing morphological data of the driver 2 has a sensor 32 which determines the body size of the driver 2 and which, in the embodiment shown, senses a position of the head 2A of the driver 2. The sensor 32 for determining the position of the head 2A can, as shown, be arranged in the region of the inner roof lining 35 of the vehicle or else be integrated, for example, into a central rear view mirror, a sun visor 37 or the headrest 15. The sensor 32 which is used to determine the position of the head can also be advantageously embodied here as a capacitive sensor.
The morphological information about the driver 2 which is acquired in this way constitutes not only important characteristic variables for the positioning of the steering device 4 and driver's seat 3 but is also significant for the selection of an unfolding characteristic, stored in the control unit 25 for a very wide variety of types of drivers, driving states and accident situations, of the airbag 10, which includes not only the unfolding speed and unfolding force but, if appropriate, also the selection and the chronological triggering sequence of airbag stages and an unfolding shape.
Of course, the described functions of the control unit 25 do not all have to be combined in one central control unit but rather can also be processed in decentralized control modules.
The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2004 044 710.3 | Jan 2004 | DE | national |
This application is a national stage of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2004/013765, filed on Dec. 3, 2004, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2004 004 710.3, filed Jan. 30, 2004, the entire disclosures of which are herein expressly incorporated by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP04/13765 | 12/3/2004 | WO | 00 | 4/26/2007 |
