Airbag deployment data is collected using a plurality of sensors located along a line of weakening formed in a vehicle interior panel. The sensors are configured to provide information pertinent to separation of adjacent portions of the panel from each other as a function of time at a plurality of locations along the line of weakening. Each sensor is attached to the panel so that the sensor crosses the line. The relative time at which a conductive part of each sensor breaks is recorded and provides useful information about airbag door behavior during airbag deployment.

A system and method for measuring a capacitance value of a capacitor are provided. In embodiments, a resistor is coupled to a terminal of the capacitor. A difference in voltage at the terminal between a first time and a second time during a discharge routine of the capacitor is measured. The discharge routine includes sinking a current through a discharge circuit coupled to the resistor from first to second. Integration of a difference in voltage at terminals of the resistor during the discharge routine between the first and second times is also measured. The capacitance value is computed based on the measured difference in voltage, the measured integration, and the resistance value of the resistor. The health of the capacitor is determined based on a difference between the computed capacitance value and a threshold value.

A system and method is provided for measuring a voltage drop at a node. In embodiments, a circuit includes an analog-to-digital converter, a current sink, and a controller. The input of the analog-to-digital converter and the input of the current sink is coupled to the node to be measured. A set point for the current sink is determined. The output of the analog-to-digital converter during the voltage drop is sampled. And a relative voltage drop value is computed by subtracting the sampled output of the analog-to-digital converter during the voltage drop from a sampled output of the analog-to-digital converter during a steady-state condition. The current sink operating at the set point during the steady-state condition and during the voltage drop.

A controller for triggering a pyrotechnic component of a vehicle is designed to determine and store a trigger status of the pyrotechnic component. The trigger status exhibits a triggered state or a non-triggered state. The controller is further designed, if the trigger status exhibits the non-triggered state, to allow operation of the controller with a pyrotechnic component in the vehicle without enabling the pyrotechnic component. Further, the controller is designed, if the trigger status exhibits the triggered state, to reset the trigger status from the triggered state to the non-triggered state when the pyrotechnic component is enabled.

A method includes receiving, from a mobile device disposed within a vehicle, a set of sensor measurements collected from an accelerometer of the mobile device during a first time period and converting the set of sensor measurements into a frequency domain. The method also includes filtering the set of sensor measurements to eliminate high frequency sensor measurements and defining a set of contiguous windows based on a remaining sensor measurements in the set of sensor measurements. Each contiguous window of the set of contiguous windows represents a contiguous portion of the remaining sensor measurements. The method further includes generating, for each contiguous window of the set of contiguous windows, a set of features by resampling the remaining sensor measurements of the contiguous window at one or more predefined frequencies and generating an estimated speed of the vehicle during the first time period using the set of features.

An electrical system includes a first electrical device, a second electrical device, a redundant electrical transmission path having two electrical connecting lines, connected in parallel, between the two electrical devices, and means for recognizing an error state of the redundant electrical transmission path). The means encompass a magnetic core having a primary conductor including at least half a winding loop, which is formed by one of the two connecting lines, and a secondary winding having a winding count greater than the number of winding loops of the primary conductor, and a diagnostic device for evaluating an inductance-dependent measurement signal of the secondary winding. The diagnostic device is designed to compare the inductance-dependent measurement signals of the secondary winding to a comparison value, in particular an error threshold value, that can be used to distinguish between the error state and a non-error state of the redundant electrical transmission path.

An electronic module assembly (EMA) for use in controlling one or more personal restraint systems. A programmed processor within the EMA is configured to determine when a personal restraint system associated with each seat in a vehicle should be deployed. In addition, the programmed processor is configured to perform a diagnostic self-test to determine if the EMA and the personal restraint systems are operational. In one embodiment, results of the diagnostic self-test routine are displayed on a display included on the electronic module assembly. In an alternative embodiment, the results of the diagnostic self-test routine are transmitted via a wireless transceiver to a remote device. The remote device can include a wireless interrogator or can be a remote computer system such as a cabin management computer system.

A remaining lifetime estimating method includes a conversion step of converting a total elapsed time of an airbag into a total elapsed time Tb of the airbag at a predetermined temperature t, according to a formula based on the Arrhenius equation; a remaining use time calculation step of calculating a remaining use time Tx of the airbag by subtracting the total elapsed time Tb from a lifetime Ta of the airbag at the predetermined temperature t; a correction step of performing a correction to increase the remaining use time Tx on the basis of a predetermined value Tc proportional to a power supply time to a vehicle; a determination step of determining whether or not the remaining use time Tx corrected is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and a notification step of issuing a notification regarding the lifetime of the airbag.

A safety-related device for use in vehicles, includes a microcomputer, a micro-electronic circuit, a first data bus interface, a second data bus interface, a safety unit (Safety-Agent), a PSI5 sensor link, and a sensor signal simulation unit which can simulate a sensor. The safety unit (Safety-Agent) is controlled via the first data interface by the microcomputer. The sensor signal simulation unit and the sensor interface and the switching between same via the second data interface is controlled via the microcomputer.

A means of locomotion, an arrangement as well as a device (1) for evaluating a signal of an airbag control unit (2) are being put forward. The device (1) comprises a first connection (3) for electrically contacting an output of the airbag control unit (2), a rectifier (5) that is electrically connected to the first connection (3), a temperature-compensated driver (6) that is connected to an output of the rectifier (6) [sic], and a member (7) for the galvanic decoupling of an output of the driver (6), having an output unit (8). The rectifier (6) provides polarity reversal protection for the first connection (3) so that the driver (6) receives an output signal from the airbag control unit (2) essentially identically, independently of its polarity.