A method for ascertaining an inner resistance of a supply network for supplying energy to an occupant protection system of a vehicle. The occupant protection system includes a charging unit connected to the supply network using a primary interface and to an energy buffer store using a secondary interface for the temporary storage of energy for activating occupant protection devices system and for supplying the system after being separated from the supply network. The method includes impressing a first charge current value at the secondary interface, and a first current/voltage at the primary interface during the impression. Further, a second, different, charge current value is impressed at the secondary interface. The method also includes determining a second current/voltage at the primary interface during the impression, and ascertaining the inner resistance of the supply network, using the detected first current and second current and/or the first voltage and the second voltage.

A circuit for diagnosing an open circuit in an airbag driving device may include: an open circuit sensing unit configured to sense, in a test mode for diagnosing an open circuit in a power ground (PGND) of the airbag driving device, whether an open circuit is present in the power ground (PGND) of the lower switch (L_SW) using power (VH) that is applied through an upper switch (H_SW) and the lower switch (L_SW) of the airbag driving device, and an open circuit determination unit configured to receive a voltage (V.sub.Drop) sensed by the open circuit sensing unit and determine whether the power ground (PGND) is open through a comparison between the voltage (V.sub.Drop) and a preset first reference voltage (V.sub.PG.sub._.sub.TH).

A method for detecting a malfunction or defect of a sensor of a vehicle safety device uses a control unit of the vehicle safety device and at least one self-testing sensor which is separate from the control unit and transmits measuring values to the control unit. The following steps are performed: a) The sensor performs the self-test of the sensor, wherein the measuring section of the sensor is activated in a simulated manner in order to generate a test measuring value in response to the simulated activation, b) a signal is transmitted to the control unit which includes at least one of: a ratio of test measuring value to intensity of the simulated activation, a deviation of the test measuring value from the simulated activation and a test measuring value, c) it is checked by means of the control unit whether at least one of the ratio, the deviation and the measuring value is plausible, d) the control unit determines that the sensor has malfunctioned or is defective if at least one on the ratio, the deviation and the test measuring value is considered to be non-plausible.

A method for protecting at least one occupant of a motor vehicle, including a) monitoring at least one electronic system of the motor vehicle, and b) outputting a signal for adapting at least one parameter which predefines a state of a particular reversible restraint system for the at least one occupant in response to a system error detected in the monitoring according to step a).

A method for maintaining an actuator for an airbag control device. The method has a step of impressing an electric current flow through the actuator using an electric voltage having a voltage value. In addition, the method has a step of ascertaining an electric measuring current through the actuator. Here, the electric measuring current through the actuator occurs on account of the impressed electric current flow through the actuator. In addition, the method has a step of executing a comparison of the electric measuring current through the actuator to a threshold value. Moreover, the method has a step of adjusting the voltage value of the electric voltage for impressing the electric current flow through the actuator as a function of the comparison.

A method for providing accident parameters to a person outside a vehicle after an accident includes ascertaining a first accident parameter that is representative of the severity and/or a consequence severity using a control unit of the vehicle, and determining a display device of the vehicle that can display the first accident parameter following the accident. The first accident parameter is provided on the determined display, and a second accident parameter that is representative of the severity and/or the accident consequence severity is ascertained. The method also includes receiving a release signal for the second accident parameter from the person outside the vehicle following the accident involving the vehicle, and verifying the release signal for the second accident parameter using the control unit of the vehicle. The second accident parameter is provided on the determined display if the release signal was successfully verified by the control unit of the vehicle.

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.

A collision diagnosis (12) is generated for a traffic event involving a vehicle, by receiving an output from a self-capacitance sensor (6) having a single electrode comprising at least part of the bodywork of the vehicle (3) and comparing the received output with at least one threshold (8) to generate provisional collision detection data (9). The provisional collision detection data (9) is correlated with further data (11) relating to the traffic event to produce correlation data and the collision diagnosis (12) is generated on the basis of the correlation data.

A circuit arrangement is provided, the circuit arrangement including a receiver configured to receive signal information from a sensor circuit; a discharge circuit configured to discharge a capacitance by providing a discharge pulse; and a modulation circuit configured to modulate a bit pattern onto the discharge pulse.

A method for identifying a polarity of a freewheeling diode interconnected in parallel to an inductive actuator for a safety unit for a vehicle. The method includes applying a test current to a terminal of the freewheeling diode and carrying out a comparison between a voltage present at the terminal and a threshold voltage while the test current is being applied, a result of the comparison indicating the polarity of the freewheeling diode.