An activation control device for at least one occupant protection device is applied to a vehicle including occupant protection devices. The activation control device includes a front left sensor, a front right sensor and an activation control unit. The front left sensor is configured to detect an acceleration in a vehicle widthwise direction, and the front right sensor is configured to detect an acceleration in the vehicle widthwise direction. The activation control unit is configured to calculate a movement amount of the front left sensor in the vehicle widthwise direction based on GLy, calculate a movement amount of the front right sensor in the vehicle widthwise direction based on GRy, and determine to which region out of regions each defined in advance for each collision form a point defined by those movement amounts belongs, thereby specifying a collision form.

Systems, apparatus and methods to multiple levels of redundancy in torque steering control and propulsion control of an autonomous vehicle include determining that a powertrain unit of the autonomous vehicle is non-operational and disabling propulsion operation of the non-operational powertrain unit and implementing torque steering operation in another powertrain unit while propelling the autonomous vehicle using other powertrain units that are configured to implement torque steering operation and propulsion operation.

A seat belt buckle pre-tensioning system that is integrated into a seat assembly including a seat bottom and seat back pivotably coupled together. When an impact event is detected (or anticipated), a seat belt assembly anchorage point is rapidly moved forwards and downwards such that a coupled lap belt is pre-tensioned and moved into a position that optimizes lap belt geometry and prevents submarining during an impact event. This may be done using an explosive pre-tensioner, a mechanical pre-tensioner, and/or an electronic pre-tensioner with an appropriate controller and may be applied to the lap belt anchorage points on one or both sides of the seat. This serves to ensure that the occupant's pelvic bone adequately engages the lap belt of the seat assembly and does not slide under the lap belt during the impact event, thus preventing submarining.

A method for triggering at least two safety functions from a predefined plurality of safety functions in a motor vehicle, including a) recognizing a trigger signal for one first safety function, and b) generating a trigger signal for at least one second safety function, if according to step a) the trigger signal for the first safety function has been recognized, the first safety function being of a first function type and at least one of the second safety functions being of a second function type differing from the first function type.

A low-cost weight-measurement and sensing system is provided. The system may include a sensor assembly configured to be mounted between a floor pan of a vehicle and a seat of the vehicle. The sensor assembly may include a plurality of sensor modules. Each sensor module of the plurality of sensor modules may be configured to sense a force applied thereupon and generate a reading representative of the force applied thereupon in response thereto to provide a plurality of sensor readings. The system may also include a control module connected to the plurality of sensor modules. The control module may be configured to determine a weight of an occupant of the seat of the vehicle based on the plurality of sensor readings.

A sensor module for use in a low-cost weight-measurement and sensing system is provided. The sensor module may include a substrate configured to be mounted between a floor pan of a vehicle and a seat of the vehicle. The sensor module may further include a force sensing element disposed upon the substrate. The force sensing element may be configured to sense a force applied thereupon, and generate a reading representative of the force applied thereupon in response thereto to provide a sensor reading. The sensor module may also include a wiring harness connected to the force sensing element. The wiring harness may be configured to transmit the sensor reading to a control module. The substrate may define an aperture configured to surround a fastening element used to fasten the seat to the floor pan of the vehicle.

A method for controlling restraint devices of a motor vehicle includes measuring a movement variable of the motor vehicle, triggering a first restraint device on the basis of a first predefined threshold value for the measured movement variable being exceeded, triggering a second restraint device on the basis of a second predefined threshold value for the measured movement variable being exceeded, and activating a first device influencing the restraining force of the first restraint device and a second device influencing the restraining force of the second restraint device on the basis of the first predefined threshold value and/or the second predefined threshold value being exceeded.

A vehicle collision detection system that includes: a controller that actuates an occupant restraint device in a case in which a collision between a vehicle and an object has been predicted by a collision prediction section, a collision mode has been determined to be an underride mode by a determination section, the object has been determined to be another vehicle by the determination section, and an acceleration detected by a first acceleration sensor is at or above an underride-mode-actuation determination threshold that is lower than a normal-actuation determination threshold for the occupant restraint device.

A method for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle in the case of an imminent collision with a collision object includes: recognizing that a collision with the collision object is imminent, analyzing the collision object and recognizing whether a particularly sensitive upper area of the motor vehicle will be affected by the collision, and at least partially suppressing a trigger signal of a protective mechanism to enable an evasive action by the occupant if it is recognized that the particularly sensitive upper area of the motor vehicle will be affected by the collision that has been recognized to be imminent.

An occupant restraining device for a vehicle has: a time to collision estimating section that estimates a time to collision, the time to collision being a time until a front collision with a vehicle ahead; a force imparting portion that imparts force toward a vehicle rear side to a vehicle occupant of an own vehicle; a gap enlarging portion that enlarges a gap between the vehicle occupant and a seatback of a vehicle seat; a gap estimating section that estimates a size of the gap between the vehicle occupant and the seatback; and a control section that, in a case in which the gap enlarging portion operates, controls a timing of a start of operation of the force imparting portion on the basis of the time to collision estimated by the time to collision estimating section and the size of the gap estimated by the gap estimating section.