Abstract: A collision type decision device includes left and right deceleration detectors, an arithmetic unit, an average calculating unit, and a decision unit. The left and right deceleration detectors are located at left and right front portions of a vehicle for detecting decelerations at the left and right front portions, respectively. The arithmetic unit calculates the decelerations detected by the deceleration detectors to obtain arithmetic results with respect to the left and right portions of the vehicle. The average calculating unit calculates an average of the arithmetic results. The decision unit compares the average with a threshold and decides whether a collision type of the vehicle is a symmetric or asymmetric on the basis of the comparison.

Abstract: A collision type decision device includes left and right deceleration detectors, an arithmetic unit, an average calculating unit, and a decision unit. The left and right deceleration detectors are located at left and right front portions of a vehicle for detecting decelerations at the left and right front portions, respectively. The arithmetic unit calculates the decelerations detected by the deceleration detectors to obtain arithmetic results with respect to the left and right portions of the vehicle. The average calculating unit calculates an average of the arithmetic results. The decision unit compares the average with a threshold and decides whether a collision type of the vehicle is a symmetric or asymmetric on the basis of the comparison.

Abstract: A discrimination is made between a soft crashing in which a relatively low acceleration signal continues for a long period of time and a low-speed head-on crashing so that an air bag can be started at an appropriate timing. An occupant protecting apparatus for that purpose is made up of: a first comparator for comparing an output signal of an acceleration sensor which detects an impact at the time of crashing of a vehicle and a first threshold value; a second comparator for comparing an integrated value of an integrator which integrates an output of the first comparator within a predetermined section and a second threshold value while making a shift by a unit time within a predetermined section; and a starting device for controlling the starting of the air bag based on an output signal of the second comparator.

Abstract: A crash detection apparatus of a vehicle includes acceleration sensors mounted on different positions of a vehicle, each for detecting an acceleration at its position. A crash mode identifying section identifies a crash mode of the vehicle in accordance with a time difference between timings at which integral values obtained by integrating the individual acceleration signals supplied from the acceleration detectors exceed a threshold value. In accordance with the crash mode, a reference threshold value of a comparator for making a crash decision is determined. This makes it possible to implement a crash detection apparatus of a vehicle capable of making a responsive crash decision even in an asymmetric crash in which only one side of the vehicle is deformed and the occurrence of a large acceleration signal is delayed.

Abstract: An automatic door lock releasing apparatus according to the present invention comprises decelerating direction integrating means for integrating a decelerating direction component of each of the acceleration signals obtained from acceleration sensors in a vehicle; accelerating direction integrating means for integrating an accelerating direction component; coefficient means for weighting an output of the accelerating direction integrating means with a specified coefficient; subtracting means for subtracting an output of the coefficient means from an output of the decelerating direction integrating means; an arithmetic processing unit for determining a resultant velocity of velocity signals; and a comparison processing unit for comparing the resultant velocity with a threshold value and generating a start signal.

Abstract: A crash detection apparatus of a vehicle includes acceleration sensors mounted on different positions of a vehicle, each for detecting an acceleration at its position. A crash mode identifying section identifies a crash mode of the vehicle in accordance with a time difference between timings at which integral values obtained by integrating the individual acceleration signals supplied from the acceleration detectors exceed a threshold value. In accordance with the crash mode, a reference threshold value of a comparator for making a crash decision is determined. This makes it possible to implement a crash detection apparatus of a vehicle capable of making a responsive crash decision even in an asymmetric crash in which only one side of the vehicle is deformed and the occurrence of a large acceleration signal is delayed.

Abstract: An automatic door lock releasing apparatus according to the present invention comprises decelerating direction integrating means for integrating a decelerating direction component of each of the acceleration signals obtained from acceleration sensors in a vehicle; accelerating direction integrating means for integrating an accelerating direction component; coefficient means for weighting an output of the accelerating direction integrating means with a specified coefficient; subtracting means for subtracting an output of the coefficient means from an output of the decelerating direction integrating means; an arithmetic processing unit for determining a resultant velocity of velocity signals; and a comparison processing unit for comparing the resultant velocity with a threshold value and generating a start signal.