Abstract: A safety device for an automobile vehicle includes a first integration circuit for integrating an output value generated from a G sensor and a decision circuit for comparing the integrated value with a predetermined decision level to determine whether the safety device should be activated. In the first integration circuit, a previously integrated value is incrementally reduced to provide a current integrated value.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention includes a GPS receiver capable of concurrently tracking up to eight GPS satellites. The GPS receiver comprises computer-implemented methods for parallel search, split search and precomputation. The parallel search method causes the apparent Doppler frequency spectrum to be sectioned into several segments and a first GPS satellite signal is searched for in parallel in each of the segments. When the first GPS fix is not found after a predetermined time has expired, a split search is begun.

Abstract: An electronic crash sensor which can operate appropriately in response to any form of crash of any vehicle, more especially to a high speed oblique or pole crash of a vehicle which has a less rigid body or to a compound crash which is compound of various forms of crash, to say nothing of a high speed oblique or pole crash of a vehicle which has a normal rigid body. An input acceleration waveform from an accelerometer is processed to peak cut any portion thereof lower than a predetermined value. Then, the value obtained by the said peak cutting is time integrated. Then, a time integrated value of a predetermined function is subtracted from the value obtained by the said time integration.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for deployment of an air bag installed in an automotive vehicle. The control includes a senor for sensing vehicle deceleration due to a collision and a processor operatively connected to the sensor. The sensor generates a deceleration signal which is analyzed by the processor. The processor calculates velocity and signal energy from the deceleration signal, and compares the velocity and signal energy to predefined velocity and energy thresholds, respectively. The processor also generates a deployment signal when both the velocity and energy signals exceed the respective thresholds. In the method for controlling the deployment of an air bag, vehicle deceleration due to a collision is sensed and a deceleration signal is generated therefrom. The velocity signal and energy signals are then calculated and compared to the respective predefined velocity and energy thresholds.

Abstract: A method for activating an impact responsive device in a passenger vehicle is provided wherein a single point sensing device senses deceleration of the vehicle during an impact event. The sensed deceleration is integrated to determine velocity of the vehicle. The velocity is then integrated to determine displacement of the vehicle. The difference between the deceleration and a preselected deceleration bias is integrated over displacement to provide a residual energy density. This residual energy density is compared to the threshold residual energy density from a predefined activation threshold line which is selected based on the impact characteristics of the vehicle. When the residual energy density is equal to or exceeds the activation threshold line, the impact responsive device is activated.

Abstract: An analog isolation barrier data acquisition system comprises a plurality of satellite sampling modules which are referenced to remote grounds for sensing direct current (dc) voltages which are referenced to these remote grounds. The satellite sampling modules are capable of monitoring several signals which are referenced to its local ground system, and are comprised of three functional blocks: a signal selection block which allows proper selection of the dc voltage signal to be monitored; a modulation block which modulates the selected dc voltage signal to produce a modulated waveform; and a barrier coupling block which transfers waveform information contained in the modulated waveform from the local floating ground reference system to an analog ground reference system.

Abstract: A vehicle compass system that is adapted to be calibrated in the assembly plant during final assembly of the vehicle. In particular, two factory calibration modes are disclosed: an automatic factory calibration mode wherein the calibration sequence is automatically initiated upon the occurrence of a uniquely definable event on the assembly line, and a manual factor calibration mode wherein a calibration button sequence is actuated at a specified location on the assembly line. In addition, an automatic adaptive calibration process is disclosed which continuously updates the calibration constants each time valid new heading data is obtained. In particular, heading vectors for the four main N, S, E, and W heading directions are calculated and stored in memory when the system is initially calibrated. Thereafter, whenever new heading direction data is obtained, the value of the new heading vector is used to update the value of the closest of the four main heading vectors.

Abstract: A trigger procedure for a restraint system for protection of the occupants in a vehicle, where short-time spectral analyses of at least one acceleration component of the vehicle structure are continuously implemented and at least one parameter characteristic for the deformation of the vehicle structure (trigger parameter) is calculated from several spectral components. The calculated trigger parameters are compared with one or more preset threshold values to make a decision on triggering of the restraint system.

Abstract: A method for predicting impact by using neural networks comprising steps of supplying a predetermined crash curve to a first neural network having an intermediate layer to train said first neural network by means of learning calculation and supplying a predetermined air bag deployment limit curve to a second neural network to train said second neural network, supplying data indicative of crash curve obtained by an acceleration sensing device on collision to said first and second neural networks, predicting in said first neural network a time instance at which a threshold displacement is going to reach based on the basis of the training result in said first neural network, comparing in said second neural network data indicative of crash curve on said collision and said air bag deployment limit curve to produce a decision signal of deploying the air bag according to the comparison result, calculating said decision signal and said time instance, to deploy the air bag depending on the impact, and supplying an ope

Abstract: A method is described for determining the slip angles .alpha..sub.i and/or the cornering forces F.sub.S of a braked vehicle. Starting from a simplified vehicle model and using the wheel speeds V.sub.Ri, the steering angle .beta., the yaw rate .phi. and the master brake cylinder pressure P.sub.HB2 or the wheel brake pressure P.sub.i as measured variables, the desired variables are determined as estimated variables.

Abstract: A reserve time predictive system for predicting the capacity of a discharging battery monitors the instant voltage of a battery, its discharge rate and a slope of the voltage vs ampere-hours removed from the battery. The discharge profile of battery voltage vs ampere-hours removed, and the difference between the present and end voltage and the slope of voltage vs ampere-hours remaining is utilized to determine a prediction of reserve time remaining until the battery discharges to the specified end voltage. A combination of remaining reserve time and the measurement of capacity removed also determines the available capacity of the battery from a fully charged state. This information is used as historical data for use in subsequent predictions of battery capacity.

Abstract: A satellite-based navigation system providing improved accuracy and reliability over wide geographical areas, including remote regions, is disclosed. Ranging-type signals transmitted through two or more commercial geostationary telecommunication satellites are received at known reference locations where navigation and correction information is generated and transmitted back to remote users. At the same time, the reference stations receive signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS), generate corrections for the GPS measurements, then transmit these corrections to the remote user. The remote user receives all of this information plus direct measurements from both the GPS and the geostationary satellites and, using conditional error processing techniques, provides a position solution whose accuracy and reliability exceeds that of GPS alone.

Abstract: In a method for determining a frequency/time profile of hit sequences and the corresponding device, a measuring window is opened after an external starting signal has been locked. As long as the measuring window is open, the clock periods are counted. If a hit occurs, it is marked with the number of clock periods elapsed up until it occurs, the so-called time mark. The number of hits with this specific time mark determined hitherto is implemented by one. Repeated opening of the measuring window results in a frequency/time profile of the hit sequences due to the fact that, for each value of the time mark, the number of correspondingly marked hits is added together. The hit detection, the hit analysis and the final hit processing all occur in real time for each individual hit in a single measuring step, i.e. the processing of a hit sequence is already concluded immediately after a measuring cycle has elapsed.

Abstract: A first clock signal of fl in frequency is converted into a second clock signal having a frequency of f2=(n/m) f1. The first clock signal is converted by a tank circuit (12) and a converter (13) into an R-bit first phase signal (.theta.1) indicating the phase of the first clock signal. The first phase signal is multiplied by n (mod 2.sup.R) by a multiplier to provide a second phase signal (.theta.3). The second phase signal is supplied to a digital phase-locked loop (PLL) (3) comprising a subtractor (15), a low-pass filter (LPF) (16), a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) (17) and a multiplier (18). The multiplier in the digital PLL (3) multiplies a third phase signal by m (mod 2.sup.R), indicating the phase of a second clock signal which is the output of the NCO (17), to generate a fourth phase signal. The subtractor (15) generates a signal representing the phase error between the second and fourth phase signals.

Abstract: In an electric power steering apparatus, a signal processing circuit for a torque sensor for detecting a steering torque and a control circuit for controlling the driving of a steering assisting electric motor on the basis of the result of the signal processing by the signal processing circuit are formed on the same common circuit board. The common circuit board is mounted inside a housing accommodating the torque sensor, a housing accommodating a steering shaft, or a housing accommodating a steering gear.

Abstract: An engine traction control system generates a control cycle of a varying duty cycle which controls the pressure level in a pneumatic actuator in the engine power control linkage to thereby reduce engine power when the driven wheels begin slipping during the vehicle acceleration. The duty cycle is set as a function of wheel speed error between the average wheel speeds of the driven and non-driven wheels, and also as a function of the change in the error between calculation cycles.

Abstract: An arrangement is presented for an actuation system of a passenger protective device for a motor vehicle. The system is equipped with a storage device to successively input a newer acceleration signal from an acceleration sensor at every division period obtained by dividing a measurement period so as to store and update a plurality of the latest acceleration data for the measurement period. The plurality of stored latest acceleration data are summed to obtain an integration value at the measurement period. The system compares this integration value with a predetermined value to detect a collision state of the motor vehicle. When detecting the collision state of the motor vehicle, the system actuates the passenger protective device. This system arrangement can improve the vehicle collision decision accuracy.

Abstract: A microprocessor-controlled remote resistance measurement system is disclosed wherein the connection leads to the three- or four-wire resistance temperature devices (RTDs) are multiplexed via a four-channel analog multiplexer at the input of the unit. A separate two-channel multiplexer is also used to multiplex a fifth input for measurement of a reference resistor. The output of the multiplexer is coupled to a voltage-to-frequency converter, wherein the frequency output is utilized as an input to the microprocessor-based controller. The microcontroller can check for broken wires by addressing the multiplexers to individually isolate any of the connecting wires to the remote RTD sensors. The output of the multiplexer is monitored in a Test Mode by connecting a known impedance to the multiplexer output to determine if any RTD connections are defective.

Abstract: The accuracy of the performance of an inertial navigation system is validated by comparing data measured by a fourth gyro and accelerometer to an analytic equivalent constructed from measurements made by a primary gyro/accelerometer orthogonal triad.