Abstract: An apparatus and method for actuating a safety system for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle measures the acceleration of the vehicle with a first sensor along a first axis oriented substantially parallel to the forward direction of motion of the vehicle. The acceleration of the vehicle is also measured with a second sensor along a second axis oriented at an angle relative to the first axis. The acceleration signal generated by the first sensor is evaluated by an analog processor and the acceleration signal generated by the second sensor is evaluated by a digital processor. The safety system is then actuated based upon both the analog and digital evaluations.

Abstract: An apparatus for tripping a system for the protection of occupants of a vehicle has a first sensor (10) for sensing the acceleration of the vehicle in its direction of forward motion and a second sensor (12) for sensing the acceleration of the vehicle in a direction transverse to its direction of forward motion. The two sensors are under the control of control means (14,16) which triggers the occupant protection system in dependence upon the signals from the first and second sensors (10,12).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for actuating a safety system for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle measures the acceleration of the vehicle with a first sensor along a first axis oriented substantially parallel to the forward direction of motion of the vehicle. The acceleration of the vehicle is also measured with a second sensor along a second axis oriented at an angle relative to the first axis. The acceleration signal generated by the first sensor is evaluated by an analog processor and the acceleration signal generated by the second sensor is evaluated by a digital processor. The safety system is then actuated based upon both the analog and digital evaluations.

Abstract: An apparatus for tripping a system for the protection of occupants of a vehicle has a first sensor (10) for sensing the acceleration of the vehicle in its direction of forward motion and a second sensor (12) for sensing the acceleration of the vehicle in a direction transverse to its direction of forward motion. The two sensors are under the control of control devices (14,16) which trigger the occupant protection system in dependence upon the signals from the first and second sensors (10,12).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for actuating a safety system for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle measures the acceleration of the vehicle with a first sensor along a first axis oriented substantially parallel to the forward direction of motion of the vehicle. The acceleration of the vehicle is also measured with a second sensor along a second axis oriented at an angle relative to the first axis. The acceleration signal generated by the first sensor is evaluated by an analog processor and the acceleration signal generated by the second sensor is evaluated by a digital processor. The safety system is then actuated based upon both the analog and digital evaluations.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an apparatus for triggering passenger protection systems particularly restraining systems in vehicles during their impact. In the previous systems, there is the disadvantage that the protective systems are only triggered late or not at all during critical impact situations at relatively low negative accelerations. The disadvantage chiefly results because a differential signal is fed to the input of an integrator which comprises the difference between a signal derived from the acceleration and a constant threshold value signal. According to the invention, a variable threshold value is deducted from the derived acceleration signal rather than a constant threshold value.

Abstract: A sensor, particularly for automatic release of occupant safety devices in power vehicles in the event of an accident, the sensor comprises a housing which forms a closed chamber; a body located in the housing and formed as a seismic mass, the closed chamber of the housing being completely filled with a fluid, the body being formed as a pendulum of a predetermined length, the chamber having a wall on which a boundary layer of the fluid is formed, the chamber having in all swinging direction of the pendulum a radius which is greater than the length of a pendulum and the boundary layer of the fluid formed on the wall of the chamber, the pendulum and the fluid having specific weights which differ from one another, the pendulum and the fluid being selected so that a friction during movement of the pendulum relative to the fluid leads to an aperiodecal damping of the pendulum.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automatic release of passenger protection devices in motor vehicles in the event of an accident has a sensor (35) having a mass (10) secured outside the center of mass (11). This mass (10) generates a comparably high torque in the suspension in the event of both positional change and rotational acceleration. These torques are detected with known measuring methods and split, with the aid of a high-pass filter (36) and a low-pass filter (40), into a high-frequency and a low-frequency portion. The high frequency portion corresponds to the rotational acceleration, from which the rotational velocity is obtained by means of an integrator (38). The low-frequency portion corresponds to the position of the motor vehicle. Thus both measurement variables that must be detected for releasing a roll bar are obtained with a single sensor (35).