Abstract: An apparatus for occupant protection in a vehicle, having a sensor for picking up a transverse deflection of structure-borne sound of a body component of the vehicle, and having an evaluator for controlling an occupant protection device of the vehicle depending on the structure-borne sound that is picked up.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating the working clock in a module of a data transmission system. The system is particularly suitable for use in a vehicle occupant protection system of a motor vehicle. A control unit of the data transmission system transmits a synchronization clock signal to the module. The module contains a frequency-locked and/or phase-locked loop which receives the synchronization clock signal and which generates the module working clock on the basis of the synchronization clock signal.

Abstract: A capacitance of a firing capacitor for the firing of a firing pellet, where the firing capacitor is contained in an occupant protection system of a motor vehicle, is implemented on a rising edge of a capacitor voltage in a charging phase. For this purpose, a quantity of charge taken up by the storage capacitor during a test time interval is determined by measurement of a charge current or of a corresponding value and integration over the test time interval. The capacitance is obtained through a quotient of the resultant integral and a voltage change in the capacitor voltage that occurred in the test time interval. The functional availability of the firing capacitor is not adversely affected at any time during the testing.

Abstract: The resistance value and the leakage current of a load can be measured simultaneously. A load current is fed, mirrored by electrical power supplies (1, 3, 36), into a resistance measuring circuit (13, 30) and a leakage current measuring circuit (14 to 16). This permits rapid, precise measurement of a plurality of loads by a single measuring circuit connected via one multiplexer. The firing transistors can be distributed among different ASICs or provided jointly for a plurality of firing caps.

Abstract: An apparatus and method test an electric circuit. During the testing of the switches connected in series with the ignition pellet, the maximum current flowing through the respective switch to be tested is limited to a value that is insufficient for igniting the ignition pellet even in the event of a leak occurring. This current limiting is preferably achieved by reducing the switch gate voltage while the switch test is being accomplished.

Abstract: The resistance value and the leakage current of a load can be measured simultaneously. A load current is fed, mirrored by electrical power supplies (1, 3, 36), into a resistance measuring circuit (13, 30) and a leakage current measuring circuit (14 to 16). This permits rapid, precise measurement of a plurality of loads by a single measuring circuit connected via one multiplexer. The firing transistors can be distributed among different ASICs or provided jointly for a plurality of firing caps.

Abstract: The invention relates to a data transmission method and a data processing system for use in a motor vehicle, in which a satellite station is supplied with power by a central station via a data transmission line that is used jointly for the transmission of data and the supply of power. The quiescent voltage on the data transmission line is regulated with a current generator in the central station and is fed back with low-pass filter characteristics.

Abstract: A method for controlling a vehicle occupant protection device includes the steps of providing a mass of a vehicle as an operand and a dependence between a deformation of the vehicle body and work to be performed for the deformation. The vehicle acceleration is recorded with an acceleration sensor. The vehicle occupant protection device is controlled as a function of the mass of the vehicle, the work, and the acceleration. To control the device, the mass and the dependence are stored in a memory. The actual deformation of the vehicle body that occurs during an accident is determined as a function of acceleration recorded, the work, and the mass of the vehicle. The vehicle occupant protection device is controlled as a function of the actual deformation of the vehicle body or of a variable derived from it. An apparatus for controlling the device includes an acceleration sensor having a memory and an arithmetic unit.

Abstract: To fire a firing cap of a vehicle occupant protection system of a motor vehicle, at least two firing capacitors are provided which initially remain connected in parallel at the start of a firing process and are connected in series after expiry of a time interval from the start of the firing process. It is ensured that a firing current which flows across the firing cap is always of a sufficient magnitude and at the same time initial power losses are avoided.

Abstract: A device for controlling a motor vehicle occupant protection system. Such a device has a control unit with an encoder for encoding messages and a transmitter for transmitting the encoded messages in the form of output signals. The encoded messages include a first encoded message having a first number of positions and a second encoded message having a second number of positions, the first number of positions being smaller than the second number of positions. In this case, at least one of the encoded messages may be provided with an error-correction code.

Abstract: In order to minimize the overall size of a firing capacitor and to minimize the energy which is not utilized during a firing operation, the firing capacitor charge voltage U0 is set to be equal to 2*R*I, where R designates the internal resistance of the firing cap and I designates the firing current. The capacitance value C0 of the firing capacitor is set to C0=T/R, where T designates the period for which the firing current flows.

Abstract: Digital data are transmitted from a measurement station to an air bag control unit in a motor vehicle. A direct signal of the air bag control unit which serves the purpose of supplying energy to the measurement station is current-modulated and thereby varied in accordance with the data to be transmitted. The variations in the current are controlled such that they cancel one another on average over time.

Abstract: A circuit configuration for measuring resistance and/or leakage between two nodes, which includes a current source for feeding a test current into one of the two nodes and a circuit element that detects the voltage resulting between the two nodes. The output of a broadband signal generator is connected to a control input of the current source. The outputs of the circuit element and of the signal generator are connected to the inputs of the correlator for determining the correlation between their output signals.

Abstract: A control device in a motor vehicle for detecting an impact and for detecting a rotational movement includes a transversal acceleration pick-up in each half of the vehicle, as defined by the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and a longitudinal acceleration pick-up. An evaluation device evaluates longitudinal acceleration and transversal acceleration variables and derives a rotational movement variable from the transversal acceleration variables.

Abstract: A circuit for current limiting in a protection system, in particular for the firing of the firing pellet of an airbag system. The circuit has a switched-mode regulator connected to a low-pass filter that cooperate to limit the average and the peak value of the current flowing through the firing pellet. The switched mode regulator has switches that are switched on when the current flowing through the firing pellet falls below a reference value.

Abstract: A configuration for controlling a restraining device has a first control unit which controls two electrically controllable power switches of a firing circuit connected to the restraining device as a function of acceleration. A third electrically controllable power switch is provided in the firing circuit and is controlled by a second control unit as a function of the acceleration.