VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM

摘要

A safety arrangement for a vehicle. The safety arrangement has a control unit; one or more sensors, a road detection arrangement; and one or more vehicle safety systems. The control unit processes the signals from the sensors and determines whether the vehicle is travelling over rough terrain, entering a ditch-like feature, or is airborne. The control unit will activate one or more of the vehicle safety systems if it is determined that the vehicle is travelling over rough terrain, entering a ditch-like feature, or is airborne. Signals, or derived quantities, from the sensors are compared against a threshold to determine whether to activate a vehicle safety system. A first threshold level is used if the vehicle has not or is not likely to leave the road, and a second threshold level is used if the vehicle has or is likely to leave the road.

主权项

1. A safety arrangement for a vehicle, the arrangement comprising:
a control unit; one or more vehicle sensors, the sensors being connected to the control unit so the control unit receives output signals from the sensors; a road detection arrangement to detect a surface or an edge of a road in the vicinity of the vehicle and determine whether the vehicle has left the road and is being driven over a surrounding non-road surface, or is likely to do so; and one or more vehicle safety systems which may be activated by the control unit, wherein: the control unit is configured to process the signals received from the sensors and to determine whether the vehicle is airborne, wherein the vehicle has a front wheel arrangement having one or more wheels and a rear wheel arrangement having one or more wheels, and the control unit is configured to determine that the vehicle is airborne if it is determined that at least one of the wheel arrangements is not in contact with the surface over which the vehicle is being driven; the control unit is configured to activate the one or more vehicle safety systems if it is determined from the signals received from the sensors that the vehicle is airborne; and signals from the sensors, or one or more quantities derived or calculated from signals from the sensors, are compared against at least one threshold to determine whether to activate the one or more vehicle safety systems, wherein the threshold is set at a first level if it is determined by the road detection arrangement that the vehicle has not left the road, and is not likely to do so, and at a second level if it is determined that the vehicle has left the road, or is likely to do so.