METHOD, DEVICE AND CRASH SENSOR FOR ACTIVATING OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for activating occupant protection systems in a motor vehicle in the event of a crash which puts the occupants of said vehicle at risk. A processor-based trigger system is used to evaluate signals of crash sensors and to actuate the occupant protection systems. The inventive method comprises the following steps: detecting and preprocessing, directly on site of the crash sensor mounting areas, signatures that are produced by impacts on the vehicle body by means of a crash sensor system comprising a plurality of similar multifunctional peripheral crash sensors which are located in various areas of the vehicle body, evaluating the preprocessed signatures or variables derived therefrom by means of a crash algorithm associated with the trigger system, in terms of kind, intensity, direction and time of the crash signatures and/or occupant risk signatures, and triggering the crash-relevant occupant protection systems at the respective time determined in terms of the achievable protective effect of the occupant protection system when an occupant risk threshold is exceeded. The invention also relates to a device and a crash sensor and a crash sensor system, comprising at least three similar multifunctional peripheral crash sensors, via which physically diverse signatures, produced by impacts on the vehicle body, are detected and preprocessed directly on site of the crash sensor mounting areas.