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EP-4737224-A1 - A METHOD OF OPERATING A VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM, A VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM AND A WEARABLE

EP4737224A1EP 4737224 A1EP4737224 A1EP 4737224A1EP-4737224-A1

Abstract

A method (1000) of operating a vehicle safety system, the method (1000) comprising: sensing (S1100) movement of a vehicle (100) by one or more sensors (106; 205) and generating movement data; evaluating (S1200) the movement data by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to determine if the movement data is representing a crash; and in the event it is determined by the ECU that the movement data is representing a crash, operating a crash detection master communication device (500) of the vehicle (100) to communicate with a slave communication device (600) that is operable connected to an actuator (202) of a first safety arrangement (201) that is arranged in a wearable (200), to thereby initiate deployment an inflatable airbag (204) forming part of said first safety arrangement (201). Also, a vehicle safety system (1) and a wearable (200) to be part of such system is provided.

Inventors

  • Johansson, Filip
  • LE-MERRER, Yann

Assignees

  • Autoliv Development AB

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20241030

Claims (14)

  1. A method (1000) of operating a vehicle safety system, the method (1000) comprising: sensing (51100) movement of a vehicle (100) by one or more sensors (106; 205; 150) and generating movement data; evaluating (S1200) the movement data by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to determine if the movement data is representing a crash; and in the event it is determined by the ECU that the movement data is representing a crash, operating a crash detection master communication device (500) of the vehicle (100) to communicate with a slave communication device (600) that is operable connected to an actuator (202) of a first safety arrangement (201) that is arranged in a wearable (200), to thereby initiate deployment of an inflatable airbag (204) forming part of said first safety arrangement (201).
  2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the additional step of determining (S1050) if the wearable (200) is arranged within a set distance range from the vehicle (100); and if it is confirmed that the wearable (200) is arranged within the set distance range, pairing the crash detection master communication device (500) with the slave communication device (600) to thereby establish a communication with the slave communication device (600).
  3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the crash detection master communication device (500) is configured to synchronize deployment of the first safety arrangement (201) and a second safety arrangement (101) that is arranged in the vehicle (100), said second safety arrangement (101) comprising an actuator (102) and an inflator (103) arranged in communication with an inflatable airbag (104), where said actuator (102) is arranged in communication with the crash detection master communication device (500).
  4. A vehicle safety system (1) comprising: a wearable (200) comprising a first safety arrangement (201) comprising an actuator (202), and an inflator (203) arranged in communication with the inflatable airbag (204); one or more sensors (106; 205); and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) configured to evaluate sensor data from the one or more sensors (106; 205) to determine a vehicle crash; wherein the vehicle safety system (1) further comprises a crash detection master communication device (500) configured to be arranged on a vehicle (100), which in the event the ECU should determine a vehicle crash, is configured to communicate with a slave communication device (600) that is operable connected to the actuator (202) of the first safety arrangement (201) to thereby initiate deployment the first safety arrangement (201).
  5. The vehicle safety system according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle (100) comprises a second safety arrangement (101) comprising an actuator (102) and an inflator (103) arranged in communication with an inflatable airbag (104), and wherein the actuator (102) is arranged in communication with the crash detection master communication device (500).
  6. The vehicle safety system according to any of claims 4-5, wherein the crash detection master communication device (500) is configured to synchronize deployment of the first and second safety arrangements (201; 101); or to apply a predefined delay depending on determined occupant size or determined crash severity.
  7. The vehicle safety system according to claim 4, wherein the ECU is a central ECU forming part of the vehicle (100).
  8. The vehicle safety system according to claim 5, wherein the ECU is an ECU forming part of the second safety arrangement (101).
  9. The vehicle safety system according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors (106) are arranged on the vehicle (100) and/or wherein at least one of the one or more sensors (205) are arranged on the wearable (200).
  10. The vehicle safety system according to claim 4, wherein the crash detection master communication device (500) is configured to pair with and establish a communication with the slave communication device (600) when the wearable (200) is arranged within a set distance range from the vehicle (100).
  11. The vehicle safety system according to claim 9 and 10, wherein the wearable (200) comprises an ECU (ECU-W) configured to determine a crash based on sensor data from the one or more sensors (205) on the wearable (200) and to cause the first safety arrangement (201) to deploy in the event the crash detection master communication device (500) is not in communication with the slave communication device (600).
  12. A wearable (200) to be used in a vehicle safety system according to any of claims 4-11, wherein the wearable (200) is a helmet or a garment, and wherein said wearable (200) comprises: a first safety arrangement (201) comprising an actuator (202) and an inflator (203) that is arranged in communication with an inflatable airbag (204); and a slave communication device (600) configured to communicate with a remote crash detection master communication device (500), and wherein the slave communication device (600) is operable connected to the actuator (202) of the first safety arrangement (201) to thereby allow initiation of a deployment the first safety arrangement (201).
  13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for implementing the method according to any of claims 1-3, when executed on a device having processing capabilities.
  14. A software comprising the steps of the method according to any of claims 1-3.

Description

Technical field The present invention refers to a method of operating a vehicle safety system, a vehicle safety system, and a wearable to be used in such vehicle safety system. Technical background It is well known with wearables having one or more integrated inflatable airbags. The wearable may by way of example be a helmet or a garment. Non-limiting examples of such garments are vests, jackets, overalls, trousers, a harness, or a backpack. The airbag is configured to be inflated and deployed upon the detection and determination of an abnormal situation, such as a crash, to thereby protect one or more body parts of the wearer. This means that the wearable comprises a crash detection system with one or more sensors and an Electrical Control Unit with a processor that communicates with and controls the airbag actuator. Correspondingly, it is well known to provide a vehicle, such as a motorcycle, with an airbag system, which in turn comprises its own crash detection system. Hence, each such wearable and each such vehicle comprises its own independent crash detection system with its own sensors, algorithms and logics, where each crash detection system decides independently. This causes a number of issues. There is a redundancy of parts. There is a higher risk of failure, or non-optimal protection interaction since each protection is deployed independently of each other without any synchronization. The crash detection systems operate in different decision environments, where the wearable only detects motion of the user and not the vehicle, and vice versa. This causes a delay and also possible misclassification of sensor data. And, not at least, the user must check each protection system individually. There is accordingly a need for a simplified safety system that is developed for a vehicle arrangement where the user today is using a wearable to provide a body protection. Summary It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a vehicle safety system where the user is using a wearable to provide a body protection. Another object is to provide a method that allows operation of a vehicle safety system for a vehicle arrangement where two or more airbag systems, worn or supported by different entities (vehicle and user) of the vehicle arrangement, are allowed to operate in a synchronized manner. Yet another objective, is to provide a vehicle safety system that is useful for a vehicle on which one or more passengers are intended to be seated in a non-restrained manner, i.e., non-belted, and where the one or more passengers wear a wearable having an inflatable airbag. Still another object is to provide a wearable to be used in such vehicle safety system. These and other objects that will be apparent from the following summary and description are achieved by a method of operating a vehicle safety system, the method comprising: sensing movement of a vehicle by one or more sensors and generating movement data;evaluating the movement data by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to determine if the movement data is representing a crash; andin the event it is determined by the ECU that the movement data is representing a crash, operating a crash detection master communication device of the vehicle to communicate with a slave communication device that is operable connected to an actuator of a first safety arrangement that is arranged in a wearable, to thereby initiate deployment of an inflatable airbag forming part of said first safety arrangement. In the context of the invention, the term "vehicle" is to be understood as a vehicle on which one or more passengers are configured to be seated in a non-restrained manner, i.e., in a non-belted manner. The vehicle may be a road vehicle, a snow vehicle or a water vehicle. The road vehicle may be a two, three or four wheeled bike or motorcycle. The snow vehicle may be a snowmobile. The water vehicle may be a jet ski. In the context of the invention, the term "wearable" is to be understood as a helmet or a garment, where the garment may be a vest, a jacket, an overall, trousers, a harness, or a backpack, or any combination of any of these. The invention provides a method where the deployment of the safety system of the wearable is determined based on a detected crash of the vehicle. Accordingly, the wearable is responsive to the condition of the vehicle rather than being responsive to the condition of the user wearing the wearable. Should the ECU on the vehicle determine that the vehicle is subjected to a crash, this information will be communicated from the vehicle via the crash detection master communication device of the vehicle to the slave communication device of the wearable. Such communicated instruction from the vehicle to the wearable will trigger a deployment of the inflator of the airbag integrated in the wearable, and hence an inflation and deployment of the airbag in the wearable at a time optimized to ensure optimal interaction between the two set