Enhanced discrimination method and apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraining device

1. A method for controlling an actuatable restraining device comprising:

sensing a plurality of crash event indications;

classifying a crash event in response to comparing the sensed crash event indications against one another to identify an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event, the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event having crash event indications consistent with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's oblique moving deformable barrier test procedure; and

controlling deployment timing of the actuatable restraining device in response to the classification of the crash event.

2. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising discriminating the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event from at least one of a frontal crash event, an asymmetric crash event, a small overlap crash event, and an offset deformable barrier crash event.

3. The method recited in claim 2 , wherein the front impact sensors are crush zone acceleration sensors and the side impact sensors are pillar mounted satellite acceleration sensors.

4. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein sensing the plurality of crash event indications includes sensing crash acceleration in a vehicle's longitudinal direction via a left-hand front impact sensor, a right-hand front impact sensor, a left-hand side impact sensor, a right-hand side impact sensor, and a central impact sensor.

5. The method recited in claim 4 , wherein classifying the crash event comprises:

determining that the crash event indications indicate an occurrence of an asymmetric crash event on one side of the vehicle;

determining whether the crash event is possibly an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event by comparing a sensed crash velocity versus a sensed displacement measured via the side impact sensor on the one side of the vehicle; and

confirming that the crash event is an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event by comparing crash acceleration measured via the front impact sensor on the one side of the vehicle versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor.

6. The method recited in claim 5 , wherein determining that the crash event indications indicate the occurrence of the asymmetric crash event on the one side of the vehicle comprises:

comparing crash velocities measured via the left-hand and right-hand front impact sensors;

comparing crash velocities measured via the left-hand and right-hand side impact sensors; and

determining the occurrence of the asymmetric crash event on the one side of the vehicle in response to the compared crash velocities measured via at least one of the front impact sensors and side impact sensors indicating the occurrence of the asymmetric crash event.

7. The method recited in claim 5 , wherein determining whether the crash event is possibly an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event comprises determining that the crash event can be any of an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event, a small overlap crash event, and an angular crash event.

8. The method recited in claim 5 , wherein confirming that the crash event is the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event comprises determining that the crash acceleration measured via the front impact sensor on the one side of the vehicle versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor crosses a threshold indicative of the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event.

9. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing a velocity of the central impact sensor versus a displacement of the central impact sensor, each measured via the central impact sensor to determine whether the crash event exceeds a seatbelt firing threshold; and

actuating the actuatable restraining device in response to the compared velocity versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor crossing a seatbelt misuse threshold, the actuatable restraining device being a seatbelt.

10. The method recited in claim 9 , wherein actuating the actuatable seatbelt device takes place within 10 milliseconds.

11. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing a velocity of the central impact sensor versus a displacement of the central impact sensor, each measured via the central impact sensor to determine whether the crash event exceeds an airbag firing threshold; and

actuating the actuatable restraining device in response to the compared velocity versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor crossing an airbag firing threshold, the actuatable restraining device being an airbag.

12. The method recited in claim 11 , wherein actuating the airbag takes place within 10 milliseconds.

13. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event comprises a 90 kilometer per hour oblique moving deformable barrier crash event.

14. An apparatus for controlling an actuatable restraining device in response to a crash event, comprising:

a plurality of impact sensors for sensing a plurality of crash event indications; and

a controller operatively connected to the impact sensors and configured to receive the crash event indications, compare the crash event indications against one another to identify the crash event as being an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event, and control deployment of the actuatable restraining device in response to identifying the crash event as being an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event, the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event having crash event indications consistent with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's oblique moving deformable barrier test procedure.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 14 , wherein the controller discriminates the oblique moving deformable barrier crash event from at least one of a frontal crash event, an asymmetric crash event, a small overlap crash event, and an offset deformable barrier crash event.

16. The apparatus recited in claim 14 , wherein the impact sensors are configured to sense crash acceleration in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, the impact sensors comprising a left-hand front impact sensor, a right-hand front impact sensor, a left-hand side impact sensor, a right-hand side impact sensor, and a central impact sensor.

17. The apparatus recited in claim 14 , wherein, to classify the crash event, the controller:

determines that the crash event indications indicate the occurrence of an asymmetric crash event on one side of the vehicle;

determines whether the crash event is possibly an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event by comparing crash velocity versus displacement measured via the side impact sensor on the one side of the vehicle; and

confirms that the crash event is an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event by comparing crash acceleration measured via the front impact sensor on the one side of the vehicle versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor.

18. The apparatus recited in claim 17 , wherein the controller determines that the crash event indications indicate the occurrence of an asymmetric crash event on one side of the vehicle by:

comparing crash velocities measured via the front impact sensors;

comparing crash velocities measured via the side impact sensors; and

determining the occurrence of an asymmetric crash event on one side of the vehicle in response to the compared crash velocities measured via at least one of the front impact sensors and side impact sensors indicating the occurrence of an asymmetric crash event.

19. The apparatus recited in claim 17 , wherein the controller determines whether the crash event is possibly an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event by determining that the crash event can be any of an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event, a small overlap crash event, and an angular crash event.

20. The apparatus recited in claim 17 , wherein the controller confirms that the crash event is an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event by determining that the crash acceleration measured via the front impact sensor on the one side of the vehicle versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor crosses threshold indicative of an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event.

21. The apparatus recited in claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to:

compare velocity versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor to determine whether the crash event exceeds an airbag firing threshold; and

actuate an airbag in response to the compared velocity versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor crossing an airbag misuse threshold.

22. The apparatus recited in claim 21 , wherein the controller is configured to actuate the airbag within as little as 10 milliseconds.

23. The apparatus recited in claim 17 , wherein the front impact sensors are crush zone acceleration sensors and the side impact sensors are pillar mounted satellite acceleration sensors.

24. The apparatus recited in claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to:

compare velocity versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor to determine whether the crash event exceeds a seatbelt firing threshold; and

actuate an actuatable seatbelt device in response to the compared velocity versus displacement measured via the central impact sensor crossing a seatbelt misuse threshold.

25. The apparatus recited in claim 24 , wherein the controller is configured to actuate the actuatable seatbelt device within as little as 10 milliseconds.

26. The apparatus recited in claim 14 , wherein the controller discriminates a 90 kph oblique moving deformable barrier crash event.