| AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120089299 | WIRELESS TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR VEHICULAR COMPONENT CONTROL AND MONITORING - Vehicle with wireless sensors includes a frame, at least one sensor assembly fixed to the frame and each including a sensor arranged to obtain data about a condition or property of the vehicle or part thereof or an environment in or around the vehicle, and a wireless transmission component coupled to the sensor for wirelessly transmitting a signal derived from the data obtained by the sensor, a receiver fixed to the frame arranged to receive signals from the wireless transmission component, and a reactive component for performing an action based on the data obtained by the sensor and transmitted from the wireless transmission component to the receiver. The data can be displayed as an indication to the driver or other occupant of the vehicle, relayed the data to a remote location for analysis or response and/or used to determine adjustment or control a component in the vehicle. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120018989 | METHOD FOR DEPLOYING A VEHICULAR OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEM - Method for protecting an occupant seated on a seat of a vehicle which includes an airbag arranged to deploy to protect the occupant in the event of a crash involving the vehicle, a first sensor system for detecting presence of the occupant, a second sensor system connected to the seatbelt for obtaining information about seatbelt spool out, and a processor coupled to the first and second sensor systems and arranged to control deployment of the airbag based on the presence of the occupant and the information about seatbelt spool out. The second sensor system may be arranged to measure a length of the seatbelt pulled out of a seatbelt retractor and include an encoder arranged on a shaft around which the seatbelt is wound and a receptor arranged to generate a signal when a line on the encoder passes by the receptor. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20110042929 | FILM AIRBAGS - Inflatable airbag for a vehicle which is deployed in the event of an accident involving the vehicle to provide protection for an occupant of the vehicle includes a plurality of ribbons coupled together to define an enclosed, fluid-retaining space and a layer of film laminated on at least one of an outer side of the woven ribbons and an inner side of the ribbons. The ribbons each have a width of less than about 3 mm and preferably about 0.5 to about 1 mm. The ribbons may be made from polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester or polyamide and the layers of film may be made from polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester or polyamide. The ribbons and layers of film may be made of the same or different materials. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20100268423 | Occupant Protection Systems Control Techniques - Control system for controlling at least one occupant protection system of a vehicle includes a plurality of preferably electronic sensor systems mounted at different locations on the vehicle, each sensor system providing a measurement related to a state thereof system or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location. A processor is coupled to the sensor systems and diagnoses the state of the vehicle based on the measurements of the sensor systems. The processor controls each occupant protection system based at least in part on the diagnosed state of the vehicle. The occupant protection system may be a deployable airbag whose deployment is controlled by the processor based on the diagnosed state of the vehicle. The diagnosis of the state of the vehicle may be a diagnosis of the overall condition of the vehicle with respect to its stability or a diagnosis of the vehicle itself. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100207754 | VEHICULAR RFID AND SENSOR ASSEMBLIES - RFID and sensor assemblies for vehicles in which an interrogator transmits RF signals and receives responsive RF signals from the RFID assemblies. Each RFID assembly includes a sensor and an RFID switch which receives an RF signal from the interrogator and upon receipt of a signal containing its identification, enables transmission of a signal from the sensor from which a property being monitored by the sensor is determinable. The sensor may be a SAW sensor which modifies a received wave as a function of the property being monitored by the sensor and thus transmits a modified wave. Each RFID assembly may include an antenna arranged to receive signals from and provide signals to the interrogator. The RFID switch is arranged to connect or disconnect the sensor from a circuit dependent on whether the antenna receives a particular signal associated with the RFID assembly. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20100057305 | Exterior Airbag Deployment Techniques - Externally deployed airbag system for a vehicle including one or more inflatable airbags deployable outside of the vehicle, an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of the airbag(s) in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, and an inflator coupled to the anticipatory sensor system and the airbag for inflating the airbag when initiated by the anticipatory sensor system. The airbag may be housed in a module mounted along a side of the vehicle, in a side door of the vehicle (both for side impact protection), at a front of the vehicle (for frontal impact protection) or at a rear of the vehicle (for rear impact protection). Also, the externally deployed airbag can be deployed to cushion a pedestrian's impact against the vehicle. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20090132129 | Side Impact Sensor Systems - Vehicle including an occupant protection apparatus for protecting an occupant in the event of an impact into a side of the vehicle and an electronic side impact crash sensor for detecting the side impact and which includes a sensor housing positioned to cause lateral movement of the sensor housing responsive to the side impact, a movable sensing mass within the sensor housing and move laterally relative to the sensor housing in response to the side impact, and a control unit connected to the crash sensor for activating the occupant protection apparatus. The crash sensor generates a signal representative of the movement of the sensing mass. The control unit includes a micro-processor and an algorithm processed by the micro-processor and configured to analyze the signal representative of the movement of the sensing mass and generate a deployment signal based thereon to initiate deployment of the occupant protection apparatus. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090092284 | Light Modulation Techniques for Imaging Objects in or around a Vehicle - Method and system for obtaining information about an object in a compartment in a vehicle includes directing illumination into the compartment, spatial or temporally modulating the illumination, receiving light reflected from an object in the compartment, and analyzing the reflected light to obtain information about the object. The compartment may be a passenger compartment of an automobile, the trunk of an automobile or the interior of a trailer of a truck. The illumination may be directed from a light source and the reflected light received at a receiver spaced apart from the light source. Analysis of the reflected light may therefore entail applying a triangulation calculation to enable a determination of a distance between the light source and illuminated point on the object. The same method and system can be adapted for monitoring the environment around the vehicle. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090066065 | Optical Occupant Sensing Techniques - Vehicular system for determining the presence of an object in a passenger compartment of the vehicle includes a first image receiver arranged at a first location for obtaining a first two-dimensional view of a portion of the compartment, and a second image receiver arranged at a second location for obtaining a second two-dimensional view of the same portion of the compartment, the second image receiver being arranged relative to the first image receiver such that three dimensions of the portion of the compartment are encompassed by the first and second views. A processor receives images from the first and second image receivers and determines whether an object is present in the compartment based on the images. A reactive system, such as an airbag assembly, may be coupled to the processor and controlled thereby based on the determination of whether an object is present in the imaged portion of the compartment. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090046538 | Apparatus and method for Determining Presence of Objects in a Vehicle - Vehicle including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged such that an interior space is defined by or between the first and second substructures, and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space. The arrangement includes ultrasonic transducers arranged on the second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space and a processor coupled to the ultrasonic transducers and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on reception of waves by the ultrasonic transducers. If the vehicle is an automobile and the interior space is the passenger compartment therein, the first substructure can be the passenger seat and the second substructure can be the A-pillar, in which case, the processor determines the presence or absence of a passenger in the passenger seat. | 02-19-2009 |
| 20090043441 | Information Management and Monitoring System and Method - Information management and monitoring system and method for monitoring components on an apparatus during its operation includes a monitoring system including sensors for monitoring the components operation thereof, and a processing module arranged on the apparatus and to receive and process data about the monitored components from the sensors. The module derives information from the data about the monitored components to determine whether any component is operating in a non-optimal manner and/or to forecast failure of any component prior to such failure. The system also includes at least one remote entity interested in the operation or failure of any component. A wireless communication system is arranged on the apparatus and coupled to the module for enabling wireless communications of derived information from the module to each entity during operation of the apparatus, including information about the presence and identity of any non-optimally operating component or component forecast to fail. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090039625 | Vehicular Occupant Protection Method Using Airbags - Method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle using an inflatable airbag includes sealing sheets of film to form a sealed airbag having interconnected compartments receivable of inflating gas and a port through which the compartments are inflated, and positioning the airbag, when in an uninflated state, into a recessed portion alongside the passenger compartment. The airbag is positioned to extend, when inflated, across a side of the passenger compartment between occupant seating positions on that side of the vehicle and a portion of the vehicle defining the passenger compartment. A pressurized gas source inflates the airbag so that when an accident is sensed and a determination is made to inflate the airbag, gas enters into and inflate the airbag through the port thereby causing the airbag to extend across the side of the passenger compartment. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20080292146 | Security System Control for Monitoring Vehicular Compartments - Security system and method for monitoring vehicular compartments includes at least one optical image receiving unit arranged to receive optical images of a compartment of the vehicle, e.g., from at least a portion of the face of a person located at a driver's station in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, and produce image signals therefrom and a processor including an electronic facial-recognition system coupled to the optical image receiving unit(s) responsive to the image signals and controllably coupled to the enabling system, and an electronic storage device coupled to the facial-recognition system to store a set of image signals. The facial-recognition system enables ignition of the vehicle system only if signals representative of select characteristics of a scanned face of the person derived from the image signals produced by the optical image receiving unit(s) match a member of a set of signals stored in the electronic storage device. Each member representative of select characteristics of the scanned face of an authorized operator. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080284575 | Vehicle Diagnostic Techniques - Vehicle with diagnostic capability includes different vehicle-resident sensors, each providing a measurement related to a state of the sensor or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location of the sensor, a vehicle-resident diagnostic processor coupled to the sensors and arranged to receive data from the sensors and process the data to generate an output indicative or representative of a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle, and a communications device coupled to the diagnostic system and arranged to automatically establish a communications channel between the vehicle and a remote facility without manual intervention and wirelessly transmit the output of the diagnostic system to the remote facility. The processor may embody a pattern recognition algorithm trained to generate the output from the data received from the sensors. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080284145 | Temperature-Compensated Airbag Inflator - Airbag inflator system includes an inflatable airbag, a housing and a gas generating system arranged in the housing for generating gas. The gas generating system provides variable amounts of gas to the airbag as a function of temperature. A nozzle may be arranged between the gas generating system and an interior of the airbag, the nozzle being varied as a function of temperature. The housing may be movably arranged relative to a fixed base and mounted to vary its relation to the base. To this end, elastic or temperature-deformable supports may be used to support the housing on the base. When the housing defines a chamber containing generated gas, the properties of a conduit between the chamber and the interior of the airbag can be varied as function of the pressure in the chamber. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080277911 | Driver Side Aspirated Airbags - Airbag module mounted in connection with a steering wheel includes an inflator for generating gas and arranged on the steering wheel assembly, a conduit between the inflator and the interior of the airbag, and an aspirating structure arranged in connection with the conduit for enabling air from a passenger compartment to flow into the conduit and thus into the interior of the airbag. The airbag may be housed in a housing in a middle of the steering wheel. The aspirating structure may include one or more nozzles and/or one or more valves to allow for air flow from the passenger compartment into the conduit and prevent reverse flow. The inflator may include propellant distributed around an outer wall of the inflator. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20080276191 | Vehicular Heads-Up Display System - Heads-up display arrangements for vehicles including a seat in which an occupant sits, a system for forming an image of text and/or graphics in a field of view of the occupant, a determination arrangement for determining a position of the occupant (or a part thereof) and an adjustment system for adjusting the seat based on the occupant's determined position to thereby change the orientation of the occupant relative to the image. Change of the orientation of the occupant relative to the image may entail adjusting the seat and/or adjusting the image forming system, which is often a heads-up display system. Adjustment of the seat may involve moving the seat forward or backward and/or up or down, or any other direction or way possible given the construction of the seat. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080272580 | Aspirated Inflators - Airbag inflator system includes an inflatable airbag, a flexible housing, and a gas generating system for generating gas which is directed from the housing to the interior of the airbag. The housing may be made by an extrusion process to provide it with its flexible form and a curved or arcuate form if necessary or desired. The housing may be elongate and/or mounted to a roof rail and/or made of plastic. An aspirating structure or nozzle may be arranged between the gas generating system and an interior of the airbag, which nozzle is varied as a function of temperature. The aspirating structure or arrangement enables air from the passenger compartment of the vehicle to mix with the generated gas prior to being directed into the airbag. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080272579 | Airbags with Internal Valves - Airbag for a vehicle includes at least one section of material defining a plurality of cells, chambers or compartments, and one-way valves arranged in connection with the material section(s) between the cells to control flow of inflating fluid between the cells. Each valve can lead from a respective first cell to a respective second cell and are preferably designed to close once a predetermined pressure prevails in the second cell to prevent fluid outflow from the respective second cell. The cells may be interconnected such that at least one cell is interposed between and connected to two other cells. A plurality of valves may be arranged between adjacent pairs of the cells, or only a single valve may be arranged between an adjacent pair of cells. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080243342 | Side Curtain Airbag With Inflator At End - Airbag inflator system includes an inflatable airbag, e.g., a side curtain airbag, a housing, a gas generating system arranged apart from the housing for generating gas, and a conduit leading from the gas generating system to the housing to provide gas to the housing, e.g., to a lateral end of the housing. A filter may be arranged between the gas generating system and the housing, possibly in the conduit. A nozzle may be arranged between the gas generating system and an interior of the airbag, which nozzle is varied as a function of temperature. The housing may be movably arranged relative to a fixed base and mounted to vary its relation to the base as a function of temperature, e.g., via elastic or deformable supports which support the housing on the base. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080234899 | Vehicular Occupant Sensing and Component Control Techniques - Method and system for obtaining information about a category of an occupying item in a volume of a passenger compartment of a vehicle in which the occupying item is situated during use of the vehicle and controlling one or more vehicular components. A time-varying signal is directed into the volume from at least one location. A modification of the directed signal arising from a property of any occupying items in the volume is detected, different occupying items causing different modifications of the same directed signal. A distinction is made between different occupying items of the volume or between parts of an occupying item based on the detected modification to the directed signal and each component, e.g., an inflatable airbag, is controlled based on the distinction between the occupying items or parts thereof. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080216567 | Tire Monitoring System - Vehicular tire monitoring system includes an energy providing system arranged on the tire, and a sensor system arranged on the tire and coupled to the energy providing system to be provided with energy by the energy providing system. The sensor system obtains data about at least one property of the tire, such as pressure, and converts the data into signals. An communication system is arranged on a frame of the vehicle and wirelessly communicates with the sensor system to receive the signals from the sensor system and derives, from the signals, the data obtained by the sensor system. A reactive system on the frame of the vehicle may be responsive to the data obtained by the sensor system, e.g., a display to display the data about the tire such as its pressure, or a communications system which transmits data about the tire to a remote site. | 09-11-2008 |
