ELECTRONICS AND ALGORITHMS FOR ROLLOVER SENSING. IN: OCCUPANT AND VEHICLE RESPONSES IN ROLLOVERS

This chapter on the electronics and algorithms for rollover sensing is from a comprehensive textbook on occupant and vehicle responses in rollovers. The authors note that rollover sensing and discrimination generally requires an algorithm that monitors vehicle motion and anticipates conditions that will lead to a rollover. Then, occupant protection measures could be used to mitigate injuries in the event of the vehicle rollover. A rollover discrimination system typically includes internal motion sensors, vehicle signals from other on-board sensors, and a microprocessor to execute the deployment algorithm. The authors use a simulation environment that models the performance of the system across part tolerance, temperature extremes, and component age to estimate the scope of expected discrimination performance in the field. They also present a sample of real-world events which can be used to calibrate algorithm parameters to ensure immunity margins and deployment timing for the system. The authors conclude by emphasizing that the rollover sensing module (RSM) is only one component in an entire vehicle-wide safety system, which includes vehicle characteristics, interior dimensions, and the location and deployment behavior of the safety restraints.