OPTIMIZATION OF A SINGLE-POINT FRONTAL AIRBAG FIRE THRESHOLD

A method of optimization of a single-point frontal airbag fire threshold. The relationship of the airbag fire distribution as a function of velocity to the airbag fire-time is characterized through the use of an optimization procedure. The optimization is conducted by abstracting the sensor algorithm and its associated constraints into a simple mathematical formulation. An airbag fire objective function is constructed that integrates the fire-rate and fire-time requirements. The function requires the input of a single acceleration time history, and it produces an output depending on the airbag fire condition. Numerical search of the optimal fire threshold curve is achieved through parameterizing this curve and applying a modified simplex search optimization algorithm that determines the optimal threshold function parameters without computing the complete objective function in the parameter space.