A side impact crash sensor for a vehicle having front and rear wheels, said sensor comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a mass within said housing movable relative to said housing in response to accelerations of said housing; (c) means responsive to the motion of said mass upon acceleration of said housing in excess of a predetermined threshold value, for initiating an occupant protection apparatus; and (d) means for mounting said housing onto at least one of a side door of the vehicle and a side of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels, in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into the side of said vehicle. view more

The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein electronic means are provided to sense the motion of said mass.

A side-impact sensor for a vehicle having front and rear wheels, said sensor comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an acceleration sensing mass within said housing; (c) means for biasing said sensing mass within said housing toward a first position; (d) means responsive to the motion of said mass to a second position upon acceleration of said housing in excess of a predetermined threshold value; (e) means for mounting said housing onto at least one of a side door of vehicle and a side of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels, in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into the side of said vehicle; whereby said sensor responds to a designed velocity change function in a side impact crash. view more

A side impact crash sensor for a vehicle having front and rear wheels, said sensor comprising: (a) a housing having a total thickness in the sensing direction less than both its height and width, said housing having a cavity within; (b) a mass disposed within said housing cavity and movable relative to said housing in response to accelerations of said housing; (c) means responsive to the motion of said mass upon acceleration of said housing in excess of a predetermined threshold value, for initiating an occupant protection apparatus; and (d) means for mounting said housing onto at least one of a side door of the vehicle and a side of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels, in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into side of said vehicle. view more