Potential chassis damage identification, validation, and notification
First Claim
1. A vehicle comprising:
- an accelerometer for detecting acceleration of a chassis component;
additional accelerometers separate from the chassis component; and
a controller programmed toreceive a potential chassis damage signal from the accelerometer indicating acceleration between a lower threshold and an upper threshold associated with triggering a supplemental restraint,validate the potential chassis damage signal based on a time between signals received from the additional accelerometers, andoutput a message to a display in response to the validation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle has one or more accelerometers for detecting acceleration of a chassis component. One or more separate sensors are also provided in the vehicle. A controller is programmed to receive a signal indicating acceleration from the one or more accelerometers, wherein the acceleration is between a lower threshold that indicates normal vehicle operation and an upper threshold which would otherwise set off restraint devices, such as airbags for example. When the acceleration is between the thresholds, a potential-chassis-damage signal can be locally created or sent. The controller then validates the potential-chassis-damage signal based on the signals received from the separate sensors. Upon validation, the controller outputs a message to a display, such as a display screen inside the vehicle or an OBD diagnostic tool, warning a user of potential-chassis damage.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A vehicle comprising:
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an accelerometer for detecting acceleration of a chassis component; additional accelerometers separate from the chassis component; and a controller programmed to receive a potential chassis damage signal from the accelerometer indicating acceleration between a lower threshold and an upper threshold associated with triggering a supplemental restraint, validate the potential chassis damage signal based on a time between signals received from the additional accelerometers, and output a message to a display in response to the validation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method comprising:
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receiving a signal from an accelerometer indicating acceleration of a chassis component; validating potential chassis damage based on (i) the acceleration being between a lower threshold unlikely to cause chassis damage and an upper threshold likely to cause chassis damage, and (ii) a time between signals received from additional sensors being consistent with potential chassis damage; and outputting a signal to a display in response to the validating. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle comprising:
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a primary accelerometer configured to detect vertical acceleration of a front wheel; a plurality of secondary accelerometers; and a controller programmed to output a potential chassis damage message to a display in response to (i) the vertical acceleration being positive but less than a triggering threshold for a supplemental restraint, and (ii) acceleration signals received from the secondary accelerometers in a sequence based on distance from the front wheel. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification