Collision detecting device and passive safety system

• US 20040020701A1
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,137,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/274
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01013 Means for detecting collision, impending collision or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558

Abstract

A collision detecting device providing the accurate and early determination of a collision with a vehicle or the like and a passive safety system using this collision detecting device. A low-rigid portion and a crash box are arranged ahead of the high-rigid portion in a front portion of a frame. The front end of a rod is fixed to a bumper. The rod is inserted into a magnetic detector disposed on the high-rigid portion. In the rod, a number of magnets are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the rod such that their N poles and S poles are alternatively arranged. As a vehicle collides, the crash box is first deformed so that the rod moves backward, whereby a collision can be detected before large acceleration is generated.

Claims

1. A collision detecting apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

at least one impact receiving member disposed along a frame member of a vehicle, the impact receiving member and frame member defining a space therebetween; and

at least one speed detector mounted in a vehicle to measure deformation speed of at least a portion around an end of the vehicle, the deformation speed being the rate at which a change in the space occurs in a direction toward the vehicle due to a collision with an object.

2. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one impact receiving member is a bumper cover disposed along a bumper member of a vehicle.

3. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the speed detector continuously detects the deformation speed of the space from variation in volume of the space.

4. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the speed detector continuously measures the deformation speed of the change in the space from displacement of the at least one impact receiving member relative to a frame member of a vehicle.

5. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 4 wherein a frame member of a vehicle is a bumper member, a bumper cover is disposed along the bumper member, and the at least one impact receiving member is disposed at least in part between the bumper member and the bumper cover.

6. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 4 wherein a frame member of a vehicle is a bumper member, a bumper cover is disposed along the bumper member, and the at least one impact receiving member composes at least a part of the bumper cover.

7. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 4 wherein a frame member of a vehicle is a bumper member, a bumper cover is disposed along the bumper member, and the at least one impact receiving member is partially located outside of the bumper cover.

8. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one impact receiving member has a predetermined rigidity such that an impact received during a collision or displacement is transmitted to the entire at least one impact receiving member.

9. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein only a portion of the at least one impact receiving member is deformed from an impact received during a collision or displacement.

10. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a controller to estimate, from a profile generated from deformation speeds measured over time and a load-deformation characteristic of the space, a relative velocity between a vehicle and an object which the vehicle come in collision with or the working mass of the object.

11. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 10 wherein a signal is generated based on at least one or more of the deformation speeds, the relative velocity estimates and/or the working mass estimate to signal the timing of and the selection of actuation of one or more vehicle occupant protective devices.

12. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 3 further comprising at least one controller to evaluate a deformation amount of the space from the deformation speed of the space, to estimate a relative velocity between a vehicle and an object with which the vehicle comes in collision with from the deformation speed of the space, and to estimate a crash severity from the deformation speed of the space.

13. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 12 wherein a signal is generated based on at least one or more of a relative velocity estimate and/or a crash severity estimate to signal the timing of and the selection of actuation of one or more vehicle occupant protective devices.

14. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein a speed detector is disposed on at least both left and right front portions of a vehicle and further comprises a controller to evaluate size and position of a collided object at the vehicle by comparing the deformation speed from the right and left speed detectors.

15. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 further comprises an acceleration sensor to detect the deceleration acting on a vehicle during a collision, wherein the acceleration sensor is used as a safing sensor for the collision occurrence determination from the speed detector.

16. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 further comprises an acceleration sensor to detect the deceleration acting on a vehicle during a collision, wherein criteria or method for determining a collision occurrence from the acceleration sensor is changed based on the collision occurrence determination from the speed detector.

17. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein there is a determination on whether to actuate a vehicle occupant protective device and a determination of crash severity and mode of collision from running velocity information of a vehicle.

18. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 wherein there is a detection of a collision with a pedestrian.

19. The collision detecting apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a transducer to detect the deformation of the space.

20. A passive safety system comprising:

an occupant protective device;

a controller to actuate the occupant protective device; and

a collision detecting device that provides a signal to the controller to actuate the occupant protective device, the collision detecting device comprising at least one impact receiving member disposed along a frame member of a vehicle, the at least one impact receiving member and frame member defining a space therebetween, and a speed detector mounted in the vehicle to measure a deformation speed of at least a portion around an end of the vehicle, the deformation speed being the rate at which a change in the space occurs in a direction toward the vehicle due to a collision with an object.