Device for detecting collision with a vehicle

• US 20070181359A1
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Mader, Gerhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,635,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/274
• 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 device for detecting a collision with a vehicle includes a pressure sensor for detecting compression of a substantially closed measuring volume upon collision. The measuring volume is arranged along a part of the vehicle body that is impacted during the collision. The cross-sectional area of the measuring volume, along its longitudinal direction, has a comparatively larger area in the vicinity of those parts of the vehicle body that are comparatively rigid and therefore comparatively difficult to deform during collision.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. In combination, a vehicle having a vehicle body with a part potentially affected by a collision, including relatively rigid vehicle body parts that are comparatively difficult to deform during the collision, and a device for detecting a collision, the device comprising:

a substantially closed measuring volume disposed along the part of the vehicle body potentially affected by the collision, said measuring volume, along a longitudinal direction thereof, having a cross-sectional area with a comparatively larger area in a vicinity of the relatively rigid vehicle body parts that are comparatively difficult to deform during the collision; and

a pressure sensor disposed to detect a compression of said substantially closed measuring volume upon the collision.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the cross-sectional area of said measuring volume, in the longitudinal direction, includes mutually different areas such that, during a collision of a same object at a same speed with different collision sites along the part of the vehicle body affected by the collision, there is a substantially equal signal amplitude at said pressure sensor.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein said measuring volume (2) has comparatively largest cross-sectional areas at two ends thereof.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein said measuring volume has a smallest cross-sectional area approximately centrally between the two ends of the measuring volume.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein said measuring volume has two ends and a largest cross-sectional area approximately centrally between said two ends.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein said measuring volume has two ends and a largest cross-sectional area approximately centrally between said two ends.

13. The device according to claim 7, wherein said measuring volume has two ends and said pressure sensor is disposed substantially centrally between said two ends.