Crash Sensor
First Claim
1. An impact sensor for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the sensor comprising an elongate yieldable element and a support arrangement for supporting opposed ends of the yieldable element on one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent to the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle, wherein the yieldable element includes a sensor arrangement responsive to bending of the yieldable element that generates at least one signal in response to the yieldable element being bent, wherein the yieldable element has a stiffness and mass such that a period for a complete oscillation of the yieldable element is at a resonance frequency of at least 2 milliseconds.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A crash sensor comprising a support arrangement for supporting opposed ends of a yieldable element directly on one of an outer skin of a vehicle and a component adjacent to the outer skin with the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle. A sensor arrangement in the form of resistors mounted on the yieldable element to generate a signal in response to deformation or bending of the yieldable element. A stiffness and a mass of the yieldable element is selected to achieve such that a period for a complete oscillation of the element at its resonance frequency is of at least 2 milliseconds.
17 Citations
32 Claims
- 1. An impact sensor for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the sensor comprising an elongate yieldable element and a support arrangement for supporting opposed ends of the yieldable element on one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent to the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle, wherein the yieldable element includes a sensor arrangement responsive to bending of the yieldable element that generates at least one signal in response to the yieldable element being bent, wherein the yieldable element has a stiffness and mass such that a period for a complete oscillation of the yieldable element is at a resonance frequency of at least 2 milliseconds.
- 5. An impact sensor for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the sensor comprising an elongate yieldable element and a plurality of supports that support opposed ends of the yieldable element on one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent to the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle, wherein the yieldable element includes a sensor arrangement responsive to bending of the yieldable element that generates at least one signal in response to the yieldable element being bent, the supports respectively supporting the opposed ends being spaced apart by a distance of at least 50 millimetres.
- 22. An impact sensor for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the sensor comprising an elongate yieldable element, and a support arrangement for supporting opposed ends of the yieldable element on one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle, wherein the yieldable element includes a sensor arrangement responsive to bending of the yieldable element that generates at least one bend signal in response to the yieldable element being bent, the sensor arrangement including sensors that generate an output signal when the bend signal exceeds a threshold, wherein no output signal will be generated if the impacting speed is below a predetermined speed threshold or if the deformation of the outer skin is below a predetermined deformation threshold.
- 30. An impact sensor system for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the impact sensor comprising an elongate yieldable strip, the strip comprising at least two elongate yieldable elements disposed along the strip, each yieldable element supported by a support arrangement at opposed ends of the yieldable element disposed directly on one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle, wherein the yieldable strip includes at least one sensor arrangement, each sensor arrangement being responsive to bending of at least one of the yieldable elements such that at least one signal is generated in response to at least one yieldable element being bent.
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32. An impact sensor for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the sensor comprising an elongate yieldable element and a support arrangement including supports which are spaced apart by a distance of at least 50 millimetres to support opposed ends of the yieldable element directly on one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element substantially parallel with the outer skin of the vehicle, the yieldable element including a sensor arrangement responsive to bending of the yieldable element such that at least one signal is generated in response to the yieldable element being bent, the yieldable element having a stiffness and a mass such that a period for a complete oscillation of the yieldable element is at a resonance frequency of between 5 milliseconds and 20 milliseconds, the sensor arrangement forming part of a strip which includes a plurality of substantially identical sensor arrangements, the yieldable element being included with a plurality of the elongate yieldable elements of the sensor arrangements in the strips, the yieldable element having a weak mechanical coupling between adjacent sensor arrangements, the weak mechanical coupling including a plurality of cuts extending from opposite sides of the yieldable element.
Specification