VEHICLE COLLISION DETECTING APPARATUS

• US 3,780,314 A
• Filed: 10/24/1972
• Issued: 12/18/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fumiyuki Inose, Sadao Kobayashi, Shotaro Shibata, Tomoji Inui
• Original Assignee: Fumiyuki Inose, Sadao Kobayashi, Shotaro Shibata, Tomoji Inui
• Inventors: Inose, Fumiyuki, Inui, Tomoji, Kobayashi, Sadao, Shibata, Shotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hohauser, Herman J.
• Application Number:
  US05/300,225
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 335/179,229,230 200/80,61.45 340/53,61,261,262 180/82,96,103,104 307/121,1R
• US Class Current: 307/121
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002

Abstract

A collision detecting apparatus comprising a sphere of magnetic material normally held stationary by the attractive force of a magnet and a switch adapted to be closed when said sphere of magnetic material is moved overcoming said attractive force by virtue of the force of a collision, wherein the attractive force of said magnet tends to be relatively large under the normal driving conditions of a vehicle, while said attractive force is made to be relatively small by a signal indicative of the occurrence of a collision, whereby the apparatus may not be operated by any noise produced while the vehicle is running, but is capable of positively coming into operation upon the occurrence of a collision.

Claims

1. A vehicle collision tetecting apparatus comprising a magnet, a movable body of a magnetic material normally held stationary by the attractive force existing between said magnet and said magnetic body, means for detecting the displacement of said magnetic body when said magnetic body is moved overcoming said attractive force, a coil for producing a magnetic field superimposed on the magnetic field of said magnet exerting said attractive force, current supply means for supplying current to said coil, and means for controlling the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil in response to the occurrence of a collision.

2. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction of current flowing through said coil is selected in such a manner that the magnetic field produced by said coil and the magnetic field produced by said magnet are opposite in direction to each other.

3. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said current supply controlling means comprises detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision, and switching means for closing the electric circuit between said current supply means and said coil in response to the output from said detecting means.

4. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said current supply controlling means comprises means for detecting the driving conditions of a vehicle, and means for controlling the value of current supplied from said current supply means to said coil in response to the output from said detecting means.

5. A collision detecting apparatus comprising a magnet case, a permanent magnet disposed in said magnet case in such a manner that a magnetic field due to said permanent magnet is produced in the vertical direction, a sphere of magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof, a supporting plate for supporting said sphere in such a manner that said sphere is held stationary at a predetermined position by the magnetic force of said magnet and movable in the horizontal direction in response To the force of a collision, at least that portion of the surface of said supporting plate contacting said sphere being formed of an electrically conductive material, a fixed contact mounted on said magnet case in such a manner as to contact with said sphere when said sphere is moved a predetermined distance from said stationary position, a coil wound and disposed in said magnet case to exert an adjustable magnetic force on said magnetic sphere, and current supply means for supplying current to said coil.

6. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said coil for producing an adjustable magnetic force is wound on said permanent magnet, and current is supplied from said current supply means to said coil in such a direction that the magnetic force of said coil and the magnetic force of said permanent magnet are opposite in direction with each other.

7. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein switching means adapted to be closed by a signal indicative of a sign of the occurrence of a collision is connected between said current supply means and said coil.

8. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said switching means comprises a magnet case, a permanent magnet disposed in said magnet case such that a magnetic field due to said permanent magnet is produced in the vertical direction, a sphere of magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof, a supporting plate for supporting said sphere in such a manner that said sphere is held stationary at a predetermined position by the magnetic force of said magnet and movable in the horizontal direction in response to the force of a collision, at least that portion of the surface of said supporting plate contacting said sphere being formed of an electrically conductive material, and a fixed contact mounted on said magnet case so as to contact with said sphere when said sphere is moved a predetermined distance from said stationary position.

9. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said coil for producing an adjustable magnetic force is wound on a yoke provided on the side wall of said magnet case such that a magnetic field produced by said coil acts in the horizontal direction to said magnetic sphere.

10. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a variable resistor is connected between said current supply means and said coil to vary the amount of current supplied to said coil.

11. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the resistance value of said variable resistor is changed according to the driving conditions of a vehicle such as the vibration of the vehicle body or the speed of the vehicle.

12. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction of current flow through said coil is selected such that a magnetic field produced by said coil acts in the same direction as the magnetic field produced by said magnet.

13. A collision detecting apparatus comprising a permanent magnet, a body of a magnetic material normally held stationary at a predetermined position by a holding force of the horizontal direction due to a magnetic field produced by said permanent magnet, a coil for producing a magnetic field to exert a holding force of the same direction as said holding force of said permanent magnet to said magnetic body individually from said permanent magnet, current supply means for supplying current to said coil, detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision to interrupt the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil, and switching means adapted to be closed in response to the displacement of said magnetic body when said magnetic body is moved overcoming said holding forces of said permanent magnet and said coil.

14. A collision detecting apparatus comprising a body of a magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof to serve as a mOvable contact electrode, a fixed contact electrode disposed opposite to said magnetic body, permanent magnet means for exerting a holding force of the horizontal direction to said magnetic body in such a manner that said magnetic body is held stationary at a predetermined position apart from said fixed contact electrode, coil means for exerting a holding force of the horizontal direction to said magnetic body individually from said permanent magnet means in such a manner that said magnetic body is held stationary at said predetermined position, current supply means for supplying current to said coil means, and detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision to control the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil means.

15. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said detecting means comprises a radar adapted to be operated when an object quickly approaches to the front of a vehicle.

16. A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said current supply means comprises means for controlling the value of current supplied from said current supply means to said coil means in response to the driving conditions of a vehicle.