CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CONTROL MEANS FOR THE RELEASE OF SAFETY APPLIANCES IN VEHICLES, MORE PARTICULARLY PASSENGER CARRYING AUTOMOBILES

• US 3,789,949 A
• Filed: 07/14/1972
• Issued: 02/05/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Manfred Bortfeld, Rainer Anton, Werner Wintershoff
• Original Assignee: Manfred Bortfeld, Rainer Anton, Werner Wintershoff
• Inventors: Bortfeld, Manfred, Wintershoff, Werner, Anton, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Aegerter, Richard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US05/271,875
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 180/82R,82C,91 200/82R,82D,83B,83J,83W 293/4
• US Class Current: 200/82.00D
• 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

Control means for the release of safety appliances for the protection of passengers in motor vehicles comprising a hydraulic activating part and a receiving part co-operating therewith and adapted to operate release means for the safety appliance and secured to a part of the vehicle, said activating part consisting essentially in a casing filled with hydraulic fluid, a piston arranged for axial movement in said casing and adapted to be displaced with a velocity proportional to the degree of deformation to which the vehicle has been subjected, whereby the liquid pressure set up by throttling means on reaching a predetermined minimum value, determined by suitable dimensioning of the throttling means, activates via the receiving part release means for the safety appliance.

Claims

1. Control means for the release of safety appliances for the protection of passengers in motor vehicles, comprising a fixed vehicle part, a movable vehicle part adapted to be impacted, an activating part filled with hydraulic fluid disposed between said vehicle parts, a piston capable of axial displacement in the activating part, a piston rod establishing a connection between said piston and said movable vehicle part, a support plate attached to the fixed vehicle part, a receiving part, a membrane disposed between the support and the receiving part, a contact carrying member axially movable in the receiving part, a first equalising space located between the piston and the activating part on the side of the piston rod, a compression space on the other side of the piston rod, throttling bores establishing communication between the compression space and the first equalising space, a second equalising space, bore holes communicating between said first and second equalising spaces, the arrangement being such that on impact with an obstacle, the movable vehicle part is displaced towards the fixed vehicle part and this movement is transmitted via piston rod to piston to force fluid from the compression space via said throttling bores into said equalising spaces to set up a back pressure, which when it reaches a predetermined minimum value causes movement of the contact carrying member to establish a short circuit and initiate release of the safety appliances.