Collision detector for a vehicle

• US 4,873,452 A
• Filed: 09/22/1988
• Issued: 10/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Junichi, Morota, Makie
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): IP, SHIK LUEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US07/247,559
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9, 307/10 R, 307/105 B, 307/10 BP, 340/52 R, 340/52 H, 340/61, 340/62, 340/65, 340/66, 340/71, 340/72, 180/224, 180/268, 180/282, 180/286, 180/287, 180/271, 180/272, 280/731, 280/734, 280/735
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01332 by frequency or waveform analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a collision detector for a vehicle, capable of avoiding the adverse effect of the diagnostic pulses on the detection of a collision so that the failure of the acceleration sensor can be diagnosed correctly. A collision detector in accordance with the present invention comprises a diagnostic pulse generator which applies diagnostic pulses to an acceleration sensor to detect the failure of the acceleration sensor, and a diagnostic circuit which stops the output diagnostic pulses of the diagnostic pulse generator when the output of the acceleration sensor exceeds a malfunction avoidance level which is lower than a reference collision level.

Claims

1. A collision detector for a vehicle comprising:

an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration of the vehicle;

signal processing circuit which provides a collision signal when a value, based on an output of the acceleration sensor, exceeds a predetermined reference collision level;

a diagnostic pulse generator which applies diagnostic pulses to the acceleration sensor to detect a failure of the acceleration sensor; and

a diagnostic circuit which stops an output of the output diagnostic oulses the diagnostic pulse generator when the output of the acceleration sensor exceeds a malfunction avoidance level which is lower than the predetermined reference collision level.