Collision detector for a vehicle
First Claim
1. A collision detector for a vehicle comprising a waveguide and means for acoustically isolating said waveguide from a vehicle, the waveguide having means for allowing the propagation of stress waves therein, the waveguide being arranged such that stress wave activity is produced therein due to the deformation of the waveguide in a collision, at least one transducer means being coupled to the waveguide for detecting any such stress waves propagating in the waveguide and for producing an electrical signal corresponding with such stress waves, a processor means arranged for analyzing said electrical signal to give an output signal to indicate the occurrence of a collision, said waveguide comprising a metallic member, said metallic member being coated with a brittle material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A collision detector for a vehicle, comprises a waveguide which is locatable on and acoustically isolated from the vehicle. The waveguide allows stress waves to propagate therethrough, and the waveguide is arranged to produce stress wave activity when the waveguide is deformed due to collision. A pair of transducers are acoustically coupled to the waveguide and the transducers convert any stress waves into electrical signals. A processor analyses the electrical signals and gives an output signal to indicate the occurrence of a collision. The transducers detect different frequency bands and the processor compares the electrical signals and indicates the occurrence of a crash if the ratio or difference is greater than a predetermined value. The waveguide is a metallic member which has a glass coating and a protective coating. Alternatively the waveguide may be a fibre reinforced plastic, tin, or a metallic member which has an interface with a semi-rigid plastic member.
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Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A collision detector for a vehicle comprising a waveguide and means for acoustically isolating said waveguide from a vehicle, the waveguide having means for allowing the propagation of stress waves therein, the waveguide being arranged such that stress wave activity is produced therein due to the deformation of the waveguide in a collision, at least one transducer means being coupled to the waveguide for detecting any such stress waves propagating in the waveguide and for producing an electrical signal corresponding with such stress waves, a processor means arranged for analyzing said electrical signal to give an output signal to indicate the occurrence of a collision, said waveguide comprising a metallic member, said metallic member being coated with a brittle material.
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12. A collision detector for a vehicle comprising a waveguide and means for acoustically isolating said waveguide from a vehicle, the waveguide having means for allowing the propagation of stress waves therein, the waveguide being arranged such that stress wave activity is produced therein due to the deformation of the waveguide in a collision, at least one transducer means being coupled to the waveguide for detecting any such stress waves propagating in the waveguide and for producing an electrical signal corresponding with such stress waves, a processor means arranged for analyzing said electrical signal to give an output signal to indicate the occurrence of a collision, said waveguide comprising a fiber reinforced member.
Specification