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Vehicle obstacle detector and alarm system

  • US 5,485,140 A
  • Filed: 06/24/1994
  • Issued: 01/16/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An improved obstacle detector and alarm system comprising:

  • a) at least one obstacle detector assembly comprising;

    (1) an impact probe having a front end, a rear end, and having a first rod cavity that extends longitudinally from the rear end,(2) a flexible rod having a front section and a rear section, where the front section is sized to be frictionally inserted into and held within the first rod cavity,(3) a housing having a front end, a rear end, and having a second rod cavity that extends longitudinally from the front end, and an acoustic transducer cavity that extends longitudinally from the rear end, where into the second rod cavity is frictionally inserted and held therein the rear section of said flexible rod,(4) a cable having a first end and a second end with the cable encompassing a first conductor and a second conductor, where the first and second conductors projecting from the second end are connected to a female connector with the second conductor connected to common ground,(5) an acoustic transducer having a first electrode and a second electrode, where the first electrode is attached to the first conductor projecting from the first end of said cable, and the second electrode is attached to the second conductor projecting from the first end of said cable, where the attached acoustic transducer is inserted into the acoustic transducer cavity on said housing and is held therein by the insertion of a potting compound, where when said impact probe touches or scrapes against an obstacle, mehcanical oscillations are produced by said impact probe that travel through said flexible rod into said housing, from said housing the oscillations are mechanically transmitted through the potting compound to said acoustic transducer from where a series of electrical pulses are produced and applied through the female connector attached to said cable, andb) an electronic control unit housed within an enclosure having attached at least one male connector that mates with the female connector on said cable, and having circuit means for processing the electrical pulses and subsequently producing an alarm that alerts a driver of a vehicle when the vehicle has encountered an obstacle.

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