Combination accelerometer and high frequency pressure transducer for crash sensing
First Claim
1. A sensing device for use in a passenger restraint system that restrains a passenger within a vehicle during a crash event, said sensing device comprising:
- a low frequency sensing circuit providing a signal of the crash event, said low frequency sensing circuit being responsive to low frequency signals generated as a result of deceleration of the vehicle during the crash event;
a high frequency sensing circuit providing a signal of the crash event, said high frequency sensing circuit being responsive to high frequency signals generated as a result of deformation of structural members of the vehicle during the crash event;
analyzing means for combining and analyzing the signal from the low frequency sensing circuit and the signal from the high frequency sensing circuit so as to provide an indication of whether to activate a passenger restraint device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Passenger restraint system including a crash sensor for deploying an air bag associated with a vehicle during a crash event. The crash sensor includes a low frequency accelerometer circuit and a high frequency pressure transducer circuit. The low frequency accelerometer circuit senses low frequency signals from the deceleration of the vehicle as a result of the crash event, and the high frequency transducer circuit senses high frequency signals from the deformation of metal components as a result of the crash event. The combination of the high frequency signals and the low frequency signals provides an accurate indication for deployment of the air bag.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A sensing device for use in a passenger restraint system that restrains a passenger within a vehicle during a crash event, said sensing device comprising:
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a low frequency sensing circuit providing a signal of the crash event, said low frequency sensing circuit being responsive to low frequency signals generated as a result of deceleration of the vehicle during the crash event; a high frequency sensing circuit providing a signal of the crash event, said high frequency sensing circuit being responsive to high frequency signals generated as a result of deformation of structural members of the vehicle during the crash event; analyzing means for combining and analyzing the signal from the low frequency sensing circuit and the signal from the high frequency sensing circuit so as to provide an indication of whether to activate a passenger restraint device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A passenger restraint system for deploying an air bag within a vehicle during a crash event, said system comprising:
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a low frequency sensing circuit being responsive to deceleration of the vehicle during the crash event, said low frequency sensing circuit providing a signal indicative of the deceleration; a high frequency sensing circuit for sensing high frequency signals as a result of deformation of structural members of the vehicle during the crash event, said high frequency sensing circuit providing a signal indicative of the deformation of the structural members; analyzing means for combining and analyzing the signal from the low frequency sensing circuit and the signal from the high frequency sensing circuit, wherein the analyzing means combines the signals to provide an indication of whether to deploy the air bag; and an air bag firing circuit responsive to an air bag deploying signal from the analyzing means, said air bag firing circuit deploying the air bag upon receiving the airbag deploying signal from the analyzer means. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A passenger restraint system for deploying an air bag within a vehicle during a crash event, said system comprising:
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an accelerometer circuit, said accelerometer circuit being responsive to deceleration of the vehicle during the crash event, said accelerometer circuit providing a signal indicative of the deceleration; a plurality of pressure transducers and band pass filters, each of the pressure transducers being responsive to high frequency signals during the crash event as a result of deformation of structural members that are indicative of crash intensity, wherein the band pass filters limit output signals from the pressure transducers to a predetermined frequency range in order to separate different types of crash events; a microprocessor being responsive to signals from the accelerometer circuit and the transducers, said microprocessor providing an air bag control signal; and an air bag firing circuit, said air bag firing circuit being responsive to the air bag control signal and deploying the air bag upon receipt of the control signal from the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification