System and method for sensing vehicle door edge movement

• US 6,203,060 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Automotive Systems Laboratory, Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Systems Laboratory, Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Cech, Leonard S., Sewell, Michael R., Gillis, Edward J., Talley, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US09/482,130
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 180/274, 180/282, 307/10.1, 340/436, 340/668, 340/669, 701/45, 735/143.1
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/11 by inductive pick-up

Abstract

A side impact crash is sensed from the motion of an edge wall of a vehicle door at a location distal to the door hinge in a direction of swing of the door. The rotation of the door about the hinge responsive to a side impact of the door magnifies the measured motion for a point of impact between the hinge and the sensing location. The motion may comprise acceleration, velocity or a relative motion such as relative velocity. The activation of safety restraint system is responsive to the sensed motion. In another embodiment, a side impact crash is sensed with a magnetic circuit comprising at least one coil and at least one permanent magnet, wherein an axis between the north and south poles of the magnet is substantially perpendicular to an axis about which at least one coil is wound. The relative motion is in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis about which at least one coil is wound.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash, comprising:

a. sensing the motion of an edge wall of a vehicle door, wherein said edge wall is distal to a hinge of said vehicle door, said edge wall moves in a direction of swing responsive to the operation of said vehicle door, and said motion is sensed in said direction of swing of said vehicle door;

b. generating a signal responsive to said motion; and

c. controlling the activation of the motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to said signal.

2. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash as recited in claim 1, wherein said motion is sensed at a location proximate to a relatively rigid structural element for transferring a crash signal from a point of crash impact to said location.

3. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash as recited in claim 2, wherein said relatively rigid structural element is a reinforcing beam of said vehicle door.

4. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash as recited in claim 1, wherein said motion comprises an acceleration of said edge wall.

5. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash as recited in claim 1, wherein said motion comprises a velocity of said edge wall.

6. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash as recited in claim 1, wherein said motion comprises a motion of said edge wall relative to a fixed portion of the vehicle.

7. A method of controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a side impact crash as recited in claim 6, wherein said relative motion comprises a relative velocity.

8. A method of sensing a side impact crash in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a. sensing the motion of an edge wall of a vehicle door, wherein said edge wall is distal to a hinge of said vehicle door, said edge wall moves in a direction of swing responsive to the operation of said vehicle door, and said motion is sensed in said direction of swing of said vehicle door; and

b. generating a signal responsive to said motion.

9. A method of sensing a side impact crash in a motor vehicle as recited in claim 8, wherein said motion comprises an acceleration of said edge wall.

10. A method of sensing a side impact crash in a motor vehicle as recited in claim 8, wherein said motion comprises a velocity of said edge wall.

11. A method of sensing a side impact crash in a motor vehicle as recited in claim 8, wherein said motion comprises a motion of said edge wall relative to a fixed portion of the vehicle.

12. A method of sensing a side impact crash in a motor vehicle as recited in claim 11, wherein said relative motion comprises a relative velocity.

13. A method of sensing a side impact crash in a motor vehicle as recited in claim 8, further comprising the operation of creating a magnetic field between said edge wall and said fixed portion of the vehicle, wherein said signal is responsive to said magnetic field.

14. An apparatus for controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a crash comprising:

a. a magnetic circuit spanning between proximal portions of two proximal elements of a motor vehicle which undergo relative motion responsive to the crash, wherein said magnetic circuit comprises;

i). at least one coil responsive to a magnetic field of said magnetic circuit, wherein said at least one coil is operatively connected to the first of said two proximal elements and said at least one coil comprises at least one first axis about which said at least one coil is wound;

ii). at least one permanent magnet as the source of magnetomotive force for said magnetic circuit, wherein said at least one permanent magnet is operatively connected to the second of said two proximal elements, said at least one permanent magnet comprises at least one second axis extending between a north pole and a south pole of said at least one permanent magnet, and said at least one second axis is substantially perpendicular to said at least one first axis; and

b. a processor operatively connected to said plurality of coils, wherein said magnetic field of said magnetic circuit is responsive to said relative motion of said two proximal elements of said motor vehicle, each of said at least one coils generates a signal responsive to the changes in said magnetic field of said magnetic circuit, and said processor controls the activation of the motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to said signal.

15. An apparatus for controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a crash as recited in claim 14, wherein said at least one coil consists of a single coil.

16. An apparatus for controlling the activation of a motor vehicle safety restraint system responsive to a crash as recited in claim 14, wherein said relative motion is in a direction and said at least one second axis is substantially perpendicular to said direction of said relative motion.