Sensor arrangement for spatially and temporally varying measurements of force or pressure

• US 6,216,546 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Bahr, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): NOORI, MAX H
• Application Number:
  US09/332,714
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 738/620.41, 738/620.42, 738/620.43, 738/620.44, 738/620.45, 738/620.46
• US Class Current: 73/862.046
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/205 using distributed sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A sensor arrangement for spatially or temporally varying measurements of force or pressure includes a support fabric in which conductive column fibers and a line fibers are integrated and the material of the conductive fibers is chosen so that a contact resistance at a contact point between a column fiber and a line fiber is dependent on the force or pressure applied to the contact point. An electronics evaluation unit receives signals from the conductive fibers to measure the applied force or pressure.

Claims

1. An airbag sensor arrangement for temporally and spatially varying measurement of force or pressure comprising an airbag having a support fabric containing a sensor which includes a plurality of column and line conductor fibers integrated in the support fabric and capable of being supplied with voltage, wherein the material of the conductive fibers is chosen so that a contact resistance at a contact point between a column fiber and a line fiber is dependent on the force or pressure applied to the contact point, thereby measuring force or pressure without requiring a separate sensing element at each contact point.

2. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the material used for at least one of the column fibers or the line fibers is an elastic fiber.

3. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 2 where the elastic fiber is selected from the group consisting of carbon fibers and semiconductive polymer fibers.

4. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the column fibers and the line fibers form a grid.

5. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 1 including an evaluating electronics unit and wherein the column fibers and line fibers have ends which are connectable to the evaluating electronics unit by way of at least one connecting line.

6. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the fibers has a cross-sectional configuration which is selected from the group consisting of a strip, a circle, a diamond and a rhombus.

7. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the evaluating electronics unit detects a signal variation of an output signal from the sensor and determines the magnitude of a pressure or force loading at least one contact point therefrom.

8. An airbag sensor arrangement according to claim 5 including a pre-evaluation unit between the sensor and the evaluating electronics unit.