Pedestrian impact sensing apparatus for a vehicle bumper
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for sensing an impact with a vehicle bumper, comprising:
- a crushable medium disposed between a bumper fascia and a rigid frame element extending substantially parallel to said bumper fascia;
an air channel in said crushable medium, said air channel having first and second ends that are open;
a first airflow sensor responsive to airflow in the air channel at said first end;
a second airflow sensor responsive to airflow in the air channel at said second end; and
signal processing means for processing first and second signals produced by said first and second airflow sensors to detect an impact with said bumper that produces an airflow pulse within said air channel and comparing said first and second signals to determine a location of said impact on said bumper.
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Abstract
An impact sensing apparatus includes a laterally extending air channel within a block of foam or other crushable medium disposed between a bumper fascia and a rigid bumper frame element, and one or more airflow sensors for detecting airflow within the air channel. The air channel may be defined by a flexible hollow tube embedded within the crushable medium or by a molded-in air cavity in cases where the crushable medium is formed by molding. The measured airflow provides a measure of crush rate, and two or more airflow sensors may be distributed within the air channel to optimize impact detection response time and to identify the impact location.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. Apparatus for sensing an impact with a vehicle bumper, comprising:
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a crushable medium disposed between a bumper fascia and a rigid frame element extending substantially parallel to said bumper fascia; an air channel in said crushable medium, said air channel having first and second ends that are open; a first airflow sensor responsive to airflow in the air channel at said first end; a second airflow sensor responsive to airflow in the air channel at said second end; and signal processing means for processing first and second signals produced by said first and second airflow sensors to detect an impact with said bumper that produces an airflow pulse within said air channel and comparing said first and second signals to determine a location of said impact on said bumper. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification