Device for deriving information about displacement of a vehicle component

• US 7,717,217 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroshi, Ooi, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, DREW J
• Application Number:
  US11/826,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20080029329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 180/274, 180/271, 280/735, 340/436
• US Class Current: 180/274
• 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

Abstract

A collision detecting device which is installed in a vehicle comprises a metallic object to be detected having an extending surface which can be displaced toward a coil sensor according a vehicle collision and is arranged to face the sensor surface of the coil sensor.

Claims

1. A displacement information deriving device comprising:

a metallic object to be detected which is structured as a vehicle component;

a coil arranged to face the object to be detected;

a coil sensor which applies an AC magnetic field to the object to be detected when the coil is energized with alternative current and which detects impedance through the coil when energized; and

a deriving unit for deriving information about displacement of the object to be detected based on variations in impedance detected when the object to be detected is displaced toward the coil sensor in the event of a vehicle collision,

wherein the object to be detected is displaced toward the coil sensor according to the displacement of the vehicle component by the vehicle collision and the object to be detected has an extending surface arranged to face the sensor surface of the coil sensor, and

wherein the object to be detected is fixed to the coil sensor via an elastically deformable elastic body between the vehicle component and the coil sensor, and the object to be detected is pressed by the vehicle component according to the displacement of the vehicle component toward the coil sensor to move closer to the coil against the elastic force of the elastic body during the vehicle collision.

2. A displacement information deriving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic body is elastically deformed maintaining the parallel relation between the extending surface of the object to be detected and the sensor surface of the coil sensor when the object to be detected is moved closer to the coil sensor.