Sensor based vehicle flotation device

• US 9,290,144 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alexander Zhang Yu, Angela Mingjia Wei, Matthew John Cox, Rohit Anant Narayanan
• Original Assignee: Alexander Zhang Yu, Angela Mingjia Wei, Matthew John Cox, Rohit Anant Narayanan
• Inventors: Cox, Matthew John, Narayanan, Rohit Anant, Yu, Alexander Zhang, Wei, Angela Mingjia
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Luke
• Application Number:
  US14/534,138
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 340/623, 114/123
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0016 Fall in water
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01286 Electronic control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over

Abstract

A sensor based vehicle flotation device is suitable for floating a vehicle immersed in sufficient water to activate a protected water sensor and, if desired, to confirm through auxiliary sensors whether a hazardous condition is presented. When such a device detects and verifies that the vehicle is becoming immersed in water, one or more expansible chambers, affording sufficient buoyancy to allow the vehicle to float, automatically and rapidly inflate by means of compressed, pumped or pressurized gas. Upon the successful deployment of the expansible chamber, the land vehicle will begin to float, limiting water damage to the vehicle and/or bodily harm to its occupants, and reducing the risk of the vehicle overturning. The expansible chamber will remain inflated until the land vehicle is returned to safety, and the device is detached from the land vehicle.

Claims

1. A system, for attachment to a vehicle, comprising:

a first sensor configured to sense ambient conditions used to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water, and outputting signals representative of the ambient conditions;

an auxiliary sensor configured to sense at least one of vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions, used in determining whether the water sensed by the first sensor presents a hazardous condition, and outputting signals representative of the vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions;

an expansible chamber configured to increase buoyancy of the vehicle when filled with a gas; and

a controller communicating with the first sensor and the auxiliary sensor and processing the sensor signals to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water and whether the immersion in water presents a hazardous condition, the controller causing the expansible chamber to be filled with a gas when the controller determines that the vehicle is being immersed in water and that the immersion in water is a hazardous condition.

2. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the first sensor comprises at least one of an electrical conductivity sensor, an infrared moisture sensor, and a water sensor.

3. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and auxiliary sensors sense at least one of water presence, water pressure, water speed, vehicle motion, vehicle direction, vehicle acceleration, vehicle strain, and vehicle slippage and the controller compares the signals to at least one threshold value to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water.

4. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary sensor is configured to sense at least one of pressure, strain, slippage, angular position, angular velocity, linear position, linear velocity, direction, flow, and fluid speed.

5. The system set forth in claim 1, further comprising a sensor housing that surrounds the first sensor and includes a barrier to restrict communication of the first sensor with the ambient conditions.

6. The system set forth in claim 5, wherein the barrier of the sensor housing includes at least one of baffles and micro-screening to restrict an amount of water that can reach the first sensor.

7. The system set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one of a compressed gas chamber, a pressurized gas chamber, a compressor mechanism, a valve, and an air pump, for rapidly inflating the expansible chamber.

8. The system set forth in claim 1, having at least two expansible chambers.

9. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide means to override the filling of the expansible chamber through at least one of means for activating inflation of the expansible chamber and means for deactivating the system.

10. The system set forth in claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for at least one of detaching the expansible chamber from the vehicle, and deflating the expansible chamber after inflation.

11. A system, for attachment to a land vehicle, comprising:

a first sensor configured to sense ambient conditions used to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water, and outputting signals representative of the ambient conditions;

a sensor housing that surrounds the first sensor and includes a barrier to restrict communication of the first sensor with the ambient conditions;

an expansible chamber configured to increase buoyancy of the vehicle when filled with a gas; and

a controller communicating with the first sensor and processing the first sensor signals to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water and whether the immersion in water presents a hazardous condition, the controller causing the expansible chamber to be filled with a gas when the controller determines that the vehicle is being immersed in water and that the immersion in water is a hazardous condition.

12. The system set forth in claim 11, wherein the first sensor comprises at least one of an electrical conductivity sensor, an infrared moisture sensor, and a water sensor.

13. The system set forth in claim 11, wherein the first sensor senses at least one of water presence, and water pressure and the controller compares the signals to at least one threshold value to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water.

14. The system set forth in claim 11, further comprising an auxiliary sensor configured to sense at least one of vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions, used in determining whether the water sensed by the first sensor presents a hazardous condition, and outputting signals representative of the vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions;

and

wherein the controller also communicates with the auxiliary sensor and processes the auxiliary sensor signals to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water and whether the immersion in water presents a hazardous condition.

15. The system set forth in claim 14, wherein the first and auxiliary sensors sense at least one of water presence, water pressure, water speed, vehicle motion, vehicle direction, vehicle acceleration, vehicle strain, and vehicle slippage and the controller compares the signals to at least one threshold value to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water.

16. The system set firth in claim 14, wherein the auxiliary sensor is configured to sense at least one of pressure, strain, slippage, angular position, angular velocity, linear position, linear velocity, direction, flow, and fluid speed.

17. The system set forth in claim 11, wherein the barrier of the sensor housing includes at least one of baffles, and micro-screening to restrict an amount of water that can reach the first sensor.

18. The system set forth in claim 11, further comprising at least one of a compressed gas chamber, a pressurized gas chamber, a compressor mechanism, a valve and an air pump, for rapidly inflating the expansible chamber.

19. The system set forth in claim 11, having at least two expansible chambers.

20. The system set forth in claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to provide means to override the filling of the expansible chamber through at least one of means for activating inflation of the expansible chamber and means for deactivating the system.

21. The system set forth in claim 11, further comprising a mechanism for detaching the expansible chamber from the vehicle and deflating the expansible chamber after inflation.

22. An apparatus, for attachment to a vehicle, comprising:

a first sensor configured to sense ambient conditions used to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water, and outputting signals representative of the ambient conditions;

an auxiliary sensor configured to sense at least one of vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions, used in determining whether the water sensed by the first sensor presents a hazardous condition, and outputting signals representative of the vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions;

a sensor housing that surrounds the first sensor and includes a barrier to restrict communication of the first sensor with the ambient conditions;

an expansible chamber configured to increase buoyancy of the vehicle when filled with a gas; and

a controller linked to the first sensor and the auxiliary sensor for processing the sensor signals to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water and whether the immersion in water presents a hazardous condition, the controller causing the expansible chamber to be filled with a gas when the controller determines that the vehicle is being immersed in water and that the immersion in water is a hazardous condition, and configured to provide means to override the filling of the expansible chamber through at least one of means for activating inflation of the expansible chamber and means for deactivating the system.