2D-coil collision sensor system
First Claim
1. A collision-sensing system for a vehicle having structure that includes a conductive element, said collision-sensing system comprising:
- a transceiver including a coil element that is arranged in a substantially two-dimensional configuration and mountable to said structure of said vehicle so that said coil element is situated at a distance away from said conductive element; and
a controller operable to control said transceiver so as to generate and sense a magnetic field via said coil element;
wherein said controller is operable to detect a vehicle collision event by sensing a change in said magnetic field, which is indicative of a change in said distance between said conductive element and said coil element caused by collision-induced deformation of said structure of said vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A collision sensing system for a vehicle (10) includes a two-dimensional coil sensor (14) that is attached to a vehicle structure (19) A controller (20) is in communication with the two-dimensional coil sensor (14) and detects a collision event in response to movement of the vehicle structure (19) relative to a conductive member (98) of the vehicle (10). A collision detection and safety countermeasure system (12) for a vehicle (10) includes a coil sensor (14) that is adhered to a vehicle structure (19). A controller (20) is in communication with the coil sensor (14) and generates a countermeasure signal in response to movement by the vehicle structure (19) relative to a conductive member (98) of the vehicle (10).
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A collision-sensing system for a vehicle having structure that includes a conductive element, said collision-sensing system comprising:
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a transceiver including a coil element that is arranged in a substantially two-dimensional configuration and mountable to said structure of said vehicle so that said coil element is situated at a distance away from said conductive element; and a controller operable to control said transceiver so as to generate and sense a magnetic field via said coil element; wherein said controller is operable to detect a vehicle collision event by sensing a change in said magnetic field, which is indicative of a change in said distance between said conductive element and said coil element caused by collision-induced deformation of said structure of said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A collision detection and countermeasure activation system for a vehicle having (i) structure that includes a conductive element and (ii) an onboard safety countermeasure, said system comprising:
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a transceiver including a coil element that is arranged in a substantially two-dimensional configuration and mountable to said structure of said vehicle so that said coil element is situated at a distance away from said conductive element; and a controller operable to control said transceiver so as to generate and sense a magnetic field via said coil element; wherein said controller is operable to detect a vehicle collision event by sensing a change in said magnetic field, which is indicative of a change in said distance between said conductive element and said coil element caused by collision-induced deformation of said structure of said vehicle; and wherein said controller, upon detecting said vehicle collision event, is operable to generate a countermeasure signal for activating said safety countermeasure aboard said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of detecting a collision event on a vehicle having structure that includes a conductive element, said method comprising the steps of:
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operating a transceiver that includes a coil element, which is arranged in a substantially two-dimensional configuration and mounted to said structure of said vehicle so that said coil element is situated at a distance away from said conductive element, so as to generate and sense a magnetic field via said coil element; and operating said transceiver so as to sense a change in said magnetic field via said coil element, said change in said magnetic field being indicative of a change in said distance between said conductive element and said coil element caused by collision-induced deformation of said structure of said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification