Monitoring device for vehicle behaviour

Claim 2

Vehicle acceleration monitoring apparatus for mounting in a vehicle which apparatus comprises; accelerometer means responsive to the acceleration of the vehicle in a horizontal plane; signalling means actuated by the accelerometer means when the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a first level, which first level is determined by and varied with the speed of the vehicle; vehicle speed sensing means whereby said first level is varied.

Claim 3

Vehicle acceleration monitoring apparatus for mounting in a vehicle, which apparatus comprises; accelerometer means comprising, at least one mass disposed in a housing and so constrained as to be capable of motion relative to said housing induced by horizontal acceleration of the vehicle but to be subject to a horizontal restoring force urging it to a neutral position relative to said housing, and electrical detecting means for detecting when said mass is displaced by an amount from said neutral position and for producing an electrical output; signalling means which are activated by said electrical output; vehicle speed sensing means which gauge the speed of the vehicle and co-operate with said electrical detecting means to vary the amount of displacement of said mass required to produce said electrical output as the speed of the vehicle varies.

Claim 4

Vehicle acceleration monitoring apparatus for mounting in a vehicle, which apparatus comprises; accelerometer means comprising, at least one mass disposed in a housing and so constrained as to be capable of motion relative to said housing induced by horizontal acceleration of the vehicle but to be subject to a horizontal restoring force urging it to a neutral position relative to said housing, and electrical detecting means for detecting when said mass is displaced by an amount from said neutral position and for producing an electrical output; signalling means which are activated by said electrical output; vehicle speed sensing means which gauge the speed of the vehicle and co-operate with said electrical detecting means to vary the amount of displacement of said mass required to produce said electrical output as the speed of the vehicle varies.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the electrical detecting means comprise; first and second electrical contacts spaced apart when said mass is in said neutral position; wherein said first contact is moved towards or away from said second contact in response to motion of said mass relative to said housing, and wherein the position of said second contact is varied by said speed sensing means as the speed of the vehicle varies.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the electrical detectIng means comprise; transducer means which produce a first electrical output related to the displacement of said mass; controllable gate means which prodce a second electrical output to thereby activate said signalling means when the level of said first output exceeds a magnitude determined by a gate-controlling signal from said speed sensing means.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the transducer means comprise; a potentiometer connected to a source of electrical energy in which the wiper moves in response to movement of said mass.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said transducer means comprise; first and second potentiometers connected to a source of electrical energy; a first said mass arranged to act upon the wiper of said first potentiometer so that it moves in response to movement of said first mass in a first horizontal direction; a second said mass arranged to act upon the wiper of said second potentiometer so that it moves in response to movement of said second mass in a second horizontal direction which is substantially at right angles to said first horizontal direction; an electrical comparator which receives the voltage picked-off by the wiper of each said first and second potentiometers and produces said first electrical output related to the square root of the sum of the squares of the wiper voltages.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6 in which said comparator produces a further electrical output related to the angle between the direction of an acceleration and the direction of vehicular motion, which further output is also fed to said controllable gate means to thereby modify the magnitude of said first output level determined by said speed sensing means.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for determining the angle between the direction of acceleration and the direction of vehicular motion and for modifying said first level in relation to said angle as determined by said speed sensing means.

Claim 11

Vehicle acceleration monitoring apparatus which comprises a housing for mounting in a vehicle and in which is; a first electrical contact comprising a pendulum freely and pivotally suspended having an electrically conductive contacting surface; a second electrical contact having an electrically conductive surface contactable by said first contact when said pendulum is displaced in any direction from a neutral position, but spaced therefrom when said pendulum is in said neutral position, speed sensing means which gauge the speed of said vehicle and act upon to move said second contact so that the spacing between said first and second contacts varies as the vehicle speed varies; signalling means activated when the said first and second contacts touch one another.

Claim 12

Vehicle acceleration monitoring apparatus which comprises a housing for mounting in a vehicle and in which is; a first electrical contact comprising a pendulum freely and pivotally suspended having an electrically conductive contacting surface; a second electrical contact having an electrically conductive surface contactable by said first contact when said pendulum is displaced in any direction from a neutral position, but spaced therefrom when said pendulum is in said neutral position, speed sensing means which gauge the speed of said vehicle and act upon to move said second contact so that the spacing between said first and second contacts varies as the vehicle speed varies; signalling means activated when the said first and second contacts touch one another.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 9 in which the contactable surface of one of said first and second contact is profiled to thereby determine the amount said pendulum must be displaced in any particular direction in order to cause said first and second contacts to touch.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the second contact is a substantially annular ring of electrically conductive material encircling the pendulum in spaced relationship and movable in a vertical plane relative thereto in response to variations in vehicular speed.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 11 in which said housing contains damping fluid.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 12 in which said speed sensing means cause the pressure of said fluid to vary as the vehicular speed varies and in which said second contact moves in response to fluid pressure variations.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said speed sensing means gauge vehicular speed by direct mechanical coupling with the transmission of said vehicle.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said speed sensing means comprise a tachometer which produces an electrical signal related to the vehicular speed.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 1 in Which said speed sensing means gauge vehicular speed as a result of aerodynamic forces due to the different relative velocities of the vehicle and the air through which it moves.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said signalling means comprise a time counter which when activated count at a first predetermined rate.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said signalling means comprise a time-counter.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 9 in which said signalling means comprise a time-counter

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising means whereby a second level of acceleration may be determined and varied with the speed of said vehicle and which causes the signalling means to count at a second pre-determined rate.