US3780314A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle collision detecting apparatus
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1972-10-24
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Granted: 1973-12-18
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Expires: 1992-10-24
Abstract
Abstract A collision detecting apparatus comprising a sphere of magnetic material normally held stationary by the attractive force of a magnet and a switch adapted to be closed when said sphere of magnetic material is moved overcoming said attractive force by virtue of the force of a collision, wherein the attractive force of said magnet tends to be relatively large under the normal driving conditions of a vehicle, while said attractive force is made to be relatively small by a signal indicative of the occurrence of a collision, whereby the apparatus may not be operated by any noise produced while the vehicle is running, but is capable of positively coming into operation upon the occurrence of a collision.
Inventors
- 👤 F Inose
- 👤 T Inui
- 👤 S Kobayashi
- 👤 S Shibata
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 15:32
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/013; H; H01; H01H; H01H35/00; H01H35/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
A vehicle collision tetecting apparatus comprising a magnet, a movable body of a magnetic material normally held stationary by the attractive force existing between said magnet and said magnetic body, means for detecting the displacement of said magnetic body when said magnetic body is moved overcoming said attractive force, a coil for producing a magnetic field superimposed on the magnetic field of said magnet exerting said attractive force, current supply means for supplying current to said coil, and means for controlling the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil in response to the occurrence of a collision.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
A vehicle collision tetecting apparatus comprising a magnet, a movable body of a magnetic material normally held stationary by the attractive force existing between said magnet and said magnetic body, means for detecting the displacement of said magnetic body when said magnetic body is moved overcoming said attractive force, a coil for producing a magnetic field superimposed on the magnetic field of said magnet exerting said attractive force, current supply means for supplying current to said coil, and means for controlling the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil in response to the occurrence of a collision.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction of current flowing through said coil is selected in such a manner that the magnetic field produced by said coil and the magnetic field produced by said magnet are opposite in direction to each other.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said current supply controlling means comprises detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision, and switching means for closing the electric circuit between said current supply means and said coil in response to the output from said detecting means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said current supply controlling means comprises means for detecting the driving conditions of a vehicle, and means for controlling the value of current supplied from said current supply means to said coil in response to the output from said detecting means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
172 words
A collision detecting apparatus comprising a magnet case, a permanent magnet disposed in said magnet case in such a manner that a magnetic field due to said permanent magnet is produced in the vertical direction, a sphere of magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof, a supporting plate for supporting said sphere in such a manner that said sphere is held stationary at a predetermined position by the magnetic force of said magnet and movable in the horizontal direction in response To the force of a collision, at least that portion of the surface of said supporting plate contacting said sphere being formed of an electrically conductive material, a fixed contact mounted on said magnet case in such a manner as to contact with said sphere when said sphere is moved a predetermined distance from said stationary position, a coil wound and disposed in said magnet case to exert an adjustable magnetic force on said magnetic sphere, and current supply means for supplying current to said coil.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
172 words
A collision detecting apparatus comprising a magnet case, a permanent magnet disposed in said magnet case in such a manner that a magnetic field due to said permanent magnet is produced in the vertical direction, a sphere of magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof, a supporting plate for supporting said sphere in such a manner that said sphere is held stationary at a predetermined position by the magnetic force of said magnet and movable in the horizontal direction in response To the force of a collision, at least that portion of the surface of said supporting plate contacting said sphere being formed of an electrically conductive material, a fixed contact mounted on said magnet case in such a manner as to contact with said sphere when said sphere is moved a predetermined distance from said stationary position, a coil wound and disposed in said magnet case to exert an adjustable magnetic force on said magnetic sphere, and current supply means for supplying current to said coil.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said coil for producing an adjustable magnetic force is wound on said permanent magnet, and current is supplied from said current supply means to said coil in such a direction that the magnetic force of said coil and the magnetic force of said permanent magnet are opposite in direction with each other.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein switching means adapted to be closed by a signal indicative of a sign of the occurrence of a collision is connected between said current supply means and said coil.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
146 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said switching means comprises a magnet case, a permanent magnet disposed in said magnet case such that a magnetic field due to said permanent magnet is produced in the vertical direction, a sphere of magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof, a supporting plate for supporting said sphere in such a manner that said sphere is held stationary at a predetermined position by the magnetic force of said magnet and movable in the horizontal direction in response to the force of a collision, at least that portion of the surface of said supporting plate contacting said sphere being formed of an electrically conductive material, and a fixed contact mounted on said magnet case so as to contact with said sphere when said sphere is moved a predetermined distance from said stationary position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said coil for producing an adjustable magnetic force is wound on a yoke provided on the side wall of said magnet case such that a magnetic field produced by said coil acts in the horizontal direction to said magnetic sphere.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a variable resistor is connected between said current supply means and said coil to vary the amount of current supplied to said coil.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the resistance value of said variable resistor is changed according to the driving conditions of a vehicle such as the vibration of the vehicle body or the speed of the vehicle.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction of current flow through said coil is selected such that a magnetic field produced by said coil acts in the same direction as the magnetic field produced by said magnet.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
140 words
A collision detecting apparatus comprising a permanent magnet, a body of a magnetic material normally held stationary at a predetermined position by a holding force of the horizontal direction due to a magnetic field produced by said permanent magnet, a coil for producing a magnetic field to exert a holding force of the same direction as said holding force of said permanent magnet to said magnetic body individually from said permanent magnet, current supply means for supplying current to said coil, detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision to interrupt the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil, and switching means adapted to be closed in response to the displacement of said magnetic body when said magnetic body is moved overcoming said holding forces of said permanent magnet and said coil.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
140 words
A collision detecting apparatus comprising a permanent magnet, a body of a magnetic material normally held stationary at a predetermined position by a holding force of the horizontal direction due to a magnetic field produced by said permanent magnet, a coil for producing a magnetic field to exert a holding force of the same direction as said holding force of said permanent magnet to said magnetic body individually from said permanent magnet, current supply means for supplying current to said coil, detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision to interrupt the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil, and switching means adapted to be closed in response to the displacement of said magnetic body when said magnetic body is moved overcoming said holding forces of said permanent magnet and said coil.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
149 words
A collision detecting apparatus comprising a body of a magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof to serve as a mOvable contact electrode, a fixed contact electrode disposed opposite to said magnetic body, permanent magnet means for exerting a holding force of the horizontal direction to said magnetic body in such a manner that said magnetic body is held stationary at a predetermined position apart from said fixed contact electrode, coil means for exerting a holding force of the horizontal direction to said magnetic body individually from said permanent magnet means in such a manner that said magnetic body is held stationary at said predetermined position, current supply means for supplying current to said coil means, and detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision to control the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
149 words
A collision detecting apparatus comprising a body of a magnetic material having an electrically conductive layer formed on the surface thereof to serve as a mOvable contact electrode, a fixed contact electrode disposed opposite to said magnetic body, permanent magnet means for exerting a holding force of the horizontal direction to said magnetic body in such a manner that said magnetic body is held stationary at a predetermined position apart from said fixed contact electrode, coil means for exerting a holding force of the horizontal direction to said magnetic body individually from said permanent magnet means in such a manner that said magnetic body is held stationary at said predetermined position, current supply means for supplying current to said coil means, and detecting means for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a collision to control the supply of current from said current supply means to said coil means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said detecting means comprises a radar adapted to be operated when an object quickly approaches to the front of a vehicle.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
A collision detecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said current supply means comprises means for controlling the value of current supplied from said current supply means to said coil means in response to the driving conditions of a vehicle.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-12-17 | 1977-06-18 | 1977-12-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-17 | 1981-06-18 | 1981-12-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-17 | 1985-06-18 | 1985-12-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |