Collision detecting apparatus for a vehicle

Claim 1

Apparatus for detecting collision of a vehicle and for operating a safety device in response thereto when the collision reaches a given magnitude, said apparatus comprising an electrical generator constituted by a relatively movable coil and magnet assembly, means mounting one said generator at each of the ends of a front bumper of the vehicle and additional generators on the vehicle above the bumper for responding to deformation of the part of the vehicle at said generators in a collision, said coil and magnet of each generator being so constructed and mounted on the vehicle to be relatively moved, at the time of a collision when the associated part of the vehicle undergoes deformation, to cause an electrical voltage to be induced in the coil, actuator means for a safety device, circuit means transmitting said voltage as an actuation signal to said actuator means to cause the safety device then to become operative, and means in said circuit means to block passage of said voltage until the voltage reaches a predetermined level so that the safety device will only be operated when the rate of deformation of at least one of said parts of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value.