Patent US1866141A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US3870894A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3870894A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronic sensor for triggering safety devices during the crash of vehicles
Assignee: Dynamit Nobel AG
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Filing: 1973-02-20
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Granted: 1975-03-11
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Expires: 1993-02-20
Abstract
Abstract An electronic sensing system for triggering the activation of a safety mechanism of a vehicle during a vehicle collision. The system includes a piezoelectric transducer providing an output indicative of shock acceleration of the vehicle, an evaluating and safety circuit for processing the output of the transducer in accordance with predetermined dynamic deformation characteristics of the vehicle and for providing a triggering output signal to an ignition circuit for activating the safety mechanism such as an air bag system. The evaluating and safety circuit provides a triggering output signal depending upon whether at least one of a predetermined threshold value has been attained by the output signal of the transducer and that the value is maintained for a predetermined delay period.
Inventors
- 👤 Uwe Brede
- 👤 Karl-Egon Flach
- 👤 Heinz Gawlick
- 👤 Gunter Hirschmann
- 👤 Walter Kreibich
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:09
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01P; G01P15/00; G01P15/02; G01P15/08; G01P15/09; G01P15/0907; B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; G01P15/0891
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
108 words
An electronic sensing system for triggering the actuation of a safety mechanism during a vehicle collision comprising acceleration pickup transducer means responsive to vehicle shock acceleration for providing an output signal indicative thereof, evaluating and safety triggering circuit means for processing the output signal of the transducer means in accordance with predetermined dynamic deformation characteristics of the vehicle, said evaluating and safety circuit means including threshold means providing first and second threshold values and for providing triggering output signal upon the output signal of said transducer means exceeding the first and second threshold values, and ignition circuit means responsive to the triggering signal for actuating the safety mechanism.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
108 words
An electronic sensing system for triggering the actuation of a safety mechanism during a vehicle collision comprising acceleration pickup transducer means responsive to vehicle shock acceleration for providing an output signal indicative thereof, evaluating and safety triggering circuit means for processing the output signal of the transducer means in accordance with predetermined dynamic deformation characteristics of the vehicle, said evaluating and safety circuit means including threshold means providing first and second threshold values and for providing triggering output signal upon the output signal of said transducer means exceeding the first and second threshold values, and ignition circuit means responsive to the triggering signal for actuating the safety mechanism.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
108 words
An electronic sensing system for triggering the actuation of a safety mechanism during a vehicle collision comprising acceleration pickup transducer means responsive to vehicle shock acceleration for providing an output signal indicative thereof, evaluating and safety triggering circuit means for processing the output signal of the transducer means in accordance with predetermined dynamic deformation characteristics of the vehicle, said evaluating and safety circuit means including threshold means providing first and second threshold values and for providing triggering output signal upon the output signal of said transducer means exceeding the first and second threshold values, and ignition circuit means responsive to the triggering signal for actuating the safety mechanism.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
108 words
An electronic sensing system for triggering the actuation of a safety mechanism during a vehicle collision comprising acceleration pickup transducer means responsive to vehicle shock acceleration for providing an output signal indicative thereof, evaluating and safety triggering circuit means for processing the output signal of the transducer means in accordance with predetermined dynamic deformation characteristics of the vehicle, said evaluating and safety circuit means including threshold means providing first and second threshold values and for providing triggering output signal upon the output signal of said transducer means exceeding the first and second threshold values, and ignition circuit means responsive to the triggering signal for actuating the safety mechanism.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said threshold value means includes delay means providing the second threshold value in the form of a predetermined delay period corresponding to the predetermined deformation characteristics of the vehicle, said delay means being arranged before said ignition circuit means for providing a triggering output signal to said ignition circuit means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
A sensing system according to claim 2, wherein said delay means is responsive to a signal of said transducer means exceeding the first threshold value and being present for said predetermined delay period for providing the triggering output signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said evaluating and safety circuit means includes filtering means for filtering the signal of said transducer means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
75 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said evaluating and safety circuit means includes filtering means for filtering the signal of said transducer means, said threshold means including triggering means responsive to the filtered signal for providing an output signal upon exceeding the first threshold value and delay means responsive to the output of the triggering means for a predetermined time period corresponding to the second threshold value for providing a triggering output signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
A sensing system according to claim 2, wherein said delay means provides a predetermined delay period in the range of 1 to 50 ms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensing system according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined delay period is in the range of 3 to 6 ms.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said threshold means includes integrator means for integrating the signal of said transducer means for providing a triggering signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said threshold means includes triggering means responsive to the output of said transducer means for initiating a triggering signal, said triggering means forming an integrator means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said transducer means is a piezoelectric transducer means having a natural frequency in the range of 10 to 100kilohertz.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said transducer means is a piezoelectric transducer means including a piezoelectric pellet and means for biasing an impact mass toward said piezoelectric pellet.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
36 words
A sensing system according to claim 11, wherein said biasing means includes cup spring means and screw means, said screw means being adjustable for varying the force of said cup spring means on said impact mass.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said sensing system is arranged for connection with a primary power source, said sensing system including a reserve power source.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
A sensing system according to claim 13, wherein the primary power source is the electrical means of the vehicle, and the reserve power source is a capacitor means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, further comprising control circuit means for controlling the operability of the sensing system and for indicating the functional operability thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
A sensing system according to claim 15, wherein the control circuit means includes logic switching circuit means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sensing system according to claim 16, wherein the logic switching circuit means comprises a quadruple NAND-gate logic element.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
A sensing system according to claim 16, wherein said control circuit means includes means for controlling the voltage level of said sensing system.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sensing system according to claim 18, wherein said means for controlling the voltage level includes a Zener diode.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
59 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said ignition circuit means includes switching means connected to capacitor means and resistor means, said switching means being responsive to the triggering signal of said evaluating and safety circuit means for connecting the output of said capacitor means as the output of said ignition circuit means for actuating the safety mechanism.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
38 words
A sensing system according to claim 20, wherein said switching means is an integrated circuit component having a thyristor characteristic in the anode-cathode path thereof and the characteristic of an exact trigger diode in the control circuit thereof.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluating and safety circuit means includes amplifier means serving as an impedance amplifier for amplifying the output of said transducer means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
16 words
A sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said sensing system is an integrated circuit module.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sensing system according to claim 5, wherein said sensing system is arranged for connection with a primary power source and said sensing system includes a reserve power source.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensing system according to claim 24, further comprising control circuit means for controlling the operability of said sensing system and for indicating the functional operability thereof.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sensing system according to claim 25, wherein the control circuit means includes means for controlling the voltage level supplied by said power source means to said sensing system.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
36 words
A sensing system according to claim 26, wherein said evaluating and safety circuit means includes amplifier means for amplifying the output of said transducer means and for providing an amplified output signal to said filtering means.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
51 words
A sensing system according to claim 8, wherein said integrator means is provided with the second threshold value corresponding to the predetermined deformation characteristics of the vehicle, said integrator means providing a triggering signal in response to the integration of the signal of said transducer means attaining said predetermined threshold value.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sensing system according to claim 28, wherein said sensing system is arranged for connection with a primary power source and said sensing system includes a reserve power source.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensing system according to claim 29, further comprising control circuit means for controlling the operability of said sensing system and for indicating the functional operability thereOf.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sensing system according to claim 30, wherein the control circuit means includes means for controlling the voltage level applied by said power source means to said sensing system.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
55 words
A sensing system according to claim 31, wherein said ignition circuit means includes switching means connected to capacitor means and resistor means, said switching means being responsive to the output of said integrator means for connecting the output of said capacitor means as the output of said ignition circuit means for actuating the safety mechanism.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
34 words
A sensing system according to claim 32, wherein said evaluating and safety circuit means includes amplifier means for amplifying the output of said transducer means and providing an amplified signal to the integrator means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-10 | 1978-09-09 | 1979-03-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-10 | 1982-09-09 | 1983-03-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-10 | 1986-09-09 | 1987-03-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |