US4021057A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Safety arrangement for passengers of a vehicle
Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
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Filing: 1975-10-14
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Granted: 1977-05-03
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Expires: 1995-10-14
Abstract
Abstract A safety arrangement for passengers of a moving vehicle includes an inflatable air cushion for maintaining passengers in their seat positions and a plurality of gas generators for inflating the cushion. The cushion is inflatable at different rates depending on vehicle deceleration by the employment of an electrical release circuit. The circuit includes a piezoelectric sensor for providing a signal representative of deceleration, a first threshold value switch, an integrator, a plurality of threshold value switches having different thresholds and a plurality of firing elements for the gas generators.
Inventors
- 👤 Manfred Held
- 👤 Johann Spies
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 15:37
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/015; B60R21/01558; B60R21/0156; B60R21/01512; B60R21/01516; B60R21/01526
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A safety arrangement for passengers in a moving vehicle comprising: an inflatable air cushion for maintaining passengers in their seat positions; a plurality of gas generators for inflating said cushion; piezoelectric sensor means mounted on said vehicle for providing an electrical analog signal representative of deceleration of the vehicle; an integrator responsive to said deceleration-representative electrical signal; a plurality of threshold value electrical switches responsive to the integration output having different respective threshold values; and a plurality of firing elements for said generators, each element responsive to a different threshold value switch and each being coupled to a respective gas generator; whereby said cushion will be inflated at a rate corresponding to the amount of vehicle deceleration.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
117 words
A safety arrangement for passengers in a moving vehicle comprising: an inflatable air cushion for maintaining passengers in their seat positions; a plurality of gas generators for inflating said cushion; piezoelectric sensor means mounted on said vehicle for providing an electrical analog signal representative of deceleration of the vehicle; an integrator responsive to said deceleration-representative electrical signal; a plurality of threshold value electrical switches responsive to the integration output having different respective threshold values; and a plurality of firing elements for said generators, each element responsive to a different threshold value switch and each being coupled to a respective gas generator; whereby said cushion will be inflated at a rate corresponding to the amount of vehicle deceleration.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The arrangement of claim 1 also including an additional threshold element between said sensor means and said integrator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The arrangement of claim 2 wherein said additional threshold element is a biased linear amplifier.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The arrangement of claim 1 including at least three threshold value switches wherein the respective differences between the threshold values of said threshold value switches are equal to each other.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The arrangement of claim 1 including at least three threshold value switches wherein the respective differences between the threshold values of said threshold value switches are different from each other.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said threshold value switches are in parallel with each other.
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) | 1980-05-02 | 1980-11-01 | 1981-05-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-05-02 | 1984-11-01 | 1985-05-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-05-02 | 1988-11-01 | 1989-05-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |