Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-11
2001-08-07
Culbreth, Eric (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C250S221000, C280S734000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270117
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to vehicle air bag actuating systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicle air bags are provided to protect occupants of vehicles during collisions. To cause the air bags to inflate, deceleration sensors have been provided that generate signals representative of sudden vehicle deceleration. When the sensed deceleration exceeds a threshold, a collision signal is generated. This signal is sent to an air bag actuator to cause the actuator to rapidly inflate the air bag.
Existing deceleration sensors use electric power which must be carried to the sensors to actuate them. To prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) from other components of the vehicle from unduly affecting the performance of the air bag inflation system, the electric wires that carry the signals to the sensors must be shielded, adding to the cost and complexity of the system. Additionally, the use of electric deceleration sensors frequently entails using gold contacts, which can be expensive. Moreover, steps must be taken to ensure that power is not lost to the sensors during a collision. In those accidents in which the first components of the vehicle to be seriously damaged include the electrical cable that activates the air bag, there is a significant risk that the air bags will not deploy, thus depriving the occupants of their vehicle of their protection.
The present invention recognizes that the above-stated drawbacks are inherent with deceleration sensors that output electric signals representative of a vehicle's deceleration. Fortunately, the present invention understands that an effective, simple, low-cost deceleration sensor can be provided that does not require or consume electric power.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a deceleration sensor incorporating a means of triggering the activation of vehicle air bags without relying upon electrical cables, which may be subject to damage in a severe collision. Freedom from reliance upon these cables significantly increases the reliability of the air bag system.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of conventional vehicle air bag deceleration sensing devices by utilizing the triboluminescent properties of a material, preferably quartz, to generate a flash of light. This light is sensed by a photo-electric detector and sent to a controller. Once the controller has been activated, the air bag is inflated.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes two quartz masses, one fixed and the other positioned in such a way that it will come into forceful direct or indirect contact with the fixed mass when the vehicle experiences the type of extremely rapid deceleration characteristic of high-speed collisions. This will cause a compression of the structure of the quartz crystals sufficient to generate a flash of light. A spring-like energy absorber prevents the moveable quartz mass from impacting against the fixed quartz mass until extremely rapid deceleration occurs.
In another aspect, a deceleration sensor for a vehicle includes at least one triboluminescent mass positionable on the vehicle and at least one contact mass mountable on the vehicle and oriented to move toward the triboluminescent mass to impart sufficient energy to the triboluminescent mass to cause the triboluminescent mass to generate a light signal when a deceleration indicative of a collision occurs.
In another aspect, a method for actuating a vehicle component such as an air bag having a component actuator includes providing a triboluminescent mass on a vehicle, and also providing a contact mass on the vehicle. At least one of the masses is enabled to move under the influence of deceleration such that the masses move toward each other with a force sufficient to cause the triboluminescent mass to generate a light signal when a predetermined deceleration occurs. The method then includes transforming the light signal to a control signal and using the control signal to actuate the vehicle component.
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3231800 (1984-03-01), None
patent: 4017396 (1991-12-01), None
patent: 5-139243 (1993-06-01), None
Culbreth Eric
Delphi Technologies Inc.
Dobrowitsky Margaret A.
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