Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1988-12-05
1989-12-12
Rice, Kenneth R.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
180 78, 74492, 188371, B62D 118
Patent
active
048862959
ABSTRACT:
An actively variable protection system for an occupant of a vehicle including a collapsible steering column having an upper mast jacket and a lower mast jacket, an energy absorber between the upper and lower mast jackets having a plurality of roll deformers between the lower mast jacket and split sleeve in a housing connected to the upper mast jacket, an expandable bag in the housing surrounding the split sleeve, and a control system for controlling the pressure in the bag. The control system includes sensors and a microprocessor for determining the kinetic energy of an occupant and a controller for adjusting the pressure in the bag to squeeze the split sleeve around the roll deformers such that the capacity of the energy absorber through the maximum stroke of the collapsible steering column equals the computed kinetic energy of the occupant.
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General Motors Corporation
Rice Kenneth R.
Schwartz Saul
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