| US 7,514,917 B2 | ||
| Magnetic crash sensor | ||
| Leonard S. Cech, Brighton, Mich. (US); W. Todd Watson, Belleville, Mich. (US); Scott E. Bauer, Holly, Mich. (US); James D. Baal, Novi, Mich. (US); Timothy J. Bomya, Westland, Mich. (US); William Merrick, Ann Arbor, Mich. (US); and Richard W. Smith, Dearborn, Mich. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Automotive Systems Laboratory, Inc., Farmington Hills, Mich. (US) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 11, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/530,492. | ||
| Application 11/530492 is a division of application No. 10/946174, filed on Sep. 20, 2004, granted, now 7,209,844. | ||
| Application 11/530492 is a division of application No. 11/530492, filed on Sep. 11, 2006. | ||
| Application 11/530492 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/946174, filed on Sep. 20, 2004, granted, now 7,209,844. | ||
| Application 11/530492 is a continuation in part of application No. 11/530492, filed on Sep. 11, 2006. | ||
| Application 11/530492 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/905219, filed on Dec. 21, 2004, granted, now 7,212,895. | ||
| Application 10/905219 is a continuation in part of application No. 11/460982, filed on Jul. 29, 2006, granted, now 7,388,370. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/504581, filed on Sep. 19, 2003. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/481821, filed on Dec. 21, 2003. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/595718, filed on Jul. 29, 2005. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/766633, filed on Feb. 02, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2009/0001976 A1, Jan. 01, 2009 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01N 27/82 (2006.01); G01R 33/12 (2006.01); B60R 22/00 (2006.01); B60R 21/01 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 324—228 [324/239; 701/45; 73/862.69] | 4 Claims |
| 1. A magnetic crash sensor, comprising:
a. at least one coil in magnetic communication with at least a portion of a vehicle, wherein said portion of said vehicle
is susceptible to deformation responsive to a crash;
b. a signal source operatively associated with said at least one coil, wherein said signal source provides for generating
a first time-varying signal, said first time-varying signal comprises at least one pulse, and said first time-varying signal
is operatively coupled to said at least one coil so as to cause said at least one coil to generate a magnetic field; and
c. at last one circuit, wherein said at least one circuit comprises at least one sense resistor in series with said at least
one coil, said current through said at least one coil and through said at least one sense resistor is responsive to said first
signal, said first signal comprises a time-varying voltage applied by said signal source, said current through said at least
one coil and through said at least one sense resistor is also responsive to a magnetic condition of said at least one coil,
said magnetic condition is responsive to said magnetic communication of said at least one coil with said portion of said vehicle,
said at least one circuit generates a second signal responsive to a voltage across said at least one sense resistor, and said
at least one circuit is adapted to charge said at least one coil through said at least one sense resistor with said pulse
when said pulse is activated, and said at least one circuit is adapted to discharge said at least one coil through a second
resistor after said at least one pulse is deactivated.
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