Sensitron, Inc.

Other

The Ohio Art Company

Gordon B Langford

Michael A Gilano

Cesar A Montano

David Brewster Beck

Richard G Allen

Thomas E Danielson

Greg A Putnam

David R Rowley

Doug Odom

Shane C Mast

An acceleration change detection system, which in a preferred embodiment is used as an impact detection system, detects whether a deflection sensor is deflected. The magnitude and/or direction of the impact may be considered. The system may include one or more than one deflection sensor. The invention may have particular use in a system that determines whether to deploy an air bag in a vehicle. The system may employ an open or enclosed chassis. The deflection sensors may deflect against deflection structures, which may be in various shapes. The deflection sensors have an electrical parameter (such as resistance) that changes upon deflection of the deflection sensor. In certain embodiments, the deflection sensor is ordinarily held in place by a movement inhibitor, which may include, for example, a magnetic, spring, clip, or stiff substrate. A large impact may create a force great enough to overcome the magnetic or mechanical force of the movement inhibitor. Deflection sensors may be arranged to detect movement in the x, &minus;x, y, &minus;y, z, and &minus;z directions. Electrical circuitry may produce a voltage that is indicative of the change in resistance, which in turn is indicative of the extent of deflection. The extent of deflection is an indication of the magnitude of the impact. Determining circuitry interprets changes in the electrical parameter(s) to determine information regarding the impact and, perhaps, trigger an air bag. The movement detection system also may be used to detect skidding or other movement of the vehicle.

Impact detection system

A deflection sensing system for detecting deflection includes one or more deflection sensors between opposing sets of extensions. When one set of extensions is moved toward an opposing set of extensions, the deflection sensors are deflected. A preferred deflection sensor is a flexible potentiometer, which has a resistance that changes as the flexible potentiometer is deflected A flexible potentiometer includes a variable resistance material on a substrate. In a preferred system, the flexible potentiometer includes a cantilevered section, which is deflected about an extension with respect to the remainder of the flexible potentiometer, or with respect to a portion of the substrate not including the variable resistance material. A flexible potentiometer experiences less stress when in cantilevered form than when stretched between two extensions. In either case, the extensions may be joined to first and second corrugated plates. A particular application for the system is in a horn activator used in connection with an automobile air bag system. A corrugated plate may be adhered to the inside of a hub cover. Alternatively, the extensions may be adhered directly to the hub cover. Analyzing circuitry senses the resistance of a resistive grid including flexible potentiometers. The analyzing circuitry interprets a change in resistance to mean there has been a deflection. The analyzing circuitry may consider merely that there has been a change in resistance, or it may consider the amount of change in resistance. The analyzing circuitry may essentially simultaneously analyze the resistance of more than one resistive grid or deflection sensor.

Cantilevered deflection sensing system

A vehicle has a seat configured to receive a person or object. An array of flexible potentiometers is positioned in the seat to sense the mass or weight and the footprint or profile of that which is in the seat. The flexible potentiometers supply a signal through circuitry to enable or disable an air bag system in the vehicle. The air bag system operates under selected conditions such as what may be experienced in a crash of the vehicle to deploy the air bag to preclude movement of a seat occupant into vehicle structure.

System for measuring parameters related to automobile seat

A system selectively completes a horn circuit through which electrical power is provided to a horn in an automobile. A relay is connected to a power supply and completes the horn circuit when a current signal passing through the relay has at least a threshold magnitude. A relay driver is selectively activated by processing circuitry. When it is activated, the relay driver is in a conductive state, and when it is not activated, the relay driver is in a high impendance state. When the relay driver is in the conductive state, it places the relay in series with a low potential conductor thereby establishing the current signal at at least the threshold magnitude. The processing circuitry is electrically connected to a manually actuated sensor, which may be a flexible potentiometer. The processing circuitry activates the relay driver when the manually actuated sensor is actuated. The processing circuitry receives electrical power from the relay when the relay driver is in the high impendance state, but receives essentially no electrical power from the relay when the relay driver is in the conductive state. While the processing circuitry receives essentially no electrical power from the relay, the processing circuitry momentarily places the relay driver in the high impendance state so that the processing circuitry may receive electrical power from the relay and determine whether the manually actuated sensor is still actuated. An auxiliary power supply provides electrical power to the processing circuitry while electrical power is not received from the relay.

Two-wire interface to automobile horn relay circuit

A deflectable substrate such as a phenolic resin has a conductive ink deposited thereon in a pattern preferably with a segmented conductor positioned on top to form a flexible potentiometer in which the resistance consistently and predictably changes upon deflection or the bending of the substrate.

Flexible potentiometer

An automobile control system includes a flexible potentiometer that is connected to a horn control circuit. The flexible potentiometer changes resistance as it is deflected. The flexible potentiometer is adjacent to a steering wheel hub cover. The horn control circuit activates a horn in response to deflection of the flexible potentiometer when a driver presses against the hub cover. The horn control circuit responds to rapid changes in the resistance of the flexible potentiometer, but not to more gradual changes caused by, for example, temperature changes. Additional flexible potentiometers may be used to control other functions such as cruise control.

Horn control system responsive to rapid changes in resistance of a

A flexible potentiometer acts as a horn actuator in an automobile horn control system. In a preferred embodiment, the flexible potentiometer is adhered to a flexible substrate, which is in turn adhered to the inside surface of an airbag hub cover. The shape of the flexible potentiometer is chosen so that the automobile horn will sound when the driver presses against particular portions of the outside of the hub cover. The resistance of the flexible potentiometer changes as its shape changes as the user presses against the hub cover. A horn control circuit responds to extremely rapid changes in the resistance of the flexible potentiometer, but not to more gradual changes caused by, for example, temperature changes. Additional flexible potentiometers may be used to control other functions such as cruise control.

Flexible potentiometer in a horn control system

An apparatus for providing a magnetic visual display in which a magnetic field is exposed to a dispersion medium sealed between two surfaces and having distributed therein randomly-oriented magnetically-active flakes, thereby causing alignment of a portion of the flakes and allowing transmission of light through the dispersion medium in the region of the aligned flakes to form an image by the contrast between the areas of aligned and randomly-oriented flakes. The contrast may be enhanced by a light source on the opposite side of the device from the viewer. The image may be colored by coloring either of the surfaces, the dispersion medium, the flakes or the light from the light source.

Magnetic visual display

A preformed necktie has an insert with a pair of connected diverging closed conduits interconnected by a support. A slide post extends from the support proximate the lower ends of the conduits. A tie portion is wrapped about the insert to form a knot and to become the front tie panel. The two ends of a neck-embracing loop have corresponding zipper panels and pass through the conduits to be joined by the slide and form a rear panel of the tie. The neck embracing loop is tightened or loosened by movement through the knot and slide.

Necktie

A deflectable substrate such as a phenolic resin has a conductive ink deposited thereon in a pattern preferably with a segmented conductor position on top to form a flexible potentiometer in which the resistance consistently and predictably changes upon deflection or the bending of the substrate.

An apparatus and method for providing a magnetic display in which a magnetic field produces visual patterns upon exposure to the apparatus. The apparatus comprises an enclosure which contains magnetically active flakes held within a dispersion medium which holds the magnetically active flakes in suspension, yet allows alignment of the flakes along the flux lines of the magnetic field when the flakes are exposed to the locus of the magnetic field.

Growing community of inventors

Sandy, UT, United States of America

Gordon B Langford