Denso Corporation

Hitachi Cable, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Shigenori Kobayashi

Yasuyuki Hishida

Hiroyuki Takahashi

Akira Suzuki

Motomi Iyoda

Masahiro Taguchi

Naoki Nakane

Ryotaro Kachu

Toshiaki Matsuhashi

Kazuo Sakakibara

Yukio Nakagawa

Takahiro Saito

Kazutaka Katoh

Kazuyoshi Isaji

Tetsuya Takafuji

Shingo Wanami

Hisashi Sato

Yujiro Miyata

Hisashi Takahashi

Kiyoshi Sugimura

Yutaka Ohashi

Koji Ohtaka

Morihisa Fukushi

Masayuki Ohashi

An accident report system for a vehicle includes an accident detection section to detect an accident; an information collection section to collect information; and an information report section to report the collected information to an external agency when the accident is detected. The information collection section differentiates the collected information before and after the detection of the accident such that (i) an accident cause data is collected before the detection of the accident to confirm an exterior outside of the vehicle and (ii) an accident damage data is collected after the detection of the accident to confirm an interior inside of the vehicle. The collection and report of the accident cause data and accident damage data permits the external agency to recognize states of the vehicle or states of an occupant of the vehicle before and after the detection of the accident.

Accident reporting system for vehicles

In a vehicle bumper structure, an optical fiber sensor () is provided in a vehicle width direction on the front surface of a front-bumper reinforcement (). A front-bumper absorber () is provided in front of the optical fiber sensor (), the front-bumper absorber () formed of a soft absorber () and a hard absorber (). The hard absorber is disposed at the bumper center region where the thickness of the bumper is increased. Accordingly, the thickness of the soft absorber () becomes substantially uniform in the vehicle width direction, so that a substantially uniform load is inputted to the optical fiber sensor () regardless of the collision position of the bumper with an object. As a result, variations in the output of the load-sensing unit are reduced.

Vehicle bumper structure

A collision detection sensor for detecting a collision of a vehicle and a collision object by converting the collision into a change in optical transmission characteristics of an optical fiber. The collision detection sensor has the optical fiber, a molding material formed on the periphery of the optical fiber, and a convex portion formed on the surface of the molding material.

Collision detection sensor

A pedestrian protecting apparatus is provided with a pedestrian protecting unit which is mounted at a hood of a vehicle to protect a pedestrian in a collision with the vehicle, a detecting unit for measuring an inclination angle of the obstacle entering a predetermined region at an upper side of the hood, a pedestrian collision determining unit for determining the collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian based on the measured inclination angle of the obstacle, and a control unit. In the case where the measured inclination angle of the obstacle varies with the time elapse so that the obstacle inclines to the side of the hood, the pedestrian collision determining unit determines that there occurs the collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian. Thus, the control unit actuates the pedestrian protecting unit.

Pedestrian protecting apparatus for vehicle

An optical fiber sensor can be interposed between a bumper reinforcement and a load transmitting plate to extend in the direction of width of a vehicle along with the bumper reinforcement. In this case, when a change does not occur substantially in an immediately previous predetermined period in an output voltage of a light emission amount of the optical fiber sensor, a feedback control is performed in such a way that the change becomes a level of zero of the output voltage of the optical fiber sensor. In contrast, when a change in the output voltage is not substantially zero, the immediately previous state of emission of light is maintained. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively compensate a zero point shift caused by a temperature change or/and an aging degradation of the optical fiber sensor.

Collision detecting apparatus for vehicle

An optical fiber sensor in which the insertion efficiency of a plastic fiber is improved, the potential danger of rupture of a mold member is decreased, the operation of the sensor in a low load area and the linearity of output of the sensor are improved. Plastic fiber for detection is inserted in insertion hole of molded member, and filler is filled in a gap between the plastic fiber for detection and the molded member.

Optical fiber sensor, manufacturing method thereof, and collision detection device

A method for fabricating an optical fiber impulse sensor having an optical fiber and a molded portion molded around the perimeter of the optical fiber. The method forms, in the molded portion, an optical fiber insertion hole and an optical fiber insertion slit for inserting the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole. The method inserts the optical fiber from the slit into the optical fiber insertion hole.

Optical fiber impulse sensor fabricating method

An air bag is folded in such a manner that a first fold-portion of the air bag is folded along a first fold-line approximately parallel to an expanding direction, and then, a second fold-portion thereof is folded along a second fold-line approximately perpendicular to the expanding direction. Accordingly, when the air bag expands, the second fold-portion is stretched out prior to the first fold-portion. As a result, the air bag can expand promptly to securely protect a passenger.

Air bag apparatus, folded air bag, and method of folding the air bag

An inflater and a control unit are integrally formed so that connector cables for electrically connecting the inflater and the control unit can be shortened to the minimum required length. In some cases, the inflater and the control unit are directly connected by soldering their terminals, and a space for disposing the connector cables is not provided in a steering wheel. Thus, the cone depth can be made as small as possible.

Air bag device having a minimized cone depth

An airbag safety module for automotive vehicles is provided. This module includes a box-like cover and a housing. The cover incorporates therein an airbag, an inflator, and an airbag control unit and has a plurality of openings formed in its side wall. The housing includes a base wall on which the airbag and the inflator are mounted and a side wall having thereon a plurality of protrusions engageble with the openings of the cover, respectively to complete the airbag safety module. Each of the protrusions is shaped to allow the housing to be inserted into the cover in an assembling direction of completing the airbag safety module to engage one of the openings of the cover while restricting the cover from being disengaged from the housing in a disassembling direction opposite to the assembling direction.

Growing community of inventors

Hazu-gun, Japan

Shigenori Kobayashi