Hitachi Cable, Inc.

Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

Yasuyuki Hishida

Shigenori Kobayashi

Hiroyuki Takahashi

Akira Suzuki

Motomi Iyoda

Ryotaro Kachu

Yukio Nakagawa

Takahiro Saito

Tomiya Abe

Tetsuya Takafuji

Hisashi Sato

Yujiro Miyata

Shinichi Nakagawa

Koji Ohtaka

Satoshi Yamamoto

Kimiharu Kanemaru

Morihisa Fukushi

Ryoji Matsubara

Yoshiaki Nakatsuru

Yutaka Nakanishi

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 cable-type load sensor having an advantage in layout and being capable of sensing the load precisely is provided. The cable-type load sensor comprises a linear member composed of electrically conductive rubber and having a hollow part extending in the longitudinal direction at the central part of the cross section, and a cladding layer composed of the same kind of rubber material as the linear member and covering the circumference on the linear member.

Cable-type load sensor

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

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

Maintenance information is collected by a sensor on an electric power cable installed in a manhole. The information is transmitted to a radio transmitter which is positioned in a vicinity of a bottom plane of an inner lid in an opening of the manhole. The information is transmitted by the radio transmitter, and received by a receiving antenna mounted on a bottom plane of the inner lid. On a top plane of the inner lid, an electrode, a connecting lead or a transmitting antenna is provided to be connected to the receiving antenna by an impedance matching circuit. The information is supplied to an outer lid in the opening of the manhole by the opening of the manhole by the electrode using a spatial coupling capacitance relative to the outer lid, or the connecting lead directly connected to the outer lid. Thus, the information is transmitted as a radio signal by the outer lid functioning as an antenna. Otherwise, the information is radiated below the outer lid by the transmitting antenna. Thus, the radiated information is leaked via the outer lid to the exterior of the manhole.

Method and apparatus for monitoring inside a manhole

Growing community of inventors

Hitachi, Japan

Yasuyuki Hishida