Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Yeruva Satya Reddy

Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam

Steven Yellin Schondorf

Todd Nelson Clark

Paul Kevin Kula

Manoharprasad K Rao

Jialiang Le

David James Tippy

Abraham G Philip

Bill Pappas

Hubert Szawarski

Erich Kemnitz

Rachelle Tustanowski

Kowling Cheng

An apparatus includes a closed body having a varied configuration between a first location and at least a second location. The apparatus further includes a pressure sensor coupled to the closed body at the first location. When forces with substantially equal magnitudes are respectively applied to the closed body at different locations between the first and second locations, the closed body respectively translates the forces to substantially equal pressure differentials at the first location.

Collision sensing apparatus

A vehicle system includes a sensor that outputs an impact signal and a processing device that is programmed to calculate an acceleration envelope from the impact signal, determine a number of times the impact signal crosses a predetermined threshold, and determine whether the impact signal represents a pedestrian impact. Whether the impact is a pedestrian impact is based at least in part on the acceleration envelope and the number of times the impact signal crosses the predetermined threshold.

Two dimensional pedestrian impact sensing

A method and apparatus for controlling deployment of pedestrian head protection devices on a motor vehicle having a metal bumper is disclosed. The disclosed inventive concept involves strategic placement of accelerometer sensing devices and the derivation of a real time impact signal from the signals generated by the accelerometers. This real time impact signal is used along with thresholds and a time window to control deployment. The apparatus includes a metal bumper, two support brackets attaching the bumper to the vehicle and at least two accelerometers fitted to the bumper proximate the brackets. The derivation and use of a single impact signal from said first and second signal-generating accelerometers is achieved by taking the larger of two absolute values derived from the accelerometers.

Pedestrian protection sensing system for vehicle having metal bumpers

A vehicle includes a fascia, a bumper beam, and a sensor including a pressure chamber disposed between and along the fascia and bumper beam. The vehicle further includes a plurality of pusher blocks disposed between and along the fascia and bumper beam. The pusher blocks impinge upon the pressure chamber during fascia impact. Contact areas defined by the pusher blocks decrease toward a center of the pressure chamber and increase toward ends of the pressure chamber.

Vehicle fascia integrated pushers

An automotive vehicle fascia assembly is provided. The fascia assembly includes a bumper cover and an impact sensor assembly attached to, without mechanically fastening, the bumper cover. The impact sensor assembly includes a housing, a sensor disposed within the housing, and a planar tab bonded to the bumper cover. The impact sensor assembly is spaced away from the bumper cover a distance no greater than a thickness of the planar tab.

Bonded vehicle sensor assembly

An impact detection system has two chambers disposed adjacent to one another. The two chambers have opposing tapered shapes, so that an impact anywhere along them will create a different pressure wave or pulse in each chamber. A pressure sensor module incorporating two pressure sensors is disposed at one end of the dual-channel unit, and comparison of the signals from the sensors can be used to discriminate both the location and severity of a pedestrian impact.

Dual-chamber impact detector

An automotive vehicle () includes a restraint control module () coupled to a memory (). During an impact, data from various sensors including lateral acceleration sensors () are stored in the memory (). A computing device () with a memory () is used to download the data from the lateral acceleration sensors () and various other sensors for reconstruction of an accident. From the lateral acceleration sensors (), (), a determination may be made as to the struck or unstruck side of the vehicle. The lateral acceleration from the unstruck side of the vehicle is used in the reconstruction.

Method and apparatus for reconstructing an accident using side satellite lateral acceleration sensors

An algorithm for use with a restraint control module that controls a signal output to a vehicle fuel pump. The algorithm deploys a fuel cutoff signal when crash sensors sense a vehicle crash condition that meets or exceeds a fuel cutoff threshold employed by the algorithm. The fuel cutoff threshold is generally elliptical.

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Farmington, MI, United States of America

Yeruva Satya Reddy