Pneumatically sensed vehicle injury and damage mitigation system

Abstract

An injury and damage mitigation system installed upon an electronic conveyance vehicle (ECV) (mobility scooter) that includes at least one pressure vessel. A sensor identifies an increase in pressure within the pressure vessel that occurs upon contact with a person/object. Once identified, the system reduces or interrupts power to the drive motor and/or applies a braking. The pressure vessel is integral with an impact element. Upon contact, the ECV decelerates to a stop. During deceleration, pressure vessel assembly compresses. The pressure vessel assembly is sized to compress to a dimension that is less than complete compression by the time the ECV stops. This ensures that minimal force is applied to the contacted person/object. The pressure vessel can be provided as a sealed vessel, an unsealed vessel, or a combination of a sealed and an unsealed vessel. The system can include an override feature and a reverse feature.