The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 27, 1996
Filed:
Apr. 07, 1993
Leland J Spangler, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Christopher J Kemp, Monument, CO (US);
Michael C Graf, Allen Park, MI (US);
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A single-point impact sensor has a fully differential capacitive sense element for providing a capacitive difference which is proportional to the acceleration of the vehicle. The capacitive difference is converted into a digital pulse train signal which is pulse density modulated with variations in the capacitance. The pulse density of the pulse train is evaluated according to a hierarchy of counters and timers to determine if it is indicative of an activation worthy event. In one embodiment, a non-volatile programmable memory is provided to control the operation of the impact sensor.