Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Woodard, Emhardt, Naughton, Moriaty & McNett
  • Patent number: 6212455
    Abstract: A roll sensor system for a land vehicle is provided to determine when a vehicle roll condition has occurred and to trigger a safety system in response to that determination. In certain embodiments, an angular rate sensor is used to obtain an angular rate and, from the angular rate, an angle relative to the roll axis of the land vehicle. If the angular rate and the angle correspond to a safety system activation event, the roll sensor system will provide a trigger signal to the safety system. In some embodiments, the system includes an incline sensor to aid in detecting and compensating for drift in the output of the angular rate sensor. In other embodiments the output of an angular rate sensor is used to validate the output of the incline sensor to aid in determining whether a vehicle safety system trigger event has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: Ralph M. Weaver