Abstract: Side impact airbag system for a vehicle includes a side airbag arranged to deploy along a left or right side of the vehicle and an electronic crash sensor. The electronic crash sensor includes a housing, a mass arranged within the housing to be movable in a lateral direction relative to the housing in response to lateral accelerations of the housing, and a control mechanism for controlling deployment of the side airbag and which is responsive to the motion of the mass only in the lateral direction. The housing is mounted in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into a side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of the housing. The electronic crash sensor may generate a signal representative of the movement of the mass.

Abstract: Vehicle including an occupant protection apparatus for protecting an occupant during an impact into a side of the vehicle, and a side impact, electronic crash sensor assembly for detecting impact into the side of the vehicle and controlling the occupant protection apparatus responsive to the detected impact. The sensor assembly includes a sensor housing arranged in a door or between inner and outer side panels along a side of the vehicle, a movable sensing mass arranged within and movable in the lateral direction relative to the sensor housing in response to lateral accelerations thereof, a micro-processor containing an algorithm which generates a time-varying signal representative of lateral movement of the mass, analyzes the signal and generates a deployment signal based thereon, and a control unit for receiving the deployment signal from the micro-processor and controlling deployment of the occupant protection apparatus based thereon.

Abstract: Vehicle including a side impact sensor system having a longitudinally extending outer skin arranged on a side of the vehicle, a system housing arranged inward of the outer skin and having an opening facing a portion of a passenger compartment, an inflatable airbag arranged in the system housing, an inflator arranged in connection with the system housing, and a sensor system for detecting an impact into a side of the vehicle. The sensor system includes a sensor housing and a mass arranged therein and movable relative thereto housing in response to acceleration in excess of a threshold value. Movement of the mass relative to the sensor housing provides an indication of a side impact for which deployment of the airbag is desired. The inflator is actuated in response to a side impact by the sensor system in order to expel the airbag through the opening into the passenger compartment.

Abstract: A vehicle including a side impact crash sensor, a transfer structure interposed between the side of the vehicle and the sensor and an occupant restraint system such as a side impact airbag system. When an object strikes the side of the vehicle or vice versa, the transfer structure serves to transfer the lateral force from the side of the vehicle to the sensor and is designed so that it does not distort upon the application of the lateral force. The side impact crash sensor detects the force or acceleration applied to the side of the vehicle, and the airbag system connected to the sensor deploys an airbag based on the detected force or acceleration. The transfer structure may be constructed to account for mismatch between the point of impact of an object on the side of the vehicle and the location of the sensor.

Abstract: Side airbag system including an airbag arranged to deploy in the event of an impact into a side of the vehicle, a side impact crash sensor arranged to sense an impact into a side of the vehicle, and an inflator for inflating the airbag. The crash sensor is an electrical sensor which includes a movable sensing mass which moves when the side of the vehicle is impacted and a signal generating mechanism for generating a time-varying signal representative of movement of the sensing mass, analyzing the signal representative of the movement of the sensing mass and generating a deployment signal based thereon. The inflator is coupled to the crash sensor and receives the deployment signal therefrom and inflates the airbag upon receipt of the deployment signal.

Abstract: A side impact crash sensor for a vehicle including a housing and a mass within the housing movable relative to the housing in response to accelerations of the housing. The mass moves upon acceleration of the housing and when this movement is in excess of a predetermined threshold value, it is possible to control an occupant protection apparatus (such movement being indicative of a crash involving the vehicle). The housing is mounted in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into a side of the vehicle. Possible mounting locations of the housing include inside a door of the vehicle, between inner and outer panels not associated with a door of the vehicle, a seat in the vehicle and remote from the side of the vehicle. In the latter case, the vehicle includes a sufficiently strong member connecting the sensor to the vehicle side such that there is little or no plastic deformation between the sensor and the side of the vehicle.

Abstract: This invention includes crash sensors designed to be used for side impact sensing and the strategies of using these sensors. If is analyzed and shown that velocity sensing or damped sensors are desirable for side impact sensing. Inertially damped sensors, with a damping force proportional to the square of velocity, is most appropriate. Such sensor can be made of plastic and in the shape of short round or rectangular cylinders. It is further concluded that these sensors should be installed on the side door structure of a vehicle. Other sensing strategies include installing sensors on three locations: one at the center of the side door, one just before the A-pillar, and one just after the B-pillar; and Safing (arming) sensors for side impact applications could be crush sensing switches.

Abstract: This invention includes crash sensors designed to be used for frontal impact sensing and the strategies of using these sensors. It is analyzed and shown that velocity sensing or damped sensors are desirable for frontal impact sensing. Inertially damped sensors, with a damping force proportional to the square to velocity, is most appropriate. Such sensors can be made of plastic and in the shape of short round or rectangular cylinders. The particular shape the these sensors minimizes the chance that the sensors will be rotated during the crash. It is further concluded that these sensors should be installed on the frontal radiator structure or at such similar location near the front of the vehicle. A typical crash sensor includes a hinged plastic mass attached to the housing. The mass activates a contact assembly after a predetermined movement of the mass. The gap existing between the movable mass and the interior wall of the housing enhances the damping function of the crash sensor.

Abstract: This invention includes crash sensors designed to be used for frontal impact sensing and the strategies of using these sensors. It is analyzed and shown that velocity sensing or damped sernsors are desirable for frontal impact passenger compartment sensing. inertially damped sensors, with a damping force proportional to the square of velocity, is preferred for some applications. In other cases a viscous damped sensor is appropriate and in a few cases an undamped spring mass sensor will suffice. Such sensors can be made of plastic and in the shape of short housings. A preferred embodiment of this invention utilizes a swinging mass hinged to a housing as the sensing mass. Different geometries of the mass and the housing are disclosed and used to improve the performance of such sensors. These flapper mass sensors are useful for sensing frontal impacts in the passenger compartment both as primary sensors and as single or dual contact arming sensors.

Abstract: An attitude sensor device for sensing deviations from a reference orientation which includes a sensor cup having a capacitor and a damped dielectric fluid with a bubble disposed between the electrodes of the capacitor. When the sensor cup is tilted, the bubble is displaced within the damped dielectric fluid and a capacitance change results. A controller circuit detects this capacitance change and outputs a warning signal to an LED and/or a speaker. In an alternate embodiment, the attitude sensor device is mounted to the inner housing of a gyroscope, which is insensitive to movement in two dimensions, thereby allowing the sensing of deviations of rotational movement.

Abstract: A solar greenhouse roof includes a plurality of relatively large sunlight reflectors which direct and receive sunlight to one or more relatively small focusing light reflectors. The light reflected from the focusing light reflectors is directed downward into the edges of plate glass pipe which are simply panes of plate glass mounted within the base of the roof. The glass pipes serve as a filter for blocking the transmission of ultraviolet and infrared light therethrough, thus allowing only visible light to reach such objects as plants located below the glass pipes. A protective Tedlar film or coated glass may be mounted atop the roof, the glass pipes may be aluminized on their planar surfaces to improve the internal reflectivity to visible light.

Abstract: A dual axes multiple prism optical system is disclosed having first and second pairs of 45.degree.-90.degree. prisms mounted on orthogonal substrates operative in one embodiment as an autocollimator and in another embodiment as a directionally sensitive light detector. In both embodiments, the first prism pair provides an azimuthal variation detection capability and the second prism pair provides an elevational variation detection capability. The prisms are so positioned on the substrates that light traveling in a reference direction is incident to the prisms at the critical angle and is totally internally reflected therethrough. Light traveling in a direction which deviates about either the elevational or the azimuthal planes about the reference direction is incident on corresponding ones of the prisms at below the critical angle and is refracted therethrough and collected by an end array matrix of fiberoptic cables mounted to the prisms.