Abstract: A collision-detecting device according to the present invention is installed in a bumper of an automotive vehicle. The collision-detecting device includes a deformable member disposed behind a bumper cover, a pressure sensor disposed in an inside space of the deformable member and an electronic control unit for determining a collision with a pedestrian based on signals from the pressure sensor. A width of the deformable member is made 300 mm or wider so that the width sufficiently covers a portion that is usually deformed by a collision with a pedestrian. A height of the deformable member is so set that a reaction force of the deformable member generated by a collision with a pedestrian does not exceed a predetermined level such as 1 kN. According to the present invention, a collision with a pedestrian is surely detected and the colliding pedestrian is protected from a severe damage.

Abstract: A collision detection apparatus for a vehicle having a vehicle bumper, which includes a bumper reinforcement includes a chamber member, a pressure sensor, and a collision detecting device. The chamber member is provided inside the vehicle bumper at a front surface of the bumper reinforcement. The pressure sensor is configured to sense change of pressure in the chamber space. The chamber member includes a deformable part and a non-deformable part, each of which extends in a vehicle width direction. The deformable part is compressed to be deformed between the collision object and the bumper reinforcement in a case, where the collision object collides with the vehicle bumper. The non-deformable part is limited from being compressed to be deformed.

Abstract: The vehicle-mounted alarm generating apparatus includes an extracting section configured to extract a road boundary marking representing a boundary of a lane from an image of a picture of a road surface ahead of a vehicle, a position setting section configured to set a first position and a second position more distant from the vehicle than the first position in accordance with extraction results by the extracting section, a first alarm generating section configured to generate a first alarm when a distance between the vehicle and the first position becomes shorter than a predetermined first distance, and a second alarm generating section configured to generate a second alarm, when a distance between the vehicle and the first position becomes shorter than a predetermined second distance. The configuration of the second alarm is different from that of the first alarm.

Abstract: A pedestrian collision detection apparatus includes a bumper sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a controller. The controller calculates an effective mass based on outputs from the bumper sensor and the speed sensor. The controller calculates a velocity change based on an output from the acceleration sensor. Further, the controller includes a two-dimensional map, which contains an effective mass and a velocity change and defines a pedestrian area for collision with a pedestrian. The controller determines a collision with a pedestrian when the pedestrian area contains a point determined by the calculated maximum effective mass and maximum velocity change. It is therefore possible to accurately distinguish a collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian from collision with the other object to reliably detect the collision.

Abstract: In a vehicle bumper structure, an optical fiber sensor (32) is provided on the upper portion of the front surface of a front wall portion (30A) of a front-bumper reinforcement (30). A front-bumper absorber (28) is provided before the optical fiber sensor (32) and a load transfer plate (34) is disposed between the front-bumper absorber (28) and the optical fiber sensor (32). The vertical width (B3) of the front-bumper absorber (28) and the load transfer plate (34) are greater than the vertical width (B1) of the optical fiber sensor (32), and a lower end portion (34A) of the load transfer plate (34) extends below the lower end of the optical fiber sensor (32). Accordingly, when the optical fiber sensor (32) is offset to the upper portion of the front-bumper reinforcement (30), the front-bumper absorber (28) will not topple down and the impact load is input to the optical fiber sensor (32) even if the input direction of the impact load is slightly inclined.

Abstract: In a vehicle bumper structure, an optical fiber sensor (32) is provided in a vehicle width direction on the front surface of a front-bumper reinforcement (30). A front-bumper absorber (28) is provided in front of the optical fiber sensor (32), the front-bumper absorber (28) formed of a soft absorber (54) and a hard absorber (56). The hard absorber is disposed at the bumper center region where the thickness of the bumper is increased. Accordingly, the thickness of the soft absorber (54) becomes substantially uniform in the vehicle width direction, so that a substantially uniform load is inputted to the optical fiber sensor (32) regardless of the collision position of the bumper with an object. As a result, variations in the output of the load-sensing unit are reduced.

Abstract: A collision detection apparatus for a vehicle having a vehicle bumper, which includes a bumper reinforcement includes a chamber member, a pressure sensor, and a collision detecting device. The chamber member is provided inside the vehicle bumper at a front surface of the bumper reinforcement. The pressure sensor is configured to sense change of pressure in the chamber space. The chamber member includes a deformable part and a non-deformable part, each of which extends in a vehicle width direction. The deformable part is compressed to be deformed between the collision object and the bumper reinforcement in a case, where the collision object collides with the vehicle bumper. The non-deformable part is limited from being compressed to be deformed.

Abstract: A collision-detecting device according to the present invention is installed in a bumper of an automotive vehicle. The collision-detecting device includes a deformable member disposed behind a bumper cover, a pressure sensor disposed in an inside space of the deformable member and an electronic control unit for determining a collision with a pedestrian based on signals from the pressure sensor. A width of the deformable member is made 300 mm or wider so that the width sufficiently covers a portion that is usually deformed by a collision with a pedestrian. A height of the deformable member is so set that a reaction force of the deformable member generated by a collision with a pedestrian does not exceed a predetermined level such as 1 kN. According to the present invention, a collision with a pedestrian is surely detected and the colliding pedestrian is protected from a severe damage.

Abstract: A vehicular pedestrian collision detection sensor detects a collision with a pedestrian which allows high-accuracy recognition of a collision with a pedestrian. A large number of load detection cells are arranged in a lateral direction (width direction) of the front side of a vehicle. The total collision load is calculated with respect to a cell group composed of some of the load detection cells which are adjacent to each other, wherein the cell group has a width generally equal to a pedestrian width. Based on the total collision load, an amount correlated to the mass of a pedestrian is calculated. When the amount correlated to the pedestrian mass is within a preset range, a collision with a pedestrian is recognized or determined.

Abstract: A pedestrian collision detection apparatus includes a bumper sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a controller. The controller calculates an effective mass based on outputs from the bumper sensor and the speed sensor. The controller calculates a velocity change based on an output from the acceleration sensor. Further, the controller includes a two-dimensional map, which contains an effective mass and a velocity change and defines a pedestrian area for collision with a pedestrian. The controller determines a collision with a pedestrian when the pedestrian area contains a point determined by the calculated maximum effective mass and maximum velocity change. It is therefore possible to accurately distinguish a collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian from collision with the other object to reliably detect the collision.

Abstract: A collision object discrimination apparatus for vehicles includes two collision detection sensors for discriminating kinds of a collision object based on two sensor outputs. The collision object is determined based on a collision width (W) detected by a collision width detection sensor fitted to a vehicle body. Alternatively, the collision object is determined based on a difference between operation characteristics of the two sensors. Further alternatively, the two sensors are integrated into a single unit including a plurality of censor cells.

Abstract: From a collision load, a one-time integration value and a two-time integration value are computed. The one-time integration value and two-time integration value are then used for obtaining a mass and rigidity of a collision object as two primary parameters. The obtained two primary parameters are used for determining whether or not the collision object is a pedestrian. This achieves accuracy in determining the collision object that is remarkably superior to a conventional method that uses a collision load waveform.

Abstract: A detection apparatus determines the type of an object approaching a vehicle. The detection apparatus is provided on a bumper of the vehicle, and comprises a coil as well as electrode lines to serve as the electrodes of a capacitor for detecting a human body. The detection apparatus is capable of differentiating a metallic body and a human body from each other based on variations in output voltage, which are caused by changes in their impedance.

Abstract: An impact sensor includes the first and the second electrodes arranged a predetermined distance away from each other in a tube insulator. The impact sensor is arranged at a front of a vehicle such that the first and the second electrodes opposed to each other in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The first and the second electrodes include cable conductors sheathed with elastically deformable conductive members, respectively. The first and the second electrodes are apart from each other when no impact is applied to the impact sensor. When a collision occurs and the impact is applied to the impact sensor, a contact area between the conductive members increases and a resistance between the first and the second electrodes continuously decreases.

Abstract: A pedestrian determining system mounted on a vehicle determines a collision object for protecting a pedestrian. An impedance sensor is included for detecting an alternating-current impedance or an electricity quantity being a function value of the alternating-current impedance to thereby output the detected one as an impedance signal, wherein the alternating-current impedance is varied by approaching of the collision object. A collision load sensor is included for detecting a collision load when the collision object collides with the vehicle to output the detected collision load as a collision load signal. Whether the collision object is a pedestrian or not is determined based on a value of a given function including as input variables the impedance signal outputted from the impedance sensor and the collision load signal outputted from the collision load sensor.

Abstract: A pedestrian collision detecting apparatus for motor vehicles is provided which works to distinguish between impacts with pedestrians and other sorts of impacts using a combination of a collision duration for which a sensor continues to sense a physical impact arising from collision with an object and a time-sequential change in locations of collisions of the vehicle with objects, thereby ensuring the reliability of detection of a pedestrian-vehicle collision and allowing the size and production costs of the apparatus to be minimized to improve the mountability of the apparatus in motor vehicles.

Abstract: In a passenger judging apparatus with a load sensor excellent in practical use and capable of achieving not only the reduction of judgment delay in the case of the necessity for a quick judgment but also the improvement of the judgment accuracy in the other cases, a judgment indicating the occurrence of a state transition forming a transition between classes is made only when a load detected stays continuously in a predetermined class for a predetermined threshold time period, with the threshold time period being variably set to be different in length among inter-class state transitions. This contributes greatly to the improvement of the judgment accuracy by eliminating erroneous judgment stemming from a false signal without uselessly delaying the judgment on the state transition requiring a quick decision.

Abstract: The present colliding obstacle detection apparatus comprises a pedestrian bumper, which is supported below a front bumper of the vehicle by a body of the vehicle, at least one collision detector, which is located on the pedestrian bumper, and a control circuit, which determines whether the collision has actually occurred based on a detection signal outputted by the at least one collision detector. The front end of the pedestrian bumper vertically aligns with or extending ahead of that of the front bumper. The at least one collision detector detects one of a collision of the pedestrian bumper with an obstacle, and a presence of the obstacle in a close proximity to the pedestrian bumper. When the control circuit determines that the collision has actually occurred, the circuit activates a colliding obstacle protector for protecting the obstacle, especially a pedestrian.

Abstract: A detection apparatus determines the type of an object approaching a vehicle. The detection apparatus is provided on a bumper of the vehicle, and comprises a coil as well as electrode lines to serve as the electrodes of a capacitor for detecting a human body. The detection apparatus is capable of differentiating a metallic body and a human body from each other based on variations in output voltage, which are caused by changes in their impedance.

Abstract: From a collision load, a one-time integration value and a two-time integration value are computed. The one-time integration value and two-time integration value are then used for obtaining a mass and rigidity of a collision object as two primary parameters. The obtained two primary parameters are used for determining whether or not the collision object is a pedestrian. This achieves accuracy in determining the collision object that is remarkably superior to a conventional method that uses a collision load waveform.