Vehicle side impact detection
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorDavid James Tippy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes an instrument panel, a pressure sensor, and a door. The instrument panel defines a sensor cavity and a first opening in fluid communication with the sensor cavity. The pressure sensor is in the sensor cavity. The door defines a door cavity and a second opening in fluid communication with the door cavity. The door is moveable between an open position and a closed position. The first and second openings are engaged with each other in the closed position and disengaged with each other in the open position.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a controller
- an instrument panel defining a sensor cavity and a first opening in fluid communication with the sensor cavity;
- a pressure sensor in the sensor cavity and in communication with the controller;
- a door defining a door cavity and a second opening in fluid communication with the door cavity;
- the door being moveable between an open position and a closed position, the first and second openings being engaged with each other in the closed position and disengaged with each other in the open position.
A system comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
- determine that a door of a vehicle is in an open position;
- disable a pressure sensor in an instrument panel of the vehicle as a result of determining that the door is in the open position;
- determine that the door of the vehicle is in a closed position;
- and
- enable the pressure sensor in the instrument panel of the vehicle as a result of determining that the door is in the closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.