Pendulum mass acceleration sensor
AssigneeBreed Automotive Technology, Inc.
InventorsPaul K. Edwards, Richard G. Simpson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bidirectional shock sensor has a housing mounted directly to a printed circuit board. The housing contains a switch or sensor embedded in the housing and is connected by leads to the circuit board. A pendulum sensing mass is suspended from two flexible pendulum arms. The arms come together where they are attached to the housing and constrain the mass to swing along an arc that lies in a plane. A magnet either forms the sensing mass or is mounted to the sensing mass. A reed switch or Giant Magneto-Restrictive (GMR) type sensor is encapsulated within the base of the housing. When a shock causes motion of the sensing mass and the magnet the motion is detected by the sensor or switch.
Claims24
A bidirectional shock sensor comprising:
- a housing having a base for mounting to a circuit board, portions of the housing forming a pendulum cavity, the cavity having an upper portion and a lower portion;
- a pendulum mass supported from the cavity upper portion by two flexible wire pendulum arms rigidly mounted to the housing, the pendulum arms being in spaced relation where they connect to the pendulum mass, wherein the pendulum arms define a plane, and the pendulum mass swings along an arc within the plane and within the cavity, the arc defined by the swing of the pendulum mass having a lowest point and defining a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction;
- and
- a means for detecting motion of the pendulum mass along said arc.
A bidirectional shock sensor comprising:
- a housing, portions of the housing forming a pendulum cavity, the cavity having an upper portion and a lower portion;
- a pendulum mass supported from the cavity upper portion by two flexible wire pendulum arms which are brought together and fixed to the housing, the pendulum arms being in spaced relation where they connect to the pendulum mass, so that the pendulum mass may swing along an arc within the cavity, the arc defined by the swing of the pendulum mass having a lowest point and defining a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction;
- and
- a switch or sensor positioned below the pendulum mass, and responsive to displacement of the pendulum mass along said arc.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.