Side impact sensors and airbag system

In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, a side impact crash sensor comprising:

• a sensor assembly responsive to a side impact for controlling an occupant protection apparatus, said sensor assembly comprising
• a sensor housing,
• a mass arranged within said sensor housing and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral acceleration of said sensor housing, and
• control means for controlling deployment of the occupant protection apparatus, said control means being responsive to the movement of said mass only in the lateral direction;
• and
• mounting means for mounting said assembly onto at least one of a side door of the vehicle and a side of the vehicle between centers of front and rear wheels of the vehicle in such a position and a direction as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, a side impact crash sensor comprising:

• a sensor assembly responsive to a side impact for controlling an occupant protection apparatus, said sensor assembly comprising
• a sensor housing,
• a mass arranged within said sensor housing and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral acceleration of said sensor housing, and
• control means for controlling deployment of the occupant protection apparatus, said control means being responsive to the movement of said mass only in the lateral direction;
• and
• mounting means for mounting said assembly in contract with at least one of a side door assembly of the vehicle and a side panel assembly of the vehicle between the centers of the front and rear wheels in such a position and a direction as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, said side impact airbag system comprising:

• an airbag housing defining an interior space,
• at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said interior space of said airbag housing such that when inflating, said at least one airbag is expelled from said airbag into the passenger compartment on a side of the vehicle,
• inflator means for inflating said at least one airbag, and
• a crash sensor for controlling inflation of said at least one airbag via said inflator means upon a determination of a crash into a side of the vehicle requiring inflation of said at least one airbag,
• said crash sensor comprising
• a sensor housing;
• a mass arranged within said sensor housing and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral acceleration of said sensor housing, and
• control means for controlling said inflator means to inflate said at least one airbag, said control means being responsive to the movement of said mass only in the lateral direction;
• and
• means for mounting said sensor housing in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into the side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, said side impact airbag system comprising:

• an airbag housing defining an interior space,
• at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said interior space of said airbag housing into the passenger compartment,
• inflator means for inflating said at least one airbag, and
• a crash sensor responsive to a side impact for controlling inflation of said at least one airbag via said inflator means upon a determination of a crash into a side of the vehicle requiring of said at least one airbag,
• said crash sensor comprising
• a sensor assembly including
• a sensor housing, and
• a mass arranged within said sensor housing and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in responsive to lateral acceleration of said sensor housing, and
• control means for controlling said inflator means to inflate said at least one airbag, said control means being responsive to the movement of said mass only in the lateral direction;
• and
• mounting means for mounting said sensor assembly onto at least one of a side door of the vehicle and the side of the vehicle between the centers of front and rear wheels of the vehicle in such a position and a direction as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

In a vehicle having front and rear wheels and longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, said side impact airbag system comprising:

• an airbag housing defining an interior space,
• at least one inflatable airbag arranged in said interior space of said airbag housing such that when inflating, said at least one airbag is expelled from said airbag housing into the passenger compartment,
• inflator means for inflating said at least one airbag, and
• a crash sensor responsive to a side impact for controlling inflation of said at least one airbag via said inflator means upon a determination of a crash into the side of the vehicle requiring inflation of said at least one airbag,
• said crash sensor comprising
• a sensor assembly including
• a sensor housing,
• a mass arranged within said sensor housing and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral acceleration of said sensor housing, and
• control means for controlling said inflator means to inflate said at least one airbag, said control means being responsive to the movement of said mass only in the lateral direction;
• and
• mounting means for mounting said sensor assembly in contact with at least one of a side door assembly of the vehicle and a side panel assembly of the vehicle between centers of front and rear wheels of the vehicle in such a position and a direction as to cause movement of said mass upon an impact into the side of the vehicle resulting in lateral acceleration of said sensor housing.

In a vehicle having a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, an electronic side impact crash sensor for the vehicle, comprising:

• a housing;
• an accelerometer arranged within said housing and structured and arranged to measure acceleration of said housing in the lateral direction;
• control means responsive to a function of the measurements of said accelerometer for controlling an occupant protection apparatus, said control means being responsive only to the measured acceleration of said housing in the lateral direction;
• and
• means for mounting said housing in such a position and a direction as to sense an impact into a side of said vehicle.

In a vehicle having front and rear wheel and a longitudinal axis between a front and rear of the vehicle such that a lateral direction is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the vehicle including a right side and a left side spaced apart in the lateral direction, an electronic side impact crash sensor for the vehicle comprising:

• a sensor assembly responsive to a side impact for controlling an occupant protection apparatus, said sensor assembly comprising
• a sensor housing,
• a mass arranged within said sensor housing and movable in the lateral direction relative to said sensor housing in response to lateral acceleration of said sensor housing,
• a microprocessor and an algorithm for determining whether the movement over time of said mass in the lateral direction as processed by said algorithm results in a calculated value which is in excess of a threshold value, and
• mounting means for mounting said assembly onto said vehicle in such a position and a direction as to sense as impact into a side of said vehicle.