IMPACT SENSING APPARATUS

• Main Authors: ONODA; ATSUSHI, SAKAMOTO; KAZUNORI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.1992
• Subjects: GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; MEASURING; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR

An impact sensing apparatus includes a housing, a weight freely rotatably and movably supported within the housing at a position offset from the centroid of the weight, a firing lever pivotally supported on the housing for engaging the weight, and a spring stretched between the housing and the firing member for constantly biasing the firing member in a direction which engages it with the weight. The weight is held at a predetermined position, though its engagement with the firing pin, owing to the biasing force of the spring. When the apparatus is subjected to a prescribed acceleration under these conditions, the weight moves and rotates against the biasing force of the spring, thereby disengaging the firing pin and allowing it to turn. Erroneous operation ascribable to small, momentary shocks, as when a vehicle is traveling on a bumpy road, is prevented.