Sealed Bladder Pressure Sensor for Uniform Side Impact Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle safety systems face challenges in detecting side impacts effectively, particularly in areas like hinge pillars and fenders, which can lead to delayed activation of airbags during collisions.
Innovation Solution
A sealed bladder system with interconnected first and second chambers, positioned on the hinge pillar and fender respectively, and a pressure sensor to detect pressure changes caused by impacts, ensuring similar sensitivity to impacts at both locations and facilitating timely airbag deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate impact detection systems are used for hinge pillar and fender, then each location can be monitored independently, but the device complexity increases and sensitivity uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate impact detection systems for the hinge pillar and fender into a single integrated sealed bladder system. The bladder spans both locations and is connected to one pressure sensor, merging multiple detection functions into one unified system. This reduces device complexity while maintaining the ability to detect impacts at both locations with uniform sensitivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed bladder serves multiple functions simultaneously: it detects impacts at the hinge pillar, detects impacts at the fender, and provides a unified pressure measurement interface. This multi-functional design allows a single component to perform what previously required separate systems, improving measurement precision across both locations while reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple pressure sensors are installed at different locations, then impact detection coverage is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple pressure sensing locations into a single pressure sensor by using a sealed bladder that transmits pressure from both the hinge pillar and fender areas to one sensing point. This consolidation maintains reliable impact detection across both locations while reducing the number of sensors and associated complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed bladder acts as an intermediary that transfers pressure information from multiple impact locations (hinge pillar and fender) to a single pressure sensor. This mediator component enables one sensor to effectively monitor multiple locations, improving detection reliability without increasing sensor count or system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If impact detection sensitivity varies by location, then localized accuracy may be improved, but overall system reliability deteriorates due to delayed airbag deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed bladder creates an equipotential pressure distribution system where impacts at different locations (hinge pillar and fender) are transmitted to a common pressure sensor with equal sensitivity. This eliminates location-based sensitivity variations, ensuring that impacts anywhere along the bladder produce comparable pressure signals, thereby improving overall airbag deployment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameter from location-specific pressure measurements to a unified pressure measurement that integrates impacts from multiple locations. By transforming the detection approach to measure overall pressure changes in the sealed bladder rather than localized pressures, the system achieves uniform sensitivity across different impact locations, ensuring reliable airbag deployment regardless of where the impact occurs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides equivalent impact detection sensitivity at the hinge pillar and fender, enabling timely airbag deployment and enhanced vehicle safety by transmitting pressure changes across the sealed bladder system.
Implementation Method 1
The sealed bladder includes a first chamber and a second chamber in fluid communication with the first chamber
Implementation Method 2
A pressure sensor is fixed to the second chamber and in fluid communication with the second chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a hinge pillar, a fender adjacent the hinge pillar, and a sealed bladder. The sealed bladder includes a first chamber and a second chamber in fluid communication with the first chamber. The first chamber is on the hinge pillar and the second chamber is in the fender. A pressure sensor is fixed to the second chamber and in fluid communication with the second chamber.