Patent ID: 9290144
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: B60R

Claim Text:
1. A system, for attachment to a vehicle, comprising: a first sensor configured to sense ambient conditions used to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water, and outputting signals representative of the ambient conditions; an auxiliary sensor configured to sense at least one of vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions, used in determining whether the water sensed by the first sensor presents a hazardous condition, and outputting signals representative of the vehicle conditions and additional ambient conditions; an expansible chamber configured to increase buoyancy of the vehicle when filled with a gas; and a controller communicating with the first sensor and the auxiliary sensor and processing the sensor signals to determine whether the vehicle is being immersed in water and whether the immersion in water presents a hazardous condition, the controller causing the expansible chamber to be filled with a gas when the controller determines that the vehicle is being immersed in water and that the immersion in water is a hazardous condition.