Patent ID: 7308380
Filing Date: 2007-12-11
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A collision object determining system for a vehicle, the collision object determining system, comprising: a collision load detector, provided in the vehicle, configured to facilitate detecting a collision load; a collision object determining unit, configured to facilitate determining a kind of a collision object which collides with the vehicle, based on whether the collision load detected by the collision load detector is in a range determined by a given threshold value; and a collision object number detector, provided in the vehicle, configured to facilitate detecting a number of collision objects detected by the collision load detector that simultaneously collide with different points of a bumper of the vehicle, wherein the collision object determining unit is further configured to substantially increase the given threshold value when the number of collision objects detected by the collision object number detector increases, wherein the collision load detector includes a plurality of pressure-sensitive switches that are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the bumper with intervals and operate when receiving collision loads being a certain threshold value or more, wherein the collision object number detector is further configured to determine that the number of collision objects is one in a case where (i) a given small number of pressure-sensitive switches is included in the plurality of pressure-sensitive switches, wherein pressure-sensitive switches included in the given small number of pressure-sensitive switches do not operate, and (ii) two groups of pressure-sensitive switches are included in the plurality of pressure-sensitive switches to interleave the given small number of pressure-sensitive switches there between, wherein pressure-sensitive switches included in each of the two groups adjoin each other and individually operate by receiving collision loads being the certain threshold value or more.