Patent ID: 7836998

Claim:
An impact sensor for sensing an impact in a vehicle, the sensor comprising an elongate yieldable element and a support arrangement for supporting opposed ends of the yieldable element on a vehicle mounting surface that is defined by one of an outer skin of the vehicle and a component adjacent to the outer skin of the vehicle, the support arrangement configured such that free space is provided between a central part of the yieldable element extending between the opposed ends and the vehicle mounting surface to allow relative movement between the central part of the yieldable element and the vehicle mounting surface for bending of the yieldable element, the yieldable element substantially parallel with outer skin of the vehicle, wherein the yieldable element includes a sensor arrangement response to bending of the yieldable element that generates at least one signal in response to the yieldable element being bent, wherein the yieldable element has a stiffness and mass such that a period for a complete oscillation of the yieldable element is at a resonance frequency of at least 2 milliseconds.