Patent ID: 7643919

Claim:
A crash sensor arrangement for a motor vehicle defining a central longitudinal axis extending between the front and the rear of the vehicle, the crash sensor arrangement comprising a first set of sensors comprising respective sensors on each side of the vehicle spaced from the longitudinal axis, each of the sensors having one accelerometer with a predetermined sensing axis, each of the sensors being mounted on a respective “B” post on each side of the vehicle close to the outer skin of the vehicle and at a first longitudinal position relative to the longitudinal axis such that the sensing axis of each of the sensors forms a predetermined angle to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the predetermined angle being between 30° and 60°, or between −30° and −60°, the sensing axes of the sensors being mirror symmetrical to each other relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, so that at the first longitudinal position there are only two sensors mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle, such that only one sensor, and hence only one accelerometer, is mounted on the respective “B” post on each side of the vehicle at the first longitudinal position, the sensing axes of the two sensors extending in different directions.