Vehicle sensor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8997563-B2
Application number	US-201313750441-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2013
Priority date	Jan 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 7, 2015
Grant date	Apr 7, 2015

Abstract

A sensor system includes a housing defining a cavity, an actuator formed from an alloy transitionable between first and second states, a plunger attached to the actuator, and a resilient member configured for translating the plunger within the cavity. The plunger is not translatable during a first condition in which a coating of debris is disposed on the housing as the alloy transitions between the first and second states to define a first stress on the actuator. The plunger is translatable during a second condition in which the housing is substantially free from the coating as the alloy transitions to define a second stress on the actuator that is less than the first stress. The alloy transitions from the first to the second state at a first transformation temperature during the first condition, and at a second transformation temperature that is less than the first temperature during the second condition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor system for a vehicle, the sensor system comprising:
a housing defining a cavity therein;
an actuator attached to the housing within the cavity and formed from a shape memory alloy transitionable in response to a thermal activation signal between a first temperature-dependent state and a second temperature-dependent state;
a plunger attached to the actuator and translatable within the cavity;
wherein the plunger is not translatable within…

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Skurkis Richard J
• Herrera Guillermo A
• Johnson Nancy L
• Browne Alan L
• Pinto Iv Nicholas W

Classifications

• G01N27/041 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic