Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type – Having fluid means within impact means to absorb energy
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-01
2001-05-01
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
Having fluid means within impact means to absorb energy
C280S507000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224119
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for limiting injuries and damages occurring in the event of a collision, intended for mounting on at least one towing hook or towing hook construction located adjacent a rear side of a vehicle.
In the fleet of cars in the Netherlands, about half of the passenger cars are provided with a towing hook. The towing hook is used only sporadically in the sense that a caravan, boat trailer or trailer is towed therewith, or that a bicycle carrier is mounted thereon. However, the towing hook or towing hook construction always remains mounted on the vehicle, also when it is not used.
The drawback of the unused towing hook or towing hook construction is that it may cause very serious injuries and may easily cause major damage in the event of a collision, even at low speeds. In collisions where the towing hook or towing hook construction contacts another object, such as a vehicle or, even worse, a person, the object hit usually sustains substantial damage caused by a point load. Moreover, the towing hook and towing hook construction itself is relatively undeformable, so that the object hit usually has to fully absorb the blow. Irreparable damage to the bodywork, broken radiators and/or fans, or personal injuries are the result. After a collision, a vehicle whose radiator or fan is damaged is usually no longer capable of moving on. The vehicle hit must then be towed away, which often necessitates a temporary road block. Hence, the direct damage and the consequential damage caused by non-used towing hook constructions are enormous.
Another drawback of the unused towing hook is that is often obstructs one's view of the number plate.
Known apparatuses according to the pre-characterizing portion of claim
1
, which at least solve a part of the above-outlined problems, are for instance described in GB-A-1 399 252, DE-A-3 240 264 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,743.
Also known from practice are bicycle carriers that can be mounted on a towing hook of a vehicle.
Research has shown that in the event of a collision, the crushable zones located at the rear of a vehicle are largely rendered inoperative when a towing hook or towing hook construction is mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Indeed, in a collision, the towing hook or towing hook construction is hit first, the forces occurring during the collision being transmitted via the towing hook construction to points of the chassis located more adjacent the front side of the vehicle. All crushable zones located behind these points are rendered inoperative in a collision. The above research has shown that a substantial part of the victims of head-tail collisions in vehicles provided with a towing hook construction remain suffering from a permanent whiplash with bumper parts known from the above-cited patent publications, which parts are mounted on the towing hook, this problem is not solved, because in the known apparatuses the major part of the forces released during a collision are still taken by the towing hook or towing hook construction itself.
In the apparatuses known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,743 and GB-A-1 399 352, a part of the forces occurring during a collision are perhaps not transmitted via the towing hook construction to the points located further to the front, but, as is desired, to the rear of the car. However, these known apparatuses are not universally applicable. As it is, for each towing hook the distance from the hook to the rear of the vehicle is different. Moreover, the shape of the rear side of each vehicle is different.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to provide a new apparatus of the type mentioned in the pre-characterizing portion of claim
1
without the above-outlined drawbacks.
To this end, according to the invention, the apparatus of the type mentioned in the preamble is characterized in that it is provided with at least one hook-catching element which, in a mounted condition of the apparatus, is located between the at least one hook and the rear side of the vehicle, and with an inflatable element which, in a mounted condition of the apparatus, is located between the at least one hook-catching element and the rear side of the vehicle and is inflated, causing the at least one hook-catching element to be pressed against the at least one hook and causing the inflatable element to adapt itself, on the side thereof facing the vehicle, to the shape of the rear side of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising a functional provision connected to the at least one hook-catching element.
Such apparatus is easy to mount. Before mounting, the inflatable element should be in a non-inflated condition. The or each hook-catching element can then be fitted between the hook and the vehicle, behind the hook. Next, the inflatable element is inflated. On one side, the inflatable element pressed the or each hook-catching element firmly against the associated hook and on the other side, the shape of the inflatable element adapts itself to the shape of the rear side of the vehicle. After inflation, the functional provision which is fixedly connected to the or each hook-catching element is in a fixed position. In the event of a tail collision, the forces occurring are transmitted via the inflatable element to the rear side of the vehicle. Hence, all crushable zones of the vehicle remain available or absorbing the forces occurring during the collision. Moreover, the inflatable element itself further has a high shock-absorbing capability.
When the apparatus according to the invention is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle, the hook is protected. Since the hook, typically designed as towing hook, is protected, it cannot come into direct contact with other objects. Hence, damage to the vehicles of other road users is reduced to a minimum and in particular damages to radiators and fans of other vehicles will hardly occur anymore, if at all. Another advantage of the apparatus according to the invention is that personal injuries, which can be sustained by bumping against the towing hook, will no longer occur, because the apparatus provides the rear side of the car with an even profile again without rearwardly projecting parts. A further highly important advantage is that the chances of whiplash to the passengers of the vehicle with the hook are considerably reduced in that the crushable zones remain substantially operative during collisions. Hence, this means an enormous saving on the compensations to be paid by the insurance companies every year for this type of damage.
According to a further elaboration of the invention, the functional provision can be designed as bumper, a detachable bicycle carrier, a detachable housing for storing objects therein, or combinations thereof.
It is understood that in the functional provision, on the side of the at least one hook facing away from the vehicle, a certain free space must be present that is filled with air or readily deformable, possibly shock-absorbing material. This free space is necessary for enabling the compression of the inflatable element without the hook thereby being considerably loaded by parts of the functional provision bumping thereagaanst.
Further elaborations of the invention are described in the subclaims and will hereinafter be specified on the basis of two exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4852902 (1989-08-01), Young et al.
patent: 5106137 (1992-04-01), Curtis
patent: 5533743 (1996-07-01), Bello
patent: 5560631 (1996-10-01), Salvo
patent: 5725265 (1998-03-01), Baber
patent: 6039349 (2000-03-01), Laporte et al.
patent: 6056336 (2000-05-01), Balgobin
patent: 3240264 (1984-05-01), None
patent: 3600506 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 1251651 (1971-10-01), None
patent: 1399352 (1975-07-01), None
patent: 2169863 (1986-07-01), None
Dayoan D. Glenn
Hoffman & Baron LLP
Murray Mickki D.
LandOfFree
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