Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type – Bumper having impact force absorbing means directly...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-21
2003-03-25
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
Bumper having impact force absorbing means directly...
C293S102000, C293S107000, C293S132000, C293S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06536818
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bumper. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bumper for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
In the United States, automobile front and rear bumpers are only required to withstand a 5 MPH incident without any damage to the bumper itself.
Thus, there exists a need to design a bumper for the automotive industry that will be resistant to damage in a motor vehicle accident greater than the standard 5 MPH speed. Concurrently, this bumper design will reduce the deceleration felt by passengers during a collision.
Numerous innovations for bumpers have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,558 to Komatsu teaches a shock absorbing device for vehicles which includes a front bumper, a rear bumper, a link rod means connecting said front and rear bumpers, and a pair of hydraulic damper means inserted between each end of the link rod means and the corresponding bumper, respectively. Upon application of a shock to one of the bumpers, both the shocked bumper and the link rod means move toward the other bumper, so as to simultaneously actuate said pair of hydraulic damper means. As a result, the apparent bumper stroke is doubled, as compared with that of single damper shock absorber, without increasing the distance between the two bumpers.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,248 to Wossner et al. teaches telescoping shock absorbers that are arranged between the frame and bumper bar of an automotive vehicle in such a manner that the piston of each shock absorber moves inward of the cylinder under the impact of a collision, and liquid flows through a restricted passage between the compartments of the cylinder cavity to reduce the velocity of cylinder movement. If the passage is a groove in the inner cylinder wall, its flow section decreases in the direction of inward piston movement in such a manner that the force opposing the piston movement remains substantially constant even though the velocity of cylinder movement decreases. The same result can be achieved by forming the restricted passage in the piston, and biasing a valve member on the piston toward the passage closing position by a heavily prestressed cup spring or helical spring.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,061 to Ellis teaches a bumper for motor vehicles which is operated by hydraulic slave cylinders connected to the master brake cylinder to extend the bumper upon the application of a predetermined amount of force to the brake to provide the bumper with a greater shock absorbing length of travel under collision conditions while permitting the retraction of the bumper to facilitate in town maneuvering and parking under normal driving conditions.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,361 to Morse teaches a device for cushioning the impact of an approaching article that comprises a lever arm adapted to be attached to shock absorbing means and extend across the path of travel of the article, said arm having a surface on the side nearest the article so curved that the distance between the point of impact of the article againt the lever and the point of attachment of the lever to the shock-absorber decreases as the article advances after the first contacting said lever.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,959 to Tanno teaches a hydraulic shock absorber comprising a cylinder containing a working oil; piston received in a slidable manner in the cylinder and formed with a communication passage for generating a damping force, a piston rod protruding from one end of the cylinder; a valve chamber formed at the other end of the cylinder in fluid communication with the inside of the cylinder; an oil tank having an oil port for communication with the valve chamber; a disc-shaped valve arranged in the valve chamber and formed with a plurality of oil holes which have different effective areas and which can selectively be brought to face the oil port which communicates with the valve chamber and oil tank when the disc-shaped valve is turned. The disc-shaped valve is preferably mounted slidably but non-rotatably upon a valve stem. A coil spring is preferably provided to urge the disc-shaped valve against the valve chamber. At the same time, the valve stem has its one end protruding to the outside, and a turn knob is mounted on the protruding end of the valve stem for turning the disc-shaped valve. The damping force under compression can be changed without difficulty by turning the turn knob.
A SIXTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,697 to Hum teaches a shock absorbing system for an automotive vehicle having a chassis and front and rear bumpers which are movable relative to the chassis is provided. The system comprises an hydraulic oil circuit which includes a storage tank for storing hydraulic oil, a pump for pumping hydraulic oil from the tank into the circuit and an electric motor for driving the pump. An actuator for extending or retracting the front and rear bumpers away or toward the chassis is provided downstream of the pump and comprises an upper oil chamber and a lower oil chamber, the arrangement being such that when a predetermined oil pressure is maintained in the upper chamber, the bumpers are maintained in a retracted position relative to the chassis and when the pressure is switched to the lower oil chamber, the bumpers are moved to positions in which they are extended from the chassis. A solenoid valve is provided for alternately connecting either the upper oil chamber or the lower oil chamber of the actuator to the hydraulic oil flow downstream of the pump. Switching means is provided for activating the solenoid valve. An accumulator for absorbing the pressure shock imported to the front or rear bumper due to a collision of the vehicle with another vehicle or object is included in the system. The accumulator comprises a cylinder and a piston in the cylinder dividing the cylinder into an oil chamber, which is connected to the hydraulic return line, and a gas chamber which is connected to a source of pressurized gas for cushion the shock of a collision.
A SEVENTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. 5,011,205 to Liu teaches a safety vehicle bumper that includes a bumper mounted on two guide rods secured to several driving pistons reciprocating in at least one set of twin cylinders, which bumper can be operatively extended outwardly to prevent a close hit on a car body by another object by deeply treading a brake pedal for pneumatically or hydraulically moving the piston and the secured guide rods and the bumper outwardly for safety purpose.
AN EIGHTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,919 to Bauer teaches a pneumatic energy absorbing arrangement, for use between the bumper and the frame of an automobile, that includes a piston and cylinder combination which provides for an increasing amount of force or energy absorbed in relation to an increasing amount of travel between the piston and cylinder combination and, therefore, of the automobile itself. Exhaustion of the air with the piton cylinder combination is accomplished by a decreasing area of vent holes as the travel of the piston and cylinder increases. A specific or variable rate spring is provided to bias the piston and cylinder arrangement in an extended before-impact condition and absorb energy. The energy absorption device provided by this invention is reusable in that it is not destroyed during an impact.
A NINTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,947 to Chen teaches a vehicular bumper assembly that is formed of an outer bumper with one or more arcuate faces and one or more resilient pipes having outer surfaces conforming to the arcuate faces. The pipes are located adjacent to the faces and serve a buffering function when the outer bumper moves rearwardly in a collision. A buffer spring assembly absorbs an initial first portion of a collision force. The pipes then absorb a second por
Coletta Lori L
Dayoan D. Glenn
Miller Richard L.
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