Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type – Horizontally movable to plural operative positions other...
Patent
1992-12-21
1994-12-06
Mitchell, David M.
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
Horizontally movable to plural operative positions other...
293134, 188289, B60R 1940
Patent
active
053704290
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Along with a growing demand for safety in automotive vehicles, particularly in private passenger cars, and more particularly for the passengers thereof, improved bumper systems have been suggested. Such systems can, in accordance with the EEC-standard, stop a car from a speed of 4 km/h without damage. In addition, such improved systems can, according to the corresponding US-standard, stop automotive vehicles from a speed of about 8 km/h without damage.
Further improved bumper systems are designed to absorb speeds of up to 15 km/h without damage to the vehicle. Calculations indicate, however, that the front end of the bumper so-designed would have to project at least 10 cm beyond the customary standard. A design of that type would be disadvantageous both in terms of space requirements and for reasons of aesthetics.
German Patent Number 31 49 113 teaches an extendable bumper configuration. The bumper retracts in the event of a crash and, at the same time, the steering wheel is placed in a position harmless to the driver.
Moreover, German Patent Number 29 47 947 teaches movably attaching a bumper to the vehicle. The bumper is connected to two parallel, horizontal rods extending in the longitudinal direction of the automotive vehicle. At the opposite sides of each rod is a piston-type element. These elements are disposed in cylinders filled with liquid.
German utility model number 85 08 904 discloses bumpers provided with a hose-type cavity sealable in an air-tight manner. The flexibility of the bumper results from pneumatic pressure.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to solve the problem of providing a space-saving, aesthetically pleasing bumper system which can absorb speeds of 15 km/h without damage to the vehicle and, in addition, can extend the bumper at an adequate speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This problem is solved by extending the bumper by an adequate amount only in dangerous situations. After the dangerous situation has been overcome, the bumper, selectively, is retracted automatically or at a later time.
In bumper systems of the afore-mentioned type, it is important for the bumper to (1) provide an adequate distance between the obstacle and the direct contour of the vehicle to be protected and to (2) concurrently and optimally use the available free space to remove the dynamic energy of the vehicle which increases risk in dangerous situations. Both requirements are met, according to another embodiment of the present invention, by constructing the bumper so that the impact of the vehicle is absorbed by a damper consisting of pressure fluid.
To the extent that the pressure fluid is a liquid, preferably a brake fluid, the present invention provides an equilibrium chamber for the fluid from which, during extension of the bumper, fluid can be fed into the cylinder through an opening valve.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder is connected, through a throttle, to the equilibrium chamber. That connection improves the damping and energy intake of the system and flexibly stops the vehicle when it strikes an obstacle.
Moreover, in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a special equilibrium reservoir is provided. The equilibrium chamber can be annularly disposed about the cylinder, thereby attaining a more compact design.
The length of the extending bumper movement can be made dependent on the momentarily existing condition of danger. On the other hand, the damage to the vehicle to be protected is decreased the more softly the impacting vehicle is stopped (and, vice versa, the softer is the impact of the obstacle on the vehicle). According to another embodiment of the present invention, therefore, both the elasticity and the spring constant of the bumper system are dependent on the extended length of the bumper. In pressure-fluid damped bumpers, preferably, the equilibrium hole between the equilibrium chamber and the cylinder is varied in response to the position of the bumper: the larger the
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Braun Achim
Reuber Gerhard
Alfred Teves GmbH & Co., oHG
Hoge Gary C.
Lewis J. Gordon
Mitchell David M.
Seitter Robert P.
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