Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-27
2001-05-22
Rice, Kenneth R. (Department: 2167)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234526
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to energy absorbing measures for vehicles, and more particularly to an energy absorbing structure using fluid viscosity to absorb forces generated due to occupant impact with the upper interior of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Currently, automobiles and other vehicles are equipped with a variety of safety devices designed to protect the vehicle driver and passengers from injury resulting from vehicle crashes. Such equipment includes impact absorbing material mounted to the interior of the passenger compartment or cockpit of the vehicle. This impact absorbing material is commonly positioned in various locations throughout the cockpit including on the A-pillar, B-pillar, rear pillar, doors, and roof panel. The design and location of the impact absorbing material within the cockpit may vary depending upon applicable standards and the portion of the occupant's body intended to be protected by the material.
A variety of impact absorbing measures are commonly used in the art including numerous types of foam panels, honeycombed and other shaped collapsible structures, as well as cushions containing fluid, air, or gel-filled chambers with structure for discharging the fluid upon impact For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,124 to Breed et al. discloses a padding having isolated air-filled chambers with an orifice to discharge the air upon impact and provide energy absorbing damping to protect an occupant during impact. Each of the cells collapse more or less independently as the air is discharged out of each cell through a flow restrictor communicating with each chamber. The device also includes a mechanism such as a spring for restoring the chamber to its initial position following impact. While this device may provide certain advantages, it does not fully utilize the dampening and restoration effects of fluid flow between chambers.
A somewhat similar impact apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,279 to Weller. This apparatus includes a cushion formed of a flexible skin having a rupturable diaphragm covered orifice or extrudable elastomeric plug that is adapted to discharge fluid, water or gel contained within the skin upon impact. The contained fluid is discharged into a separate reservoir or into the door cavity. As a result, this device again fails to take full advantage of the dampening effects of interconnected chambers through the viscosity of the fluid. Moreover, by discharging all or a portion of the contained fluid, the device is not self-rejuvenating through redistribution of the fluid after impact.
As a final example of the deficiencies in the prior art, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,177 to Weller. In this impact apparatus, an orifice is formed in each cell to communicate air between the impacted cells and adjacent cells. The air flow between the cells is dependent upon the pressure differences therebetween. Again, the apparatus of the '177 patent includes orifices for discharging the air from the side walls of the outer cells of the cushion to atmosphere.
Recently, the United States government has enacted specific requirements relating to the protection of the vehicle occupant during a crash and, more particularly, to the performance of inpact absorbing measures subjected to free motion head form (FMH) impact at fifteen miles per hour.
While previously developed impact absorbing material has provided adequate impact protection to date, the new Federal Standards do require more capable measures. Specifically, impact absorbing measures are needed that satisfy the Federal Regulations, are easy to manufacture, and lightweight.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an impact protection material having a cushion containing a constant amount of fluid that is distributed between interconnected chambers to absorb impact energy as the material is moved from an initial state to a collapsed state.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an energy absorbing member that generates a reaction force that is proportional to the impact velocity.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an energy absorption material that utilizes the viscosity of a fluid or gel within chambers defined by the cushion to effectively protect a vehicle occupant from injuries resulting from various impact speeds.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an energy absorption material of a fluid type that is non-destructive and therefore functional through multiple collisions and that can be used in combination with other protection measures including those presently existing in the art to afford even greater protection to the vehicle occupant.
In accordance with the broad teachings of this invention, an impact protection material for use in an automobile cockpit having a beneficial construction and configuration is provided. More particularly, in one embodiment of the present invention, the energy absorbing member includes a membrane defining a hydraulically closed cushion with a plurality of chambers. The membrane includes walls defining the chambers and orifices hydraulically interconnecting the plurality of chambers to equalize fluid pressure within each of the chambers and dissipate impact forces acting on the membrane by conveying fluid between the plurality of chambers when the energy absorbing member is moved from an initial state to a collapsed state. The closed cushion contains a constant amount of fluid as the energy absorbing member is moved from the initial to collapsed states.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5098124 (1992-03-01), Breed et al.
patent: 5141279 (1992-08-01), Weller
patent: 5356177 (1994-10-01), Weller
patent: 5564535 (1996-10-01), Kanianthra
patent: 5649721 (1997-07-01), Stafford et al.
patent: 5749193 (1998-05-01), Bucher et al.
patent: 5823611 (1998-10-01), Daniel et al.
patent: 5851626 (1998-12-01), McCorry et al.
Gierak Stephen P.
Schoenherr Eugene M.
Song Seung-Jae
Calcattera Mark P.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Rice Kenneth R.
LandOfFree
Head impact protection using fluid viscosity does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Head impact protection using fluid viscosity, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Head impact protection using fluid viscosity will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2465485