Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-09-18
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S182100, C296S182100, C052S749100, C052S749100, C049S502000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290282
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety bar which provides protection, the bar having a generally trapezoidal, open cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional configuration of the bar includes a central flange which is embraced by two webs each of which has a side-flange which extends outwardly on a respective side of the bar. The bar has an intermediate section between a first section thereof and a mounting section thereof at one of its ends. In the intermediate section, the central flange has generally a decreasing width and the webs a generally decreasing height towards the bar end.
2. Background Information
Safety bars are known from various applications. A common application is the use as barriers along highways and roads to prevent vehicles from running off the road in the event of accidents.
A known safety bar is known from Swedish Patent Specification SE-C-501812. As described in that patent specification, the safety bar has an open cross-section which results in low production costs and also in lower costs for corrosion protection and the like at the same time as it results in a good energy absorbing capacity in relation to the weight of the bar. The safety bar according to the present invention is an improvement of the safety bar described in SE-C-501812 and similar safety bars.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a bar structure which has a generally trapezoidal, preferably open cross-section and which has a higher energy absorbing capacity than for example the safety bar according to SE-C-501812.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The cross-section of the safety bar according to the present invention comprises a central flange which is embraced by two webs with outwardly directed side flanges. The bar has an intermediate section between a first section and a mounting section at one end of the beam, and towards the bar end, the central flange has generally a decreasing width and the webs generally a decreasing height. The inventive safety bar may include a first section of constant cross-section located in the centre part of the bar, from which the bar tapers outwardly towards both its ends. It lies within the purview of the invention, however, to omit this central first section, in which case the bar will taper towards its respective ends directly from the midway point of the bar. A one-sided bar lies also within the purview of the invention, by which is meant a bar which tapers from a larger cross-section out towards a narrower cross-section, or tapers asymmetrically, towards respective ends thereof. The intermediate section can be divided into section parts. The central flange can for example in a first part of the intermediate section have its width considerably reduced while the height of the webs is not reduced at all or reduced at a smaller extent, whereas the height of the webs can be reduced considerably in a second part of the intermediate section, while the width of the central flange is reduced at a smaller extent or not at all. It is advantageous to have the second part of the intermediate section located between the first part and the bar end.
The central flange may have a central channel that can be shallow or deep. The central channel can, for example, extend down to the plane through the side flanges. The cross-section of the bar need not be directly trapezoidal with sharp corners but may be somewhat rounded.
The safety beam according to the present invention is characterized in that the central flange extends substantially through the mounting section. The central flange can have a constant width and the height of the webs can be constant through the mounting section. Both the width of the flange and the height of the webs may, however, vary along the mounting section.
The central flange of respective sections should preferably lie in one and the same plane, whereas the side-flanges should lie in different planes which are inclined relative to one another in correspondence with the decreasing height of the bar towards said one bar end. It also lies within the purview of the present invention, however, for the side-flanges in respective sections to lie in one and the same plane, while the central flange of respective sections is located in different planes corresponding to the decreasing height of said flanges towards said bar end. The webs will preferably, have substantially the same height on both sides of the bar, although webs of different heights also lie within the purview of the invention, so that the side-flanges will be located in different planes. The central flanges may also slope on both long sides of the safety bar, preferably by giving the bar web on one long side a smaller height than the one the other long side when the side-flanges are located in one and the same plane.
Since the cross section of the mounting section has a central flange and webs, the safety bar according to the present invention has a capacity to take up bending moments also in the joint to the vehicle which results in a higher energy absorption capacity of the bar and its joint as compared to for example the safety bar described in SE-C-501812. Further details and characteristics of the safety beam according to the present invention will be obvious from the description of the figures.
Further details and characteristic features of the inventive safety bar will be evident from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The above discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word “invention” is used in this specification, the word “invention” includes “inventions”, that is, the plural of “invention”. By stating “invention”, the Applicants do not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicants hereby assert that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.
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Hortlund Stefan
Sandberg Lars
Nils H. Ljungman & Associates
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
Plannja Hardtech AB
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