Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-24
2002-10-22
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C293S133000, C280S777000, C188S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06467836
ABSTRACT:
The invention disclosed and claimed herein deals with impact suppression devices having energy absorbing capability. The devices of this invention utilize a mated spline configuration for two separate shafts that are movably joined such that they can move linearly. In some instances, the shafts themselves can act as a piston, or a piston is used as part of the components. Further, there is used a gel material which has hydraulic fluid properties when a force is applied to it. This gel is sheared in this application, as opposed to just being pushed like a plug of material. Deceleration of the piston or piston-like shaft can be accomplished by the use of various gels having different properties, such as durometer, crosslink density, consistency, chemical composition, additives to the gels, density of the gels, and, by the volume of material or materials in the device providing a predetermined volume per area.
One such device comprises a hollow tube for a housing with shafts protruding from each end. One shaft end is connected to, for example, a steering wheel of a vehicle, while the other end is connected to the mechanism that does the actual steering of the vehicle. Both shafts are movably connected together by means of a mated spline. The spline assures positive rotations of both shafts simultaneously, and also ensures positive rotations of both shafts in the event of an impact. The arrangement also allows the shaft connected to the steering wheel a means of movement within the spline along the axial direction of the shaft. The housing is fixed solidly within the vehicle body frame by some appropriate mounting means that can be brackets, or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are several patents disclosing impact resistant devices. One such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,700, which issued Apr. 1, 1969 to Calhoun in which there is shown a fluid cushioned vehicle steering apparatus comprising a reservoir, a cylinder having longitudinally spaced apertures formed in it and which is journalled for rotation in the reservoir, and a piston and a piston rod arranged for reciprocation in the cylinder. The damping medium is described as a “fluid”. Resistance is provided by a combination of the number of apertures, their location, the size of the apertures and the viscosity of the fluid.
Another patent which discloses an impact resistant device is U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,397, which issued Jul. 8, 1969 to Yoshioka, et al. in which there is shown a steering column constituted by first and second axial shaft portions connected together by a casing containing a plastically deformable material. The plastically deformable material is described at column 2, line 25 as being sponge, styrol, cork or the like.
Yet another patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,737, which issued Sep. 29, 1970 to Higginbotham in which there is disclosed a steering column comprised of two shafts that are connected to two chambers. One of the chambers contains a fluid. The valving operates upon impact with the upper shaft to allow movement of the fluid from one chamber to the other upon the application of pressure. The fluid is described at column 6, line 28, as a “hydraulic fluid”.
Still another patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,366, which issued Apr. 18, 1972 to Somero in which a collapsible steering column is disclosed, and which utilizes hydraulic fluid as the dampening medium and, utilizes hexagonal shafts to ensure continued steering in the event of a crash.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,390 deals with a shock absorber having a helical coil spring and elastomeric material intermediate of the coils of the coil spring to form a dual spring unit. The interior of the chamber of the device also contains hydraulic fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,354, which issued Jun. 23, 1987 to Brand deals with an automobile steering column having a fixed cylindrical housing enclosing a rotatable steering mechanism composed of a pair of telescoping sections joined in a slidable and shock absorbing splined connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,403, which issued on Apr. 26, 1977 to Kondo, et al, discloses the use of a solid shaft to move shock-absorbing resilient material from a chamber through an orifice which initially is plugged, and upon movement of the solid shaft, the plug is dislodged and the material flows out of the orifice. The shock absorbing material is disclosed as a silicone rubber which is adapted to be ruptured under a given pressure, and which has the desired resiliency and flow resistance. The “silicone rubber” does not appear to be a gel, nor does it appear to have the capability to convert to a crumb rubber upon the application of pressure thereto.
There is a device similar to Kondo, et al, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,986, which issued Mar. 17, 1981 to Mukoyama, in which a similar device is used with the silicone rubber and the exit ports for the material are internal to the housing and through the sidewalls thereof. The essence of the invention in this patent is that the discharge of the silicone rubber into the side chambers where it is contained, prevents the silicone rubber from being discharged into the engine compartment and the silicone rubber is then not subjected to the potential of catching fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,448, which issued Feb. 17, 1987 to Loren, deals with an energy absorbing steering assembly that employs an elastically deformable plastic foam molded into the cavities between the sleeve and the steering column to absorb energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,058 that issued on Apr. 8, 1997 to Byon deals with a collapsible steering column apparatus for a motor vehicle in which gas is used as the decelerant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,320 that issued Jan. 9, 1996 to Passebecq deals with a steering column assembly axially retractable in the event of an impact. This assembly uses a force generator that is actuatable upon impact.
Finally, there is disclosed a damping apparatus that utilizes a compressible solid energy absorbing material located in a chamber to absorb energy. Such devices can be found in GB 1,386,645, 1,439,347, and 1,382,131, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,287 that issued on Aug. 24, 1976 to Kendall et al. (Menasco Manufacturing Company). According to the disclosure, there is a piston movably mounted within a compressible solid material in a chamber formed within a housing. A piston includes first passages and second passages and the compressible solid material is pushed through the first passages during an extension of the piston, wherein the compressible solid material is also pushed through the second passages during retraction of the piston. There is a ring surrounding the piston, the ring closes off the second passages during extension of the piston and during retraction of the piston the ring moves to permit the compressible solid material to flow back through it. The patent discloses that the typical compressible solid material is conventionally available from Dow Corning Corporation under the trade name of “Silastic”.
None of the aforementioned references shows the inventive devices described herein, or the benefits of such devices, the essence of which is described infra.
THE INVENTION
The invention herein deals with impact suppression devices which are useful for energy absorbing applications such as steering columns on automobiles and trucks; front, side, and rear end collision impact resistance on vehicles, and the like.
Therefore, what is disclosed in more detail is an impact suppression device having energy absorbing capability. The device comprises an elongated housing. The elongated housing has a near end, a distal end, an inside surface, and an inside wall. The elongated housing also has an end cap located on the near end thereof, the end cap having a centered aperture therethrough and the end cap being fixed to the elongated housing. The elongated housing has an alignment plug on the distal end thereof, the alignment plug having a centered aperture through it and the alignment plug being fixed into said elongated housing. There is a component that is a means for mounting the elongated housing. Further, there is a
Miller Richard L.
Morris Edward J.
Eurion Corporation
McKellar Robert L.
Pedder Dennis H.
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