Vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out

• US 10,011,242 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2017
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chun-Nan Liu
• Original Assignee: Chun-Nan Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Chun-Nan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US15/437,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20170369015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/0468 Fixation or mounting means specific for door components fasteners in general F16B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01013 Means for detecting collision, impending collision or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/028 Means preventing passenger from falling out of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/08 automatically movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/13 Roll-over protection electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

A vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out is disposed at an inner side of a window of a vehicle. The vehicle device includes two rail units disposed at two opposing sides of the window and a block unit disposed between the rail units. The block unit is connected with a drive unit. The drive unit is connected with a control unit. When the control unit detects that the vehicle is about to roll, the control unit will actuate the drive unit to drive the block unit so that the block unit is rapidly unfolded to block the entire window. Thereby, when the vehicle is rolling, the vehicle device can effectively protect the passengers from being thrown out of the vehicle, improving the safety of the vehicle greatly.

Claims

1. A vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out, disposed at an inner side of a window of a vehicle, comprising:

two rail units, disposed at two opposing sides of the window, two ends of each rail unit being defined as a first end and a second end respectively;

a block unit, made of a flexible material and being foldable, the block unit being disposed between the rail units, one end of the block unit being fixed to the first ends of the rail units, another end of the block unit being slidable toward the second ends of the rail units so that the block unit can be in a folded state or an unfolded state, wherein, when in the folded state, the block unit is folded at the first ends of the rail units;

when in the unfolded state, the block unit is unfolded from the first ends toward the second ends of the rail units to block the window;

a drive unit, connected with the block unit, for driving the block unit to the unfolded state from the folded state;

a control unit, connected with the drive unit, for controlling the drive unit to drive the block unit to be in the unfolded state when the vehicle is detected to be about to roll; and

the drive unit includes a tube, one end of the tube is slidably provided with a drive block, the drive unit includes ropes each disposed in the respective rail units, first ends of the ropes are connected to the block unit, second ends of the ropes are inserted through the second ends of the rail units and further inserted into the tube and connected to the drive block, the drive unit further includes an inflator, the inflator is located at one side of the drive block, connected with the ropes, and the inflator is electrically connected with the control unit.

2. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive unit further includes a plurality of pulleys, the plurality of pulleys are disposed between the rail units and the tube, and the second ends of the ropes are wound around the plurality of pulleys and then inserted into the tube and connected to the drive block.

3. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive unit further includes a plurality of guide tubes, the plurality of guide tubes are disposed between the rail units and the tube, the second ends of the ropes are inserted through the guide tubes and then inserted into the tube and connected to the drive block.

4. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 1, wherein two sides of the block unit are wound around corresponding ropes, the block unit is provided with a plurality of fixing portions spaced along a longitudinal direction of the ropes, the fixing portions are adapted to fix a relative position between the block unit and the ropes, and a portion between every two of the fixing portions of the block unit is foldable.

5. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 1, wherein two sides of the block unit are provided with a plurality of spaced slide blocks, the spaced slide blocks are slidably connected to the rail units so that the block unit is connected between the rail units, and the ropes are further connected to the spaced slide blocks.

6. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 1, wherein the block unit is a fabric.

7. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a sensor for detecting a horizontal state of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is about to roll.

8. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sensor is a gyroscope.

9. A vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out, disposed at an inner side of a window of a vehicle, comprising:

two rail units, disposed at two opposing sides of the window, two ends of each rail unit being defined as a first end and a second end respectively;

a block unit, made of a flexible material and being foldable, the block unit being disposed between the rail units, one end of the block unit being fixed to the first ends of the rail units, another end of the block unit being slidable toward the second ends of the rail units so that the block unit can be in a folded state or an unfolded state, wherein, when in the folded state, the block unit is folded at the first ends of the rail units;

when in the unfolded state, the block unit is unfolded from the first ends toward the second ends of the rail units to block the window;

a drive unit, connected with the block unit, for driving the block unit to the unfolded state from the folded state;

a control unit, connected with the drive unit, for controlling the drive unit to drive the block unit to be in the unfolded state when the vehicle is detected to be about to roll; and

the drive unit is provided with a drive block corresponding to each rail unit, the drive block is slidably disposed in the rail unit and located between the second end and the block unit, the drive block is further connected to a first end of a rope, a second end of the rope is connected to the block unit, the drive unit further includes an inflator between the drive block and the block unit, and the inflator is electrically connected with the control unit.

10. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 9, wherein two sides of the block unit are wound around corresponding ropes, the block unit is provided with a plurality of fixing portions spaced along a longitudinal direction of the ropes, the fixing portions are adapted to fix a relative position between the block unit and the ropes, and a portion between every two of the fixing portions of the block unit is foldable.

11. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 9, wherein two sides of the block unit are provided with a plurality of spaced slide blocks, the spaced slide blocks are slidably connected to the rail units so that the block unit is connected between the rail units, and the ropes are further connected to the spaced slide blocks.

12. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 9, wherein the block unit is a fabric.

13. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit includes a sensor for detecting a horizontal state of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is about to roll.

14. The vehicle device for protecting passengers from being thrown out as claimed in claim 13, wherein the sensor is a gyroscope.