MOTOR VEHICLE INJURY AND DAMAGE PREVENTION SYSTEM

• US 3,802,727 A
• Filed: 02/22/1971
• Issued: 04/09/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Addison S. Beckley
• Original Assignee: Addison S. Beckley
• Inventors: Beckley, Addison S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Forlenza, Gerald M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saifer, Robert
• Application Number:
  US05/117,588
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 114/219 161/159,160,161 213/1A,221 188/1C,268 293/1,DIG.2,60,62,63,64,70,71R,88,95,8
• US Class Current: 293/120
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/02 Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects B60R19/56 takes precedence; initiating brake action by contact of bumper with an external object B60T7/22; for rail vehicles B61F19/04; safety equipment for cycles B62J27/00; integral with waterborne vessels or specially adapted therefor B63B59/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/18 characterised by the cross-section; Means within the bumper to absorb impact
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/26 comprising yieldable mounting means B60R19/38 takes precedence; springs, shock absorbers, or means for damping vibrations per se F16F
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard

Abstract

A motor vehicle damage and injury preventing system is disclosed. The system is based upon shock-absorbing bumpers extending over substantially the entire flattened front and rear ends of a specially designed vehicle and made up of a relatively thin sheet of compressible, rigid but bendable, shock-absorbing, impact-resistant material on the outer face of which is a relatively thick mass of cellular shock-absorbing plastic material. Typically a second relatively thin sheet of the impactresistant material is provided on the outer portion of the cellular shock-absorbing plastic material and a second relatively thick mass of the cellular shock-absorbing plastic material is provided on the outer portion of this second sheet. In this way the second sheet can move inwardly and distribute the force of impacts during collisions over the entire area of the cellular plastic behind it and also over the entire flattened end of the vehicle. The body of the motor vehicle is preferably made from relatively thin sheet-like compressible, rigid but bendable, shockabsorbing, impact-resistant plastic material of the same general type as that used as the rigid elements in the bumpers. Other novel features of the disclosure include special interior crash pads of cellular shock-absorbing plastic material placed in front of and close to the occupants and reaching to roughly the levels of their lower faces in such a way as not to interfere unduly with their freedom of action or reduce their range of vision, means for preventing undesired sagging of the cellular plastic shock-absorbing elements of the bumpers, means for restraining rocking and bending of the bumpers during certain types of collisions, and means for off-setting the high inertia of engine blocks and other heavy components during collisions.

Claims

1. A relatively thin sheet of boardy thermoplastic material adopted to be disposed fixedly over a portion of a motor vehicle and comprising a laminate of solid plastic cover layers integrally united to an inner rigid cellular plastic core, said laminate having a stiffness in flexure (ET3/12) relative to weight per unit of area at least equivalent to that shown for laminates in FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings and an impact resistance such that it shows no break when a 2 lb. steel ball is dropped on it from a height of 9 feet at temperatures ranging from -40*F. to 175*F.,

2. A relatively thick mass of unicellular shock-absorbing polymeric material disposed on the outer face of said sheet and having the following physical properties:

Density Not over 35 lbs. per cu. ft. 25% Compression Re- At least 15 lbs. per sistance (Dynamic sq. in. at approximately 25 miles per hour, for 12-inch thick- ness). Tensile Strength At least 15 lbs. per sq. in. Water Absorption Not over 1 lb. per (Cut Surface) sq. ft. Rebound Energy Not more than 35% Delivered of impact energy

3. A second relatively thin sheet of boardy thermoplastic material disposed on the outer face of element (2), said sheet comprising a laminate responding to the description of the laminate in connection with element (1), and

4. A second relatively thick mass of unicellular shock-absorbing material disposed on the outer face of element (3), said material having the properties set forth in connection with element (2).

5. A motor vehicle having substantially flattened front and rear ends on which are fixedly mounted front and rear bumpers extending over substantially the entire areas of said front and rear ends, respectively, each of said bumpers comprising the following elements:

6. A motor vehicle as set forth in claim 5 wherein said unicellular material is a blown compatible blend of thermoplastic resin, NBR and plasticizer in proportions of from 10 percent to 70 percent of said resin, from 16 percent to 80 percent of said NBR and from 8 percent to 60 percent of said plasticizer, said percentages being by weight based on the sum of said constituents and totalling 100 percent.

7. A motor vehicle as set forth in claim 5 wherein the maximUm transverse area of each of said bumpers is equal to at least 50 percent of the maximum projected transverse cross-sectional area of the vehicle including windshield and roof.

8. A motor vehicle at least one end of which is equipped with a safety bumper, said bumper comprising the following elements:

9. A motor vehicle the front end of which is equipped with a safety bumper, said bumper comprising the following elements:

10. A motor vehicle the front end of which is equipped with a safety bumper, said bumper comprising the following elements:

11. A motor vehicle having both its front and rear ends substantially flattened over areas equal to at least 40 percent of the maximum projected cross-sectional area of the vehicle including windshield and roof, with headlights, taillights and front wheel assembly recessed longitudinally, with conventional grill work, decorative devices, bumper brackets and bumpers eliminated and replaced by safety bumpers comprising masses of cellular, shock-absorbing, polymeric material from 6 to 24 inches thick in the case of the front bumper and from 3 to 12 inches thick in the case of the rear bumper, said masses forming the vehicle exterior surfaces and being substantially co-extensive in area with the aforementioned areas, each of said safety bumpers comprising the following elements:

12. A motor vehicle having at least one end substantially flattened with headlights and taillights recessed longitudinally and with conventional grill work, decorative devices, bumper brackets and bumpers eliminated at the flattened end and replaced by a safety bumper comprising a laminate of an interior relatively thin sheet of stiff somewhat flexible impact-resistant material braced to the vehicle across the associated end against movement in a longitudinal direction and an exterior relatively thick mass of cellular, shock-absorbing, polymeric material defining an exterior exposed surface extending transversely across said end and having a longitudinal thickness of at least 2 inches and a maximum transverse area equal to at least 40 percent of the adjacent end area of the vehicle, excluding from said end area the areas devoted to windshields, windows, clearance for lights, and air intakes, the longitudinal thickness (T) of said mass of shock-absorbing material being defined by the following equation:

T WV12/2gAe Where T thickness of said mass in inches, W weight of vehicle in pounds, V1 intended maximum collision impact speed in feet per second, g acceleration (32.2) due to gravity in feet per second, A transverse area of said mass in square inches, and e energy (expressed in foot pounds per cubic inch) absorbed by each cubic inch of said mass when compressed to the point where its compression resistance in pounds per square inch of transverse area equals GpW/A where Gp is the peak allowable G'"'"''"'"'s of deceleration and W and A are as defined above.

13. A motor vehicle having both its front and rear ends substantially flattened over areas equal to at least 40 percent of the maximum cross-sectional area of the vehicle including windshield and roof, and having front and rear bumpers fixedly mounted on and extending over substantially the entire areas of said flattened front and rear ends, each of said bumpers comprising the following elements: