VEHICLE ROLL-OVER SAFETY APPARATUS
First Claim
1. In a vehicle having a material handling implement and an operator station having a roll-over protection structure in the form of a plurality of members therearound mounted thereon from which the vehicle and material handling implement may be operated, means responsive to vehicle roll-over for protecting the operator and reducing possible injury incident to roll-over of said vehicle comprising sensing means for actuating operator restraint means, said sensing means being responsive to the lateral Tilting over of the vehicle past a predetermined angle at which the vehicle tips over, said operator restraint means comprising gas bags located so as to be deployable into a protective position generally encompassing the operator, and gas pressure source means actuable by said sensing means to communicate gas to fully deploy said gas bags over a given time after commencement of deployment, and wherein said means responsive to roll-over further comprises means to substantially deflate said gas bags over approximately 20 to 30 seconds after commencement of deployment.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An air bag restraint system is associated with a vehicle having a roll-over protection structure for protecting an operator during a vehicle roll-over. The restraint system is actuated by a sensor which is responsive to the tilting over of the vehicle past a predetermined angle.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. In a vehicle having a material handling implement and an operator station having a roll-over protection structure in the form of a plurality of members therearound mounted thereon from which the vehicle and material handling implement may be operated, means responsive to vehicle roll-over for protecting the operator and reducing possible injury incident to roll-over of said vehicle comprising sensing means for actuating operator restraint means, said sensing means being responsive to the lateral Tilting over of the vehicle past a predetermined angle at which the vehicle tips over, said operator restraint means comprising gas bags located so as to be deployable into a protective position generally encompassing the operator, and gas pressure source means actuable by said sensing means to communicate gas to fully deploy said gas bags over a given time after commencement of deployment, and wherein said means responsive to roll-over further comprises means to substantially deflate said gas bags over approximately 20 to 30 seconds after commencement of deployment.
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2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said sensing means comprises means for generating an electrical signal and normally open switch means which closes when the vehicle tilts beyond said predetermined angle so as to provide a signal path to actuate said operator restraint means.
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3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said switch means is a mercury switch.
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4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said switch is a tilt-sensitive switch.
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5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means for protecting the operator further comprise seatbelt means.
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6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said operator restraint means further comprise belt means for assisting in retaining the bags in the deployed position.
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7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the number of bags is two and wherein said belt means comprise a belt for retaining each bag.
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8. The invention of claim 6 wherein said operator restraint means further comprise screen means on said roll-over protection structure for further assisting in retaining the bags in the deployed position.
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9. The invention of claim 1 wherein said roll-over protection structure defines a space for containing said operator and wherein said bags in their deployed position occupy substantially the entire half space on either side of the operator.
Specification