Articulated bumper

• US 3,923,330 A
• Filed: 07/22/1974
• Issued: 12/02/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles S. Viall Jr, Charles S. Viall Sr
• Original Assignee: Charles S. Viall Jr, Charles S. Viall Sr
• Inventors: Viall, Charles S. Sr., Viall, Charles S. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Jr., M. Henson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beltran, Howard
• Application Number:
  US05/490,484
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 180/91,92,94 200/61.44 280/15B 293/1,4,5,58,64,73,85,87,90,99,6 296/28M,50,53,55 298/1R,1SG,17R,23R 340/61
• US Class Current: 293/4
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/483 with obstacle sensors of electric or electronic type
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/56 Fittings damping bouncing force in truck collisions, e.g. bumpers; Arrangements on high-riding vehicles, e.g. lorries, for preventing vehicles or objects from running thereunder

Abstract

A safety bumper for vehicles comprises impact elements attached to the front or rear portion of a vehicle; electrical switches and circuitry automatically cause the brakes to be applied and/or an alarm to be given when the vehicle is in a reverse gear, and an obstruction encountered by the impact elements causes forward pivoting of the support members; to prevent damage to the impact elements and the obstruction, resilient elements of the support members and the impact elements themselves flex to allow continued forward deflection of the impact elements as the vehicle is brought to a stop; upper ends of the support members move with a tilting vehicle bed to swing the impact elements away from the ground; the support members are hinged intermediate their ends permitting lower portions thereof, and the impact elements attached thereto, always to hang vertically, thereby also providing clearance between the bumper components and the vehicle wheels when the bed is tilted. A variation having similar, but sectioned, impact elements is supported from the lower corners of horizontally swinging doors at the rear of a vehicle.

Claims

1. In combination with a vehicle having brakes and a tilting bed movable to lower the rearward portion thereof and to raise the forward portion thereof, a safety bumper, comprising:

a. obstacle encountering means for contacting obstructions, b. at least one support member, said support member having a resilient flexible portion intermediate first and second regions thereof, said resilient flexible portion including a spring one end of which is connected to said first region and the other end of which is connected to said second region for allowing relative deflection of sAid first and second regions, said obstacle encountering means being attached to said first region, c. connecting means for pivotally connecting said second region of said support member to said tilting bed of said vehicle so that said support member depends therefrom, said connecting means permitting limited substantially unrestricted pivoting of said second region in one direction relative to said vehicle while precluding further pivoting thereof, and d. signal generating means for generating a signal when movement of said obstacle encountering means causes a predetermined pivotal movement of said support member in said one direction, said resilient flexible portion of said support member remaining substantially undeflected until said predetermined pivotal movement of said support member causes said signal to be generated.

2. The safety bumper of claim 1 wherein said resilient flexible portion of said support member flexes after said predetermined pivotal movement of said support member causes said signal to be generated, thereby permitting further movement of said obstacle encountering means.

3. The safety bumper of claim 1 wherein said support member includes hinge means intermediate the ends of one of said regions thereof for permitting pivoting of one section of said one region in one direction relative to another section of said one region, and for substantially preventing pivoting of said one section in the opposite direction relative to said other section beyond a predetermined point.

4. The safety bumper of claim 1 wherein said signal generating means includes brake activating means for causing activation of said brakes of said vehicle upon generation of a signal by said signal generating means.

5. The safety bumper of claim 1 wherein said obstacle encountering means includes resilient impact elements.

6. In combination with a vehicle having a tilting bed movable to lower the rearward portion thereof and raise the forward portion thereof, a safety bumper, comprising:

a. an impact element, b. support means for supporting said impact element, said support means including a depending member having an upper section, and a lower section connected to said impact element, pivotal connecting means for connecting said upper section to said tilting bed of said vehicle, said pivotal connecting means including means for allowing only limited substantially unrestricted pivotal movement of said upper section relative to said vehicle while substantially precluding further pivotal movement, a spring intermediate said upper section and said lower section for normally maintaining said upper section and said lower section in a predetermined alignment, said spring being deflectable upon such limited substantially unrestricted pivotal movement of said upper section relative to said vehicle in one direction for allowing further movement of said lower section and said impact element, and hinge means intermediate the ends of one of said sections for allowing rotation of a lower part of said one section rearwardly relative to an upper part of said one section upon such movement of said bed so as to maintain said lower part relatively more vertical than said upper part, while substantially precluding such rotation in the opposite direction, and c. signal generating means for generating a signal upon pivotal movement of said upper section relative to said vehicle in said one direction.

7. The safety bumper of claim 6 in which, said upper section is connected to one end portion of said spring and said lower section is connected to the opposite end portion of said spring.

8. In combination with a vehicle having brakes and a tilting bed movable to lower the rearward portion thereof and to raise the forward portion thereof, a safety bumper for the rear of said vehicle, comprising:

a. impact means for encountering obstructions when said vehicle is backing, b. connecting means for connecting said impact means to the rear of said tilting bed of said vehicle, said connecting means including plural support members each having a spring providing resilient region intermediate to upper and lower regions thereof, said lower region having connected thereto said impact means, said connecting means also including pivot means for pivotally connecting said upper regions of said support members to the rear of said vehicle, said pivot means including means for allowing limited pivotal movement of said upper regions forwardly relative to said vehicle and for precluding substantial rearward pivotal movement of said upper regions relative to said vehicle whereby said upper regions maintain substantially a fixed position relative to said bed when said bed is so moved, said support members each including a hinge means intermediate upper and lower regions thereof for allowing said lower regions to pivot rearwardly relative to said upper regions upon such movement of said bed, while substantially precluding pivoting of said lower regions forwardly relative to said upper regions beyond a predetermined point, and c. signal generating means for generating a signal when movement of said impact means toward said vehicle causes a predetermined pivotal movement of said support members about said pivot means, said resilient regions of said support members remaining substantially unflexed until said predetermined pivotal movement of said support members causes said signal to be generated, said resilient regions flexing thereafter to permit further movement of said impact sensing means toward said vehicle without further pivotal movement of said upper regions of said support members about said pivot means.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said signal generating means includes means for causing brakes of said vehicle to be applied when said signal is generated.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein:

a. said tilting bed of said vehicle has first and second outwardly opening doors at the rear thereof, b. said impact means includes a first impact element and a second impact element, c. said connecting means including plural first support members and plural second support members, said first impact element being connected to said first support members, said second impact element being connected to said second support members, d. said pivot means pivotally connecting said first support members to said first door and pivotally connecting said second support members to said second door, thereby permitting each of said doors to be opened independently.

11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said signal generating means includes means for causing brakes of said vehicle to be applied when said signal is generated.

12. In combination with a vehicle having a tilting bed, brakes and a reverse gear, a safety bumper for the rear of said vehicle, comprising:

a. a bumper unit including plural spaced elongate resilient bumper elements, b. support means for supporting said bumper unit, said support means including a pair of depending support members, each said support member including an upper link, a helical spring element, a lower link and a tubular bumper mount, a lower end of said upper link projecting into an upper end of said spring element and being connected thereto, an upper end of said lower link projecting into a lower end of said spring element and being connected thereto, said lower end of said upper link and said upper end of said lower link being spaced apart within said spring element, a lower end of said lower link projecting into an upper end of said tubular bumper mount and being transversely pivotally pinned thereto, said bumper mount having an upper rearward corner thereof cut away to permit rearward pivoting of said bumper mount relative to said lower link of said support member, an upward forward corner of said bumper Mount preventing forward pivoting of said bumper mount relative to said lower link beyond a position in which said bumper mount and said lower link are in substantial alignment, each bumper mount supporting an end of said bumper unit, c. pivot means for pivotally connecting said pair of support members to said vehicle, said pivot means including a pair of brackets connected to said tilting bed of said vehicle, said brackets including transverse pivot pins for pivotally connecting upper ends of said upper links of said support members, lower rear corners of said brackets preventing rearward pivoting of said upper links of said support members relative to said brackets, and d. signal generating means for generating a signal when an obstruction is encountered by said bumper unit, thereby causing said bumper unit and said bumper mounts connected thereto to move inwardly toward said vehicle, said signal generating means including first electrical switches positioned on each said bracket adjacent to and forwardly of said upper ends of said upper links, forward pivoting of said upper links about said pivot pins, relative to said brackets, causing said first switches to be actuated, said first switches thereafter limiting further forward pivotal movement of said upper links about said pivot pins relative to said brackets and said spring elements flexing thereafter to allow misalignment of said upper and lower links and to thereby permit said bumper units and said bumper mounts to continue to move inwardly toward said vehicle, whereby damage to an obstruction encountered thereby may be avoided, said spring elements otherwise maintaining said upper and lower links in substantial alignment said signal generating means further including a second electrical switch positioned for actuation when said truck is in said reverse gear and a third electrical switch positioned for actuation when said tilting bed is substantially fully lowered.

13. The combination of claim 12 wherein said signal is generated by said signal generating means when either of said first switches is actuated simultaneously with actuation of both of said second and third switches.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said signal generated by said signal generating means causes said brakes of said vehicle to be applied.

15. The combination of claim 12 wherein said bumper mounts include means for varying the distance between at least one of said plural bumper elements and said tilting bed.

16. In combination with a vehicle having a reverse gear, brakes and a tilting bed with vertically mounted, outwardly swinging first and second doors, a safety bumper for the rear of said vehicle, comprising:

a. bumper means for encountering obstructions, said bumper means including laterally separated first and second bumper units each including plural resilient bumper elements, b. support means for supporting said pair of bumper units, said support means including a pair of depending first support members for supporting said first bumper unit and a pair of depending second support members for supporting said second bumper unit, said first and second support members each including an upper link, a helical spring element, a lower link and a tubular bumper mount, a lower end of said upper link and an upper end of said lower link being mounted within opposite ends of said spring element and being secured thereto, said lower end of said upper link and said upper end of said lower link being spaced apart, a lower end of said lower link being mounted within an upper end of said tubular bumper mount and being pinned therein, said bumper mounts of said first support members having connected thereto end regions of said first bumper unit and bumper mounts of said second support members having connected thereto end regions of said second bumper unit, c. pivot means for pivotally connecting said first support members to said first door and said secoNd support members to said second door, said pivot means including a first pair of brackets connected to said first door and a second pair of brackets connected to said second door, said first pair of brackets including transverse pivot pins for pivotally mounting said upper links of said first support members, said second pair of brackets including transverse pivot pins for pivotally mounting said upper links of said second support members, lower rear corners of said first pair of brackets preventing substantial rearward pivoting of said upper links of said first support members when said first door is closed, lower rear corners of said second pair of brackets preventing substantial rearward pivoting of said second support members when said second door is closed, and d. signal generating means for generating a signal when an obstacle is encountered by either of said first and second bumper units, thereby causing said bumper unit and said bumper mounts connected thereto to move inwardly toward said vehicle, said signal generating means including first electrical switches positioned on said brackets, adjacent to and forwardly of said upper ends of said upper links of said support members, forward pivoting of said upper links of said support members about said pivot pins relative to said brackets causing said first switches to be activated, said first switches thereafter limiting further forward pivotal movement of said upper links of said support members about said pivot pins relative to said brackets, and said spring elements flexing thereafter to allow misalignment of said upper and lower links and to thereby permit said bumper units and said bumper mounts to continue to move inwardly toward said vehicle, whereby damage to an obstruction encountered thereby may be avoided, said spring element otherwise maintaining said upper and lower links in substantial alignment, said signal generating means also including a second electrical switch positioned for activation when said vehicle is in said reverse gear and a third electrical switch positioned for actuation when said tilting bed is substantially fully lowered.

17. The combination of claim 16 wherein bumper mounts have upper rearward corners cut away to permit rearward pivoting of said bumper mounts relative to said lower links of said first and second support mounts, when said first and second doors are closed, and wherein, when said first and second doors are closed, upward forward corners of said bumper mounts prevent forward pivoting of said bumper mounts relative to said lower links beyond positions in which said bumper mounts and said lower links are in substantial alignment.

18. The combination of claim 16 wherein said bumper mounts include means for varying the distance between the uppermost of said plural bumper elements and said tilting bed.

19. The combination of claim 16 wherein said signal is generated by said signal generating means when any of said first switches are actuated simultaneously with the actuation of both said second and third switches.

20. The combination of claim 19 wherein said signal generated by said signal generating means causes said brakes of said vehicle to be applied.