Vehicle rail crush control system and method

• US 6,019,419 A
• Filed: 12/19/1997
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Jones, Gary Lee, Browne, Alan Lampe
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H.
• Application Number:
  US08/994,508
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 296/188, 296/189, 293/133, 188/371, 188/374, 188/375, 188/377, 180/274, 280/784
• US Class Current: 296/187.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/007 Means for adjusting or regulating the crash absorption capacity of the vehicle, e.g. when detecting an impending collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/152 Front or rear frames

Abstract

A crush control system for controlling the crush of spaced vehicle side composite structural rails in the event of either a full frontal impact or an offset frontal impact includes a crush controller for each side rail. An actuator is provided to move crush initiators between an inoperative position, which will cause an uncontrolled crush of the rail, and a deployed operative position, which will cause a controlled crush of the rail at half the crush force as an uncontrolled crush. In one embodiment each crush controller is normally inoperative and is controlled by a sensor for each located on the opposite side of the vehicle to become operative when the sensor is impacted. The crush initiators may take the form of a radiused wedge or a knife cutter, and the actuator maintains the crush initiators in deployed position to sustain the controlled crush. In another embodiment sensors on both sides control each crush controller which is normally operative, with a circuit logic to cause a crush controller to become inoperative in an offset frontal impact on the same side of the vehicle, while maintaining a crush controller operative in the event of a full frontal impact.

Claims

1. A vehicle subject to full frontal and offset frontal impacts and having a pair of spaced hollow longitudinal composite side frame rails each having a peripheral wall, characterized by a crush control system for controlling the crush force of each rail as a function of the type of vehicle impact, comprising

a crush controller normally spaced from the front end of each rail including a body insertable into the rail, a plurality of crush initiators having an inoperative retracted position and an operative deployed position for initiating controlled crushing of the frame wall upon vehicle impact at a reduced force level, and an actuator operable to move the crush initiators between positions, and

an impact sensor for each side of the vehicle and associated with only the actuator on the opposite side of the vehicle and operable when sensing a vehicle impact on the side of the vehicle having that impact sensor to operate its associated actuator on the opposite side of the vehicle to move the crush initiator between positions.

2. The crush control system of claim 1, wherein the crush initiators are normally in the operative position, and the impact sensor is operable to operate its actuator to deploy the crush initiator to inoperative position.

3. The crush control system of claim 1, wherein the crush initiators are normally in the inoperative position, and the impact sensor is operable to operate its actuator to deploy the crush initiator to operative position.

4. The crush control system of claim 3, further characterized by the crush initiators comprising a plurality of spaced knife members pivotally mounted on the body in a position normally inwardly of the body in inoperative position and pivotable outwardly of the body to operative position by the actuator.

5. The crush control system of claim 4, further characterized by the mounting means being engageable by vehicle structure upon impact to maintain the knife members in operative position throughout duration of crushing.

6. The crush control system of claim 3, further characterized by the crush initiators comprising a plurality of circumferentially-spaced wedge members, and mounting means normally mounting the wedge members inwardly of the body in inoperative position for movement radially outwardly of the body to operative position by the actuator.

7. The crush control system of claim 6, further characterized by the mounting means being engageable by vehicle structure upon impact to maintain the wedge members in operative position throughout the duration of crushing.