Easy ejector seat with skeletal crash safety beam
First Claim
1. In a vehicle having a right and left side and substantially massive components, and having at least one fixed body member connected with substantial rigidity to substantially all of the substantially massive components of said vehicle, a vehicle structure having an operating position attained during normal driving conditions and an extended position attained at the time of passenger and operator access to the vehicle, said vehicle structure having a means to divert the impact energy in lateral impacts to be absorbed by said vehicle through the at least one fixed body member while releasing the passengers and operators each having mass, weight, left and right sides, a back and a bottom, to move independently of said vehicle, in a predetermined controlled fashion, in order to minimize injury to such operators and passengers.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An arrangement in passenger vehicles, that diverts the impact energy in lateral or side impacts away from the passengers to the remaining mass of the vehicle thereby protecting the passengers, and in the same arrangement provides utilitarian access to the vehicle, such utilitarian access making it possible to both install multi-element contoured surround seats for passengers and the driver, and also a safety device for head-on collision protection that obviates the need for conventional seat belts and front impact airbags. An indo-skeletal structural arrangement proposed for the vehicle, provides further benefits by targeting the strength of the vehicle to protect passengers while minimizing other massive elements in the vehicle.
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Citations
68 Claims
- 1. In a vehicle having a right and left side and substantially massive components, and having at least one fixed body member connected with substantial rigidity to substantially all of the substantially massive components of said vehicle, a vehicle structure having an operating position attained during normal driving conditions and an extended position attained at the time of passenger and operator access to the vehicle, said vehicle structure having a means to divert the impact energy in lateral impacts to be absorbed by said vehicle through the at least one fixed body member while releasing the passengers and operators each having mass, weight, left and right sides, a back and a bottom, to move independently of said vehicle, in a predetermined controlled fashion, in order to minimize injury to such operators and passengers.
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56. In a vehicle having a vehicle structure comprising a right and a left side an independantly ejectable mechanism for each of said passenger support mechanisms each of said passenger support mechanisms comprising side support elements for the passenger therein, wherein:
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a) said independently ejectable mechanisms for the passenger support mechanisms on the left side of the vehicle are mounted indirectly to fixed body members on the left side of said vehicle to allow said passenger support mechanisms on the left side of the vehicle to eject by one of;
sliding along a lateral axis to a position substantially outside and adjoining the vehicle;
rotating to face substantially outside the vehicle;
extending to face substantially outside the vehicle and moving outwards from the vehicle, to a position substantially adjoining the vehicle on the left side thereby allowing said passengers that ride on said passenger support mechanisms on the left side of said vehicle to egress and ingress from the left side of the vehicle by ejecting said independently ejectable mechanisms; and
b) said independently ejectable mechanisms for the passenger support mechanisms on the right side of the vehicle are mounted indirectly to fixed body members on the right side of said vehicle to allow said passenger support mechanisms on the right side of the vehicle to eject by one of;
sliding along a lateral axis to a position substantially outside but adjoining the vehicle;
rotating to face substantially outside the vehicle;
extending to face substantially outside the vehicle and moving outwards from the vehicle, to a position substantially adjoining the vehicle on the right side thereby allowing said passengers that ride on said passenger support mechanisms on the right side of said vehicle to egress and ingress from the right side of the vehicle by ejecting said independently ejectable mechanisms.- View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
a) pairs of safety beam lower elements comprising two members, a member of each pair on each of the left and right side of the vehicle, each member comprising a sliding surface, said safety beam lower elements being pivotally mounted on the fixed body members of the vehicle such that said pivotally mounted safety beam lower elements can move to and be locked into one of at least two possible inclinations from the center of the vehicle, wherein said sliding surface on each of said pivotally mounted safety beam lower elements assumes a predetermined inclination to facilitate sliding of slidably attached passenger support mechanisms, in the required direction;
b) energy storing devices including spring mechanisms indirectly attached to each of said ejectable passenger support mechanisms, that partially convert and store the potential energy of the passengers and said ejectable passenger support mechanisms moving under gravity;
c) passenger operable switching devices installed on both the inside and the outside of each of the sides of the vehicle immediately adjoining the outermost passenger support mechanisms on either side of said vehicle in positions such that said passenger operable switching devicess on the inside of each of said sides of vehicle is acessible to passengers in the outermost passenger support mechanisms and said passenger operable switching devices on the outside of said sides of vehicle are accessible to entering passengers outside the vehicle;
d) logic devices that utilize the presence of the weight of the passengers in each of said passenger support mechanisms, the status of passenger operable switching devices inside and outside the vehicle and the position of said ejectable passenger support mechanisms, to operate locking devices that lock said safety beam lower element to one of said predetermined inclinations and lock the passenger support mechanisms and attached devices when in the operating position.
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66. The vehicle structure of claim 56, further comprising a protector shield, pivotally attached to the outer ends of each of the left and the right safety beam lower elements, such that under normal operating conditions of the vehicle, said protector shield is approximately vertical, thereby protecting the passenger and the inside of the vehicle, but under prespecified conditions including the mounting and dismounting of passengers, said protector shield pivot down and outwards relative to said safety beam lower element to an approximately horizontal position, to provide an extension to the safety beam lower element for providing support for said ejectable passenger support mechanisms.
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67. A vehicle comprising a motor with the vehicle structure of claim 56, further comprising special locking devices that lock said safety beam upper elements and attached devices in the operating position, activated by switches that activate under prespecified conditions including the activation of the ignition for the vehicle motor.
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68. A method for providing side impact protection for passengers in a vehicle having an inertial mass, comprising:
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detecting the severity and timing of an impending impact;
establishing a measured deceleration zone;
deploying shock absorbing devices to extend across said deceleration zone;
decelerating the impacting object with said shock absorbing devices against the inertial mass of the vehicle while concurrently providing lateral support for passengers and guiding the passengers to slide away from the impact at a predetermined measured rate along a predetermined path lateral to the vehicle;
thereby protecting said passengers from crushing and impact injuries resulting from the collision. *impacting object at velocities below a predetermined maximum velocity and of impacting mass below a predetermined maximum mass;
c) shock absorbing devices that are normally retracted and attached to an element of the set consisting of the impacting object and said impacted body at one end of said deceleration zone and arranged to be deployed by said proactive impact detectors when an impact event is detected, at which time said shock absorbing devices are extended across the free space of said deceleration zone to the opposite end of said deceleration zone relative to the position of said shock absorbing devices prior to deployment, said extension occurring immediately prior to the impacting body entering said deceleration zone, such that said impacting body makes contact with the substantially fully deployed shock absorbing devices on entering the deceleration zone and whereby the impacting body is subsequently decelerated by said shock absorbing devices as it traverses said deceleration zone.
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Specification