Hinged arm retainer arrangement

• US 8,081,067 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Specialty Manufacturing Inc. (Safe Fleet Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Specialty Manufacturing Inc. (Safe Fleet Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Vidri, Paul I., Wolf, Kevin L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Point, Rufus
• Application Number:
  US12/861,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20100315222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 340/433, 340/434, 340/572.8, 340/3.22, 116/46
• US Class Current: 340/433
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2692 retractable lights retractable headlights B60Q1/05
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 7/22 for rotatably or swingably mounting, e.g. for boards adapted to be rotated by the wind

Abstract

A retainer arrangement that includes a retainer for retaining a hinged arm on a vehicle in a stored position positively so that the hinged arm does not move away from the vehicle unintentionally. The arrangements may be used in connection with a hinged stop arm that is attached to the side of a school bus that is deployed when the school bus stops to pick-up or drop off passengers.

Claims

1. A retainer arrangement for a school bus having a hinged arm that is hinged on an actuator assembly mounted to the school bus, has a hinged end and an oppositely disposed free end, and pivots between a stored position adjacent the school bus to a deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus, the retainer arrangement being attachable to the school bus for retaining the hinged arm in the stored position positively, and comprising a retainer housing being attachable to the school bus in a location adjacent an outer edge of the hinged arm at the free end thereof diametrically opposite of the hinged arm actuator assembly and carrying an electric servo motor, and a lock member that is coupled to the servo motor, and that moves between a lock position overlying the outer edge of the hinged arm and retaining the hinged arm in the stored position and a release position that frees the outer edge of the hinged arm, allowing the hinged arm to pivot outwardly.

2. The retainer arrangement of claim 1 wherein the hinged arm is retained between the lock member and a portion of the housing in the stored position.

3. The retainer arrangement of claim 1 wherein the lock member is a lock arm that is rotated between the lock position and the release position by the electric servo motor.

5. The retainer arrangement of claim 1 wherein the hinged arm moves from the deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus to the stored position adjacent the school bus and, after a time delay, the lock member moves to the lock position.

4. A retainer arrangement for a school bus having a hinged arm that is hinged on an actuator assembly mounted to the school bus, has a hinged end and an oppositely disposed free end, and pivots between a stored position adjacent the school bus to a deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus, the retainer arrangement being attachable to the school bus for retaining the hinged arm in the stored position positively, and comprising a retainer housing attachable to the school bus in a location adjacent an outer edge of the hinged arm at the free end thereof diametrically opposite of the hinged arm actuator assembly and a lock member that moves between a lock position overlying the outer edge of the hinged arm and retaining the hinged arm in the stored position and a release position that frees the outer edge of the hinged arm, allowing the hinged arm to pivot outwardly wherein the lock member is a spring biased lock pin of a solenoid that is moved linearly between the lock position and the release position.

6. The retainer arrangement of claim 4 wherein the hinged arm moves from the deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus to the stored position adjacent the school bus and, after a time delay, the lock member moves to the lock position.

7. The retainer arrangement of claim 4 wherein the hinged arm is retained between the lock member and a portion of the housing in the stored position.

8. A retainer arrangement for a school bus having a hinged arm having a hinged end and an oppositely disposed free end, a hinged arm actuator assembly mounted to the school bus and including a bidirectional electric motor operatively connected to the hinged arm for pivoting the hinged arm between a stored position adjacent the school bus and a deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus, and a motor control module for controlling the bidirectional electric motor, the retainer arrangement comprising a retainer housing being attachable to the school bus in a location adjacent an outer edge of the hinged arm diametrically opposite of the hinged arm actuator assembly for retaining the hinged arm in the stored position positively and comprising a second control module that is operatively connected to the motor control module, the retainer arrangement having a retainer motor operatively connected to the second control module, and a lock member that is moved by the retainer motor between a lock position retaining the hinged arm in the stored position and a release position that frees the outer edge of the hinged arm, allowing the hinged arm to be pivoted outwardly by the motor, the lock member overlapping the outer edge of the hinged arm at the free end thereof when the lock member is in the lock position.

9. The retainer arrangement of claim 8, wherein the hinged arm is retained between the lock member and a portion of the retainer housing in the stored position.

10. A retainer arrangement for a school bus having a hinged arm, a hinged arm actuator assembly including a bidirectional electric motor operatively connected to the hinged arm for pivoting the hinged arm between a stored position adjacent the school bus and a deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus, and a motor control module for controlling the bidirectional electric motor, the retainer arrangement comprising a retainer housing being attachable to the school bus in a location adjacent an outer edge of the hinged arm opposite of the hinged arm actuator assembly for retaining the hinged arm in the stored position positively and comprising a second control module that is operatively connected to the motor control module, the retainer arrangement having a retainer motor operatively connected to the second control module, and a lock member that is moved by the retainer motor between a lock position retaining the hinged arm in the stored position and a release position allowing the hinged arm to be pivoted outwardly by the motor, the lock member overlapping the outer edge of the hinged arm when the lock member is in the lock position, wherein the second control module includes a first time delay after the lock member moves to the release position and before the arm pivots from the stored position to the deployed position and a second time delay after the arm pivots from the deployed position to the stored position and before lock member moves to the lock position.

11. The retainer arrangement of claim 10 wherein the retainer motor is a bidirectional electric motor and the lock member is a lock arm that is rotated between the lock position and the release position by the bidirectional electric motor.

12. The arrangement of claim 10 wherein the retainer motor is a solenoid and the lock member is a spring biased lock pin that is moved linearly between the lock position and the release position by the solenoid.

13. A retainer arrangement for a school bus having a hinged arm that is hinged on an actuator assembly mounted to the school bus, has a hinged end and an oppositely disposed free end, and pivots between a stored position adjacent the school bus to a deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus, the retainer arrangement being attachable to the school bus for retaining the hinged arm in the stored position positively, and comprising a retainer housing being attachable to the school bus and carrying at least one of a solenoid or a servo motor, and a lock member that is coupled to the at least one of the solenoid or the servo motor and that moves between a lock position overlying the outer edge of the hinged arm at the free end thereof and retaining the hinged arm in the stored position between the lock member and a portion of the housing and a release position that frees the outer edge of the hinged arm, allowing the hinged arm to pivot outwardly, wherein the retainer housing is attachable to the school bus in a location adjacent an outer edge of the hinged arm diametrically opposite of the hinged arm actuator assembly and the lock member overlies the outer edge of the hinged arm in the lock position.

14. The retainer arrangement of claim 13 further comprising an elastomeric stop pad carried by the housing to engage the hinged arm in the stored position.

15. The retainer arrangement of claim 13 wherein the hinged arm moves from the deployed position extending outwardly of the school bus to the stored position adjacent the school bus and, after a time delay, the lock member moves to the lock position.

16. The retainer arrangement of claim 13, wherein the hinged arm is retained between the lock member and a portion of the retainer housing in the stored position.