System of devices for emergency opening of vehicle doors

• US 7,327,232 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nowak Innovations Sp. z o.o.
• Original Assignee: NOWAK WIESŁAW Przedsiębiorstwo Innowacyjno-Wdrożeniowo-Handlowe
• Inventors: Nowak, Wieslaw, Nowak, Zygmunt, Nowak, Janusz
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/102,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.28, 340/436, 180/281, 180/282, 180/286, 180/289, 280/735
• US Class Current: 340/426.28
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 51/023 actuated in response to external pressure, blast or explosion E05B65/102 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/422 for opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/448 Fluid motors; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/252 the elements functioning only in case of emergency
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/50 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/538 Interior lids
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/19 Pyrotechnical actuators
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 3/006 Explosive bolts; Explosive actuators explosive valves F16K13/06; explosive cutting B23D15/145; explosive switches H01H39/00; pyrotechnical actuators F15B15/19
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1075 Operating means

Abstract

A system for emergency opening of vehicle doors, especially to open from inside the door(s) blocked or jammed during a traffic accident, consisting of pneumatic servomotor or servomotors (1) as the door-opening executing element. The servomotor (1) supplied from pyrotechnical charge/cartridge (2) or pyrotechnical charges or cartridges (2) and (3), through the firing unit (8) controlled by a set of sensors (5), (6), and (7), of the first firing stage or by pressure sensor (9) of the second stage of firing, whereas the servomotor emptying is executed by an electrovalve (10).

Claims

1. A system of devices for emergency opening of vehicle doors, especially to open from inside the door(s) blocked or jammed following a traffic accident, including means for vehicle door displacement to opened position, with simultaneous unlocking of vehicle-door locking unit, wherein a door opening executing element of said system is a pneumatic servomotor (1) supplied with pressure from at least two pyrotechnical charges or cartridges (2) and (3), whereas an electrical signal for blowing up the first pyrotechnical cartridge (2), is given by an electric circuit of sensors (4), consisting of consecutively activated:

crush sensor (5), shock or acceleration sensor (6), and tilt sensor (7), sending a signal to electronic cartridge-blowing unit (8) controlling the process of blowing up a pyrotechnical charge or cartridge (2), whereas the necessity to blow up a subsequent pyrotechnical cartridge (3) and any further cartridges is controlled by a sensor (9) of pressure inside the pneumatic servomotor (1), whereas a blowup time interval is govemed by an electronic cartridge-blowing unit (8), whereas the retraction of the rod of the pneumatic-servomotor (1) to its original position is executed by an electrovalve (10), which receives the electric signal from either a pressure sensor (9) or a displacement sensor, temperature sensor or time relay, depending on the sequence of events causing the respective signalization by these control sensors additionally mounted in the vehicle.

3. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic servomotors (1) are located at minimum two vehicle doors (15) situated on opposite sides of said vehicle.

4. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is located at one selected vehicle door (15), whereas the necessity to blow up its pyrotechnic charge or cartridge (2) or pyrotechnic cartridges (2) and (3) is signalized by two sensors activated consecutively one after another, wherein the two sensors are represented by a crush sensor (5) and a shock or acceleration sensor (6).

5. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is a small-size telescopic servomotor with several concentric cylinders.

6. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is a gas bellows or gas container.

7. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, having an electric power supply unit (11) controlling the regular power supply from main DC battery (12) and the emergency power supply from small-size DC battery (13), additionally charged by the main battery (12).

8. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors (5), (6) and (7) constitute the electric circuit of sensors (4) or are individual sensors used in other vehicle safety systems.

9. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic servomotor or pneumatic servomotors (1) are, provided with a self-adjusting element (14) on the side of the opened door (15), said element being adapted to release the mechanical interlock of the lock of the door (15) or to actuate the door-lock opening mechanism, as well as being adjusted to the shape of the surface of the door (15) contacted by the extendable rod of said pneumatic servomotor (1).

10. A system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic servomotor or pneumatic servomotors (1) are located inside strengthened elements (16) of the vehicle body, preferably in door posts, vehicle sills or doors.

11. The system of devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein the other vehicle safety systems are a safety airbag or a seatbelt pre-tensioner.

2. A system of devices for emergency opening of vehicle doors, especially to open from inside the door(s) blocked or jammed following a traffic accident, including means for vehicle door displacement to open position, with simultaneous unlocking of vehicle-door locking unit, wherein a door opening executing element of said system is a pneumatic servomotor (1) supplied with pressure from one pyrotechnical charge or cartridge (2), whereas an electrical signal for its blowing up is given by an electric circuit of sensors (4), consisting of consecutively activated:

crush sensor (5), shock or acceleration sensor (6), and tilt sensor (7), sending a signal to electronic cartridge-blowing unit (8) controlling the process of blowing up the pyrotechnical charge or cartridge (2), whereas the retraction of the rod of the pneumatic-servomotor (1) to its original position is executed by an electrovalve (10), which receives the electric signal from either a pressure sensor (9) or a displacement sensor, temperature sensor or time relay, depending on the sequence of events causing the respective signalization by these control sensors additionally mounted in the vehicle.

12. An apparatus for emergency opening of vehicle doors comprising

a first pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3);

a second pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3);

a pneumatic servomotor (1) connected to the first pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3) and to the second pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3) and supplied with pressure from the first pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3) and to the second pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3) and serving as a door opening executing element of said apparatus;

a crush sensor (5);

a shock or acceleration sensor (6);

a tilt sensor (7), wherein the crush sensor (5), the shock or acceleration sensor (6), and the tilt sensor (7) form an electric circuit of sensors (4) for giving an electrical signal for blowing up the first pyrotechnical charge or cartridge (2), and wherein the crush sensor (5), the shock or acceleration sensor (6), and the tilt sensor (7) are consecutively activated;

an electronic cartridge-blowing unit (8) controlling the process of blowing up the first pyrotechnical charge or cartridge (2),

wherein the electric circuit of sensors (4) is connected to and sends a signal to the electronic cartridge-blowing unit (8);

a pressure sensor (9) disposed inside the pneumatic servomotor (1) and controlling a necessity to blow up the second pyrotechnical charge (2) or cartridge (3), wherein a blowup time interval is gloved by the electronic cartridge-blowing unit (8);

an extendable rod furnished at the pneumatic servomotor (1) and having an original position;

an electrovalve (10), wherein a retraction of the extendable rod of the pneumatic-servomotor (1) to its original position is executed by the electrovalve (10), which receives the electric signal from either the pressure sensor (9) or a control sensor additionally mounted in the vehicle and furnished by a displacement sensor, a temperature sensor or a time relay, depending on a sequence of events causing a respective signalization by the pressure sensor (9) or the control sensor;

wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) opens from inside the vehicle door(s) blocked or jammed following a traffic accident and displaces the vehicle door to an opened position, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is to be connected to a vehicle-door locking unit for a simultaneous unlocking of the vehicle-door locking unit.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 further comprising

a second pneumatic servomotor (1), wherein the first and second pneumatic servomotor (1) are located at a first and a second vehicle door (15) situated on opposite sides of said vehicle.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is located at one selected vehicle door (15), whereas the necessity to blow up the first pyrotechnic charge or cartridge (2) or second pyrotechnic cartridge (2) and (3) is signalized by the crush sensor (5) and shock or acceleration sensor (6) activated consecutively one after another.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is a small-size telescopic servomotor with several concentric cylinders.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is a gas bellows or gas container.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 further comprising an electric power supply unit (11) connected to the electric circuit of sensors for controlling a regular power supply from a main DC battery (12) and an emergency power supply from a small-size DC battery (13), additionally charged by the main DC battery (12).

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the crush sensor (5), the shock or acceleration sensor (6), and the tilt sensor (7) are individual sensors used in a safety airbag or a seatbelt pretensioner.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising

a self-adjusting element (14) associated with the pneumatic servomotor (1) and disposed on a side of an opened door (15), said self-adjusting element being adapted to release a mechanical interlock of a lock of a door (15) or to actuate a door-lock opening mechanism, as well as being adjusted to a shape of a surface of the door (15) contacted by the extendable rod of said pneumatic servomotor (1).

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pneumatic servomotor (1) is located inside strengthened elements (16) of the vehicle body, or in door posts, vehicle sills or doors.