AU2011201668A1 - A roll over protection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

-10 A roll over protection structure (ROPS) 12 includes a skid plate 18. The skid plate 18 has a smooth skid surface 28 against which an airbag can ride when deploying. The skid plate 18 prevents the airbag from rubbing or catching on foam padding 16.1, 16.2 when deploying.

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "A ROLL OVER PROTECTION STRUCTURE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: TITLE A ROLL OVER PROTECTION STRUCTURE 5 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a roll over protection structure (ROPS) and to a method of minimising drag caused by the ROPS on a side curtain airbag during deployment of the airbag. 10 BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Vehicles are commonly fitted with side curtain airbags to protect occupants in the event of a side impact or rollover of the vehicle. Side curtain airbags are generally configured to provide a protective curtain between the heads of the occupants and the inside door areas of the 15 vehicle. It is necessary for the airbags to deploy as quickly as possible in order to provide the protective curtain before the occupants' heads impact the inside door areas. Deployment times are in the order of 20ms to 30ms. Delays during deployment are a serious safety concern. Vehicles may be also be fitted with internal ROPS to further 20 enhance the safety provided to the occupants during a roll over. This is especially so for vehicles used in environments where high standards of Workplace Health and Safety must be met, such as the mining industry. The internal ROPS may interfere with the deployment of the side curtain airbags. Internal ROPS include impact absorbing foam padding which can 25 have a coarse texture or pattern formed therein. Contact between the airbags and the padding of the ROPS during deployment of the airbags retard the deployment due to friction between the foam and the airbags or catching of the airbags on the foam. For this reason, parts of the ROPS which is in an area into which the airbags deploy is spaced from the inside 30 of the vehicle to leave an adequate gap into which the airbags can be deployed without undue interference from the ROPS. The ROPS, however, provides better protection the closer it sits to the inside of the -2 vehicle. It is also not practical to space the ROPS too far from the inside of the vehicle. The curtain airbag and the ROPS are two independent safety systems for a vehicle, but which interfere with each other. 5 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the above problems and/or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice. 10 It is a further object of the invention to provide a ROPS which does not unduly interfere with the deployment of airbags. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The applicant identified minimization of friction or catching between 15 a deploying airbag and the ROPS as a solution so that the ROPS may be spaced as close as possible to the inside of the vehicle without unduly affecting the deployment time of the airbag. In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in a roll over protection structure (ROPS) 20 mountable in a vehicle, the ROPS including a skid plate against which an airbag can ride when deploying. The ROPS preferably includes foam padding and the skid plate is located at a position relative to the foam padding to minimize or eliminate rub or catching of the airbag on the foam padding. 25 The skid plate preferably has a skid surface against which the deploying airbag rides, wherein the skid surface is relatively smoother than a surface of the foam padding. Specifically, the skid surface provides for less friction between the ROPS and a deploying airbag than the surface of the foam padding would have provided had it not been covered 30 by the skid plate. The skid surface is flat planar to prevent any catching of the airbag.

-3 The ROPS preferably includes a mounting system for mounting the skid plate relative to the foam padding. The mounting system may include holes in the skid plate through which cable ties or the like are receivable. The skid plate preferably has one or more grooves in the skid 5 surface which extend between holes in the skid plate, wherein the grooves are dimensioned to receive part of the cable ties or the like, substantially flush with the skid surface. The ROPS preferably includes a roll bar to which the skid plate is fixed by the cable ties or the like and to which the foam padding is fitted. 10 The invention extends to a skid plate as defined and described hereinabove. In another form, the resides in a method of minimizing friction between a deploying airbag of a vehicle and a ROPS mounted in the vehicle, the method including locating a skid plate of the ROPS between 15 the deploying airbag and the foam padding of the ROPS. The method preferably includes fixing the skid plate relative to the foam padding. The skid plate is preferably the skid plate of the ROPS defined and described hereinabove. 20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To assist in understanding the invention and to enable a person skilled in the art to put the invention into practical effect, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 25 FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic exploded view of a section of a ROPS in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a skid plate of the ROPS of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows another diagrammatic perspective view of the skid 30 plate of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic end view of the skid plate of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic assembled view of the ROPS of FIG.

-4 1; FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic side view of the ROPS of FIG. 1 and a side curtain airbag deployed against the ROPS; and FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the ROPS of FIG. 1, mounted in 5 a vehicle with a side curtain airbag deployed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In this patent specification, adjectives such as first and second, left and right, top and bottom, etc., are used solely to define one element or 10 method step from another element or method step without necessarily requiring a specific relative position or sequence that is described by the adjectives. Words such as "comprises" or "includes" are not used to define an exclusive set of elements or method steps. Rather, such words merely define a minimum set of elements or method steps included in a 15 particular embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts. Referring to FIG. 1, a section of a ROPS 12, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, is shown. The ROPS 12 includes a roll bar 14, foam padding 16.1 and 16.2, a skid plate 18 and a mounting 20 system in the form of two cable ties 20. The roll bar 14 has a vertical section and a bend. The roll bar 14 is of round steel tubing. The foam padding 16.1 is configured to fit to the bend of the roll bar 14. The foam padding 16.1 has a segmented pattern impact surface 22 on 25 one side and a channel 24 formed at an opposite side. The roll bar 14 is received in the channel 24 when fitting the foam padding 16.1 to the roll bar 14. The pattern of the impact surface 22 allows for bending of the foam padding 16.1. The pattern of the impact surface 22 also introduces slits in the foam padding 16.1 on which a deploying airbag can catch. The 30 foam padding 16.2 has a smooth impact surface 23 on one side and a channel 25 formed at an opposite side. The channel 25 is the same as the channel 24 of the foam padding 16.1 and receives the roll bar 14 when -5 fitting the foam padding 16.2 to the roll bar 14. The foam padding 16.2 is fitted to the vertical section of the roll bar 14. The skid plate 18 is generally rectangular having a rear side 32 and a front side 34. The skid plate 18 is of plastics material. The skid plate 18 5 has a padding receiving channel 26 in the rear side 32 and a skid surface 28 at the front side 34. The skid surface 28 is generally planar and smooth. Benefit has been found from using material with a smooth high gloss finish. The skid surface 28 is relatively smoother than the foam padding 16.1 and 16.2. The skid surface 28 is flat planar. 10 The skid plate 18 is discussed more specifically with reference to FIG's 2 to 4. Two grooves 30 are formed in the skid surface 28. The grooves 30 are dimensioned and configured to receive part of the cable ties 20 relatively flush with the skid surface 28. Two holes 36 extend from each groove 30 to the channel 26. The receiving channel 26 is defined by 15 a floor 40 and sidewalls 42 at the rear side 34 of the skid plate 18. The floor 40 slopes from the base of the sidewalls 42 to a longitudinal depression 44 in which part of the roll bar 14 is received when the ROPS 12 is assembled. FIG. 5 shows the ROPS 12 assembled. The skid plate 18 is 20 mounted to the roll bar 14 by the cable ties 20. The cable ties 20 extend through the holes 36 in the skid plate 18 and around the roll bar 14. Part of the cable ties 20 are received in the grooves 30 in the skid plate 18. The cable ties 20 sit substantially flush in the grooves 30 to prevent a deploying airbag from catching on the cable ties 20. The foam padding 25 16.1 and 16.2 is fitted to the roll bar 14. Part of the foam padding 16.1 and 16.2 is received in the receiving channel 26 of the skid plate 18, between the sidewalls 42. The foam padding 16.1, 16.2 may be glued to the skid plate 18. The skid plate 18 is in the from of a shroud located between a 30 deploying side-curtain airbag 50 and the foam padding 16.1 and 16.2, as shown in FIG. 6. The airbag 50 contacts the skid surface 28 of the ROPS 12 as it is deployed instead of the foam padding 16.1 or 16.2. The airbag -6 50 rides along the skid surface 28 of the skid plate 18 as it deploys. The skid surface 28 is smoother than the foam padding 16.1, 16.2 and has no edges or slits to catch, so that the ROPS 12 provides for less friction between the deploying airbag 50 and the ROPS 12 than the surface of the 5 foam padding 16.1, 16.2 would have imparted had it not been covered by the skid plate 18. The skid plate 18 prevents the deploying airbag 50 from catching on any edges or slits of the foam padding 16.1, 16.2. The skid plate 18 minimises drag between the ROPS 12 and the airbag 50. Retardation of deployment of the airbag 50 is sufficiently minimized and 10 catching eliminated to not be a concern for the effective deployment of the airbag 50. FIG 7 shows a ROPS mounted in a vehicle 54, including the ROPS 12 described with reference to FIG's 1 to 6. Skid plates 18 are located adjacent both B-pillars 52 of the vehicle 54. The airbag 50 is shown 15 deployed against one of the skid plates 18. The airbag 50 deploys from a headliner 56 of the vehicle 54. The skid plate 18 of the ROPS 12 of the present invention provides for the ROPS 12 to be installed relatively close to the inside door and window areas of the vehicle 12, without undue retardation of deployment 20 of the airbag 50. Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Persons skilled in the relevant art may realize variations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fall within 25 the scope of the invention. For example, although the skid plate has been described as having a substantially flat skid surface, the skid plate may be of any configuration and similarly have a skid surface of any shape, such as V-shaped or semi-circular shaped.

Claims (19)

1. A roll over protection structure (ROPS) mountable in a vehicle, the ROPS including a skid plate having a skid surface against which an airbag can ride when deploying.

2. The ROPS of claim 1, wherein the ROPS includes foam padding and the skid plate is located at a position relative to the foam padding to minimize or eliminate contact between the airbag and the foam padding.

3. The ROPS of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the skid surface is relatively smoother than a surface of the foam padding.

4. The ROPS of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the skid surface is substantially flat.

5. The ROPS of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ROPS includes a mounting system for mounting the skid plate relative to the foam padding.

6. The ROPS of claim 5, wherein the mounting system includes holes in the skid plate through which cable ties or the like are receivable.

7. The ROPS of claim 6, wherein the skid plate has one or more grooves in the skid surface which extend between the holes in the skid plate.

8. The ROPS of claim 7, wherein the grooves are dimensioned to receive part of the cable ties or the like, substantially flush with the skid surface.

9. The ROPS of any one of clams 5 to 8, wherein the ROPS includes a roll bar to which the skid plate is fixed by the cable ties or the like and to which -8 the foam padding is fitted.

10. A skid plate for a roll over protection structure (ROPS), the skid plate having a skid surface against which an airbag can ride when deploying; and wherein the skid plate is adapted for mounting to part of the ROPS.

11. The skid plate of claim 10, wherein the skid surface is substantially flat.

12. The skid plate of claim 10 or claim 11, the skid plate has a channel at a side opposite to the skid surface.

13. The skid plate of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the skid plate includes holes in the skid plate through which cable ties or the like are receivable.

14. The skid plate of claim 13, wherein the skid plate has one or more grooves in the skid surface which extend between the holes in the skid plate.

15. The skid plate of claim 14, wherein the grooves are dimensioned to receive part of the cable ties or the like, substantially flush with the skid surface.

16. A method of minimizing friction between a deploying airbag of a vehicle and a roll over protection structure (ROPS) mounted in the vehicle, the method including locating a skid plate of the ROPS between the deploying airbag and foam padding of the ROPS.

17. The method of claim 16 including fixing the skid plate relative to the foam padding with cable ties or the like.

18. The roll over protection structure (ROPS) substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. -9

19. The skid plate for a roll over protection structure substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.