GB2266612A

GB2266612A - Vehicle safety system

Info

Publication number: GB2266612A
Application number: GB9305563A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Roland Story
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-04-30
Filing date: 1993-03-18
Publication date: 1993-11-03
Also published as: GB9209378D0; GB9305563D0

Abstract

Electrical contacts are incorporated in bumper strips 11 and 12 and side protective strips 13 to 16 so that in the event of collision the contacts or switches within the bumper strip and side strips will be operated to operate relays such as 20 and 25 which in turn disconnect the fuel pump and the vehicle battery. If the fuel pump is electrical, the electric circuit to the fuel pump is interrupted, but if a mechanical fuel pump is used, then it is sufficient to disconnect the battery which causes the engine to stop and thus causes the fuel pump to stop supplying the fuel. The invention may be incorporated in motor vehicles of all kinds including cars and boats. <IMAGE>

Description

VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM This invention relates to a safety system for vehicles and is particularly relevant to motor vehicles.

Collisions between motor vehicles and accidents in which a motor vehicle runs into a stationary structure, often result in the vehicle catching on fire either due to leaking fuel being ignited or due to electrical fires resulting from the collision or accident.

It is often this fire which results in people being injured or killed rather than the actual collision or accident itself.

An object of the present invention is to provide a system for incorporation into a vehicle which will substantially prevent such fires occurring.

In accordance with the present invention, a vehicle safety system comprises means responsive to a collision between a vehicle and another vehicle or object, said means being operative to cut off automatically the vehicle fuel supply and/or the electrical supply from the vehicle battery.

The cut off means may comprise electrical contact devices running around the periphery of the vehicle and so arranged that a collision or other accident will result in the contact devices completing an electric circuit which will cause a relay to operate to stop the fuel pump operating and/or isolate the vehicle battery.

The contact devices may be switches or parallel wires contained in the vehicle bumpers and in protective strips running along the sides of the vehicle. The contacts or switches may, for example, be contained in rubber membranes running along the bumpers and along the lower portions of the vehicle sides. The safety system may be incorporated in motor vehicles such as a motor car or van or may be incorporated in a motor boat by having a strip running all round the outer periphery of the boat at around water level or just above where collision with other boats may occur.

In the accompanying single figure of the drawings, a vehicle is schematically illustrated incorporating the safety system of this invention In the drawing, the outline of a motor car is shown as a dotted line 10 and the operating means is incorporated in bumper strips 11 and 12 and inside protective strips 13, 14, 15 and 16. These bumper strips and side strips may contain pairs of wires or may contain a series of switches which, through connecting wires such as 17, 18, 19 etc., are joined to a relay 20. If the fuel pump is of the electrical variety, the relay 20 may be connected to the fuel pump 9 through a wire 21 so that if the relay is operated, the fuel pump is shut off.

The relay will also have a connection 22 to a fuse box 23 from which a wire runs at 24 to a second relay 25 connected to the battery of the vehicle 26. The second relay 25 is also connected via wire 27 to the relay 20. The relay 25 will disconnect the main battery line so that the battery no longer operates any of the vehicle components and thus if there is any danger of a short circuit or over-heating, this will not occur because the battery has been disconnected.

In use in a vehicle, the fuel pump and the battery may be disconnected, but if the fuel pump is of a mechanical type, then the battery being disconnected will automatically cause the engine to stop which in turn will prevent operation of the fuel pump.

The side protective strips may be held in place via metal trim holders and may contain a series of rubber membrane-like switches as may the bumpers. Alternatively, the strips may be secured on the surface of the bumpers and on the sides of the vehicle in other ways.

The relays are preferably quick reacting 12 volt DC relays with relay contacts in the normally closed position. Thus the relay contacts could be employed to keep the fuel pump circuit closed at all times when the ignition is on. A separate pair of normally closed contacts will keep the battery connected to all circuits normally, but once the contacts open the battery will be disconnected and the fuel pump will be halted whether it is electrical or mechanical. By arranging the bumper strips and side protective strips around substantially the whole of the vehicle periphery, any collision is likely to operate one or other of the contacts or switches included in those strips in the event of collision, thus cutting off both the battery and fuel pump immediately and avoiding any risk of fire.

A driver's over-ride switch rut be included in the circuit to enable the driver to reinstate operation of the battery and fuel pump. This may be employed, for example, when the vehicule has a slight impact with another vehicle and the driver wishes to continue driving to a safe position before stopping the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety system comprising means responsive to a collision between the vehicle and another vehicle or object and operative to automatically cut off the vehicle fuel supply and/or the electrical supply from the vehicle battery.

2. A system according to Claim 1 and in which said means comprises electric contact devices running around the periphery of the vehicle and so arranged that a collision will result in the contact devices completing an electric circuit which will cause a relay to operate to stop the fuel pump and/or isolate the vehicle battery.

3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 and in which the contact devices are switches or parallel wires contained in the vehicle bumpers and in protective strips running along the sides of the vehicle.

4. A system according to Claim 3 and in which the contacts or switches are contained in rubber membranes running along the bumpers and along the lower portions of the sides of the vehicle.

5. A system according to any preceding claim incorporated in a motor car or in a motor boat.

6. A vehicle safety system substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.