GB2361752A

GB2361752A - A combined mat and chock for aiding parking of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2361752A
Application number: GB0009832A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gary Denham
Original assignee: PRODUCT POWER Ltd
Current assignee: PRODUCT POWER Ltd
Priority date: 2000-04-25
Filing date: 2000-04-25
Publication date: 2001-10-31
Also published as: GB0009832D0

Abstract

A parking aid is disclosed for enabling a vehicle to be parked at a desired predetermined distance from a hazard. The parking aid comprises a mat having sufficient width to underlie simultaneously the two front wheels of the vehicle and an abutment surface extending upwards from one end of the mat to obstruct the advance of at least one of the wheels of the vehicle when driven on to the mat. By suitably locating the mat in relation to the hazard, the vehicle is brought to rest at the desired predetermined distance from the hazard by the chocking of the vehicle wheels by the abutment surface. The mat is provided with an inset oil drip tray 14.

Description

2361752 Parking Aid This invention relates to the parking of automotive

vehicles, and more specifically to accurate positioning of a 5 vehicle when parking close to a stationary object.

Parking incidents regularly occur when vehicle operators have to position vehicles very close to fixed objects or buildings. This is more often the case when space is at a premium and so efficient parking must be employed.

The problem of damaging vehicles when colliding with obstacles in this way is common and to avoid this problem more expensive vehicles are sometimes provided with bumper mounted sonar or radar equipment.

Many garages are of just sufficient length to allow parking of a vehicle, forcing the driver to position the vehicle as close to the back wall as possible so that the garage door may shut. Such circumstances are responsible for many minor collisions. There is therefore the need to provide an inexpensive method of avoiding such obstacles.20 when parking.

To assist in parking a vehicle near to a wall, it has been proposed to provided an electronic switch activated by a pendulum positioned such that as the vehicle approaches, it slowly contacts the pendulum (not damaging the vehicle) which then activates the switch and turns on a warning S ignal to alert the driver.

According to the present invention, there is provided a parking aid for enabling a vehicle to be parked at a desired predetermined distance from a hazard, comprising a mat having sufficient width to underlie simultaneously two wheels of the vehicle and an abutment surface extending upwards from one end of the mat to obstruct the advance of at least one of the wheels of the vehicle when driven on to the mat, whereby when the mat is suitably located in relation to the hazard, the vehicle is brought to rest at the desired predetermined distance from the hazard by the chocking of the vehicle wheels by the abutment surface.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention, in which a single abutment surface is provided for chocking both leading wheels, Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention in which two separate abutments are provided for chocking the two respective leading wheels, Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention in which single abutment is provided for the chocking only one of the leading wheels and additionally including an oil tray, Figure 4 shows a cross section through an abutment of an alternative embodiment of the invention, and Figure 5 is a section along the line V-V in Figure 3.

Figure 1 shows a parking aid comprising a mat 10 which is preferably light and flexible. The upper and lower surfaces of the mat 10 have a high coefficient of friction so that when a vehicle is driven onto the mat, the tyres do not slip on the mat and the mat does not slip relative to the ground.

The mat 10 is wide enough for both leading wheels of a vehicle may rest on it simultaneously.

At one end of the mat 10, a chock 12 is provided that defines a raised abutment surface. When a vehicle driven slowly onto the mat meets the abutment surface, it is brought to a halt and the driver will sense the increased resistance to warn him that the optimum parking position has been reached.

The chock may be solid or hollow and it may either be formed integrally with the mat 10 or attached to it in any suitable manner, such as by welding or riveting 22 (see Figure 4). A metal base plate may be used, to brace the join between the chock and the mat 10 to improve the strength of the joint. The chock 12 may suitably consist of a lightweight collapsible space frame made from aluminium or steel to aid in transportation.

As can be seen from the different embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 3, it is possible to provide a single chock 12 extending across the full width of the mat to act on both vehicle wheels, two separate chocks 12a each acting on a respective wheel or a single chock 12b acting on only one wheel.

In Figures 1 to 3, the cross section of the chock 12 is triangular, but it is alternatively possible to form each chock of the cross section shown in Figure 4. In this case, each chock 12 provides a leading ramp 16 section followed by a hollow recess 18 before the end abutment 20 is reached. The driver will feel the resistance as the wheels ride over the leading ramp 16 and the vehicle rises. Following this initial resistance, the wheels will then drop into the recess 18 into a position in which resistance to movement is encountered in both directions.

In use, the mat 10 of the invention is positioned at the correct position from an obstacle, such as a garage wall, to resist forward motion of the vehicle once it has reached the optimum parking position. Because of the positive location of the vehicle by the action of the chock 12, damage to the vehicle and the wall is avoided. The invention also avoids such damage if the driver should accidentally engage the wrong gear, for example if forward gear should be engaged incorrectly while attempting to reverse away from the wall.

While friction and the weight of the vehicle should, in most circumstances, suffice to prevent the mat from slipping on the ground, it would be alternatively possible if desired to secure the mat to the ground, such as by means of an adhesive of screws.

It is common for vehicles to drip oil from the engine compartment and is therefore advantageous for the mat 10 to include a drip tray 14 to catch such drips and prevent them from permanently soiling the garage floor. Such a tray (as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5) is preferably centrally located on the mat and may rest either in a cut out or in a recess formed in the mat 10 as shown in Figure 5.

Claims

1 A parking aid for enabling a vehicle to be parked at a desired predetermined distance from a hazard, comprising a mat having sufficient width to underlie simultaneously two wheels of the vehicle and an abutment surface extending upwards from one end of the mat to obstruct the advance of at least one of the wheels of the vehicle when driven on to the mat, whereby when the mat is suitably located in relation to the hazard, the vehicle is brought to rest at the desired predetermined distance from the hazard by the chocking of the vehicle wheels by the abutment surface.

2. A parking aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mat is formed of a flexible material having a sufficiently high coefficient of friction to remain stationary on the ground as a vehicle is driven onto the mat.

3. A parking aid as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further comprising means for fixing the mat to the ground to prevent its accidental displacement.

4. A parking aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a single abutment surface is provided.

5. A parking aid as claimed in claim 4, wherein the abutment surface extends across the full width of the mat.

6. A parking aid as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein two separate abutment surfaces are provided each obstructing a respect one of the two wheels.

7. A parking aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each abutment surface is defined by one face of a rigid chock secured to or formed integrally with the mat.

8. A parking aid as claimed in claim 7, wherein the chock is in the form of a hollow structure of generally triangular cross section.

9. A parking aid as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the chock comprises a collapsible space frame.

10. A parking aid as claimed in any preceding claim, further including an oil tray located on the mat to lie beneath the engine of a vehicle having at least one of its wheels chocked by the abutment surface.

11. A parking aid constructed substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.