GB2402185A

GB2402185A - Vehicle restraint apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2402185A
Application number: GB0312043A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Andrew Whitemore
Original assignee: MERILAB Ltd
Current assignee: MERILAB Ltd
Priority date: 2003-05-24
Filing date: 2003-05-24
Publication date: 2004-12-01
Also published as: GB0312043D0

Abstract

A vehicle restraint apparatus (ie. stand / frame for use on a test bench / test bed) which comprises clamp means 22 for engaging a fixed connection on a vehicle (eg. lashing/towing eye), the clamp means 22 being mounted adjacent the vehicle and having means for positionally adjusting the clamp means 22 to bring it into engagement with the fixed connection. The clamp means 22 may comprise a pair or jaws 24,25, which are mounted on a displaceable member 23 which. Said displaceable member 23 may be mounted in a block 20 which is movable up and down a vertical column 19. The vertical column 19 is in turn mounted on displaceable members 14, 18 which can move lengthwise or breadthwise relative to the vehicle. The apparatus may comprise a counterbalancing gas strut. During testing, the vehicle's movement in the lateral and longitudinal direction is restrained, but not vertical movement.

Description

VEHICLE RESTRAINT APPARATUS

This invention relates to a vehicle restraint apparatus for use in particular in conjunction with static vehicle test beds.

Vehicle test beds usually include an array of rollers which are disposed horizontally, are usually freely rotatable, and support a vehicle during emission testing of its engine and associated parts. The rollers being freely rotatable in the test bed do not produce any forward impetus to the vehicle and are usually connected to torque and speed measuring instruments to assess the performance of the vehicle.

Traditionally, the vehicle wheels have been placed on the array of rollers so that each wheel rests between two rollers, so that the tyre of the wheel engages two rollers, and its axis is carried midway between the axes of the rollers. This allows the wheel to "nest" in the roller array and is a stable configuration. For reasons of accuracy in measurement, it is now preferred to support the vehicle wheels, so that the wheels on each axle are directly vertically aligned with the axis of a supporting roller, so that only one roller is driven by frictional contact with the driven wheels on one or more axles of the vehicle. This arrangement is however less stable, and it is necessary to secure the vehicle more effectively to prevent the vehicle from rolling from the rollers with which its wheels are in contact, due to gravity or drift resulting from any precessional or inertial forces occurring during operation of the test bed.

An object of the invention is to provide a vehicle restraint apparatus suitable for use in conjunction for example with a static vehicle test bed which will hold a vehicle in position on a test bed and prevent any displacement of the vehicle during running of tests. 1 1 - 2

According to the invention a vehicle restraint apparatus comprises clamp means of engaging a towing or other fixed connection on the vehicle, the clamp means being mounted adjacent to the position of the vehicle, and having means for positionally adjusting the clamp means to bring it accurately into engagement with said fixed connection.

The vehicle restraint apparatus may comprise a pair of jaws for engaging the fixed connection, mounted on a displaceable member which can be moved to engage the jaws with the fixed connection.

The displaceable member may be in turn mounted in a block which can be moved up and down a column for height adjustment, and the column in turn be mounted on a displaceable member which can be moved in a first direction relative to the vehicle, and is in turn mounted on a carriage which can be moved in a second direction relative to the vehicle.

These two directions are preferably mutually orthogonal, for example towards and away from, and laterally parallel to the vehicle position respectively.

The vehicle restraint apparatus may in use be located adjacent to a vehicle test bed, for example in front or behind the vehicle on the test bed, and may extend across the width of the test bed so that the jaws can be brought into engagement with a fixed connection on the vehicle such as a towing eye mounted on the chassis of the vehicle.

A preferred embodiment of vehicle restraint apparatus according to the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of vehicle restraint apparatus according to the invention for use in immobilising a vehicle on vehicle test bed, and Fig. 2 is detail view of a clamp member used in the vehicle restraint apparatus of Fig. 1.

A vehicle restraint apparatus according to the invention is disposed adjacent to a vehicle test 10.

The apparatus comprises a base plate 11, which extends fully across the width of the test bed 10 and has guide tracks 12, 13 along the sides of the base plate 11 to enable a carriage 14 to be displaced along the guide tracks, width-wise with respect to the test bed 10. The carriage 14 has a slide way 15, defined by guide members 16, 17, in which a shoe 18, supporting a column 19 can be displaced transversely of the base plate 1 1 and towards and away from the test bed 10, by means of a screw within the shoe 18, the axis of which extends along the centre line of the slide way 1 5.

The column 19 carries a mounted block 20 which can in its turn be moved up and down on the column 19, and carries a vice member 21 in which a clamp arm 22 can be moved longitudinally in the direction of the movement of the column 19 and shoe 18 in the slide way 15, that is towards and away from the test bed 10.

The apparatus thus enables movements which after a vehicle has been placed in the test bed 10, with its front or rear directed towards the apparatus, enable the position of the clamp arm 22 to be adjusted to align with and engage a usua! towing eye of the vehicle. Coarse positional adjustment can be effected by movement of the carriage 14 across the base plate 1 1, and the shoe 18 with column 19 towards or from the vehicle on the test bed along the guide way 15. The mounted block 20 may also be moved up or down the column 19 to set the clamp arm 22 at the correct height for engagement with the vehicle rear towing eye. The - 4 clamp arm 22 may then be adjusted and positioned exactly for engagement by loosening the vice 21 and manually moving the clamp arm 22 as required.

Clamp arm 22 is shown in more detail in Fig. 2. The clamp arm 22 comprises a shank 23 which is gripped by and adjustable for positioning in the vice 21, and a head comprising a fixed jaw member 24 and a moveable jaw member 25. The fixed jaw member 24 comprises a concavely curved surface 26 facing the end of the clamp arm, whilst the movable jaw member 25 comprises a circular member having a grooved surface mounted on an axle 27 and may be rotatable in the axle 27. The latter is fixed to upper and lower plates 28 which is in turn connected to the arm by a stud 29 received in a longitudinal slot 30. The plates 28 also have flanges 31 which guide the plate relative to the end of the arm 22. The plate 28 and stud 29 are connected to a shaft 32 (dotted lines) which extends coaxially within the shank 23 of the arm, and terminates at the opposite end of the arm 22 in an adjusting nut 33 which is exposed at the opposite end.

The separation of the jaws 24. 25 can thus be adjusted by rotation of nut 33. One of the plates 28 may be removed for engagement of the jaw member 25 with the towing eye, and then closed, and the nut rotated to firmly clamp the jaws.

The weight of the vehicle connection assembly 22 and the block 20 is counterbalanced by a gas strut (not shown) minimising load on the vehicle.

Using the vehicle restraint apparatus according to the invention described above, it is possible to immobilise a vehicle upon a vehicle test bed in such a way as to prevent longitudinal or lateral displacement of a - 5 vehicle during testing whilst allowing free vertical movement during testing.

Other embodiments of such apparatus within the scope of the invention may differ in details particularly in the forms and arrangements of guides and slideways, or the means of displacement of moving parts along axes of displacement.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only. - 6

Claims

1. A vehicle restraint apparatus which comprises clamp means for engaging a towing or other fixed connection on the vehicle, the clamp means being mounted adjacent to the position of the vehicle and having means for positionally adjusting the clamp means to bring it accurately into engagement with said fixed connection.

2. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the clamp means comprises a pair of jaws for engaging the fixed connection, the jaws being mounted on a displaceable member which can be moved to engage the jaws with the fixed connection.

3. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein the displaceable member is mounted in a block which can be moved up and down a column for height adjustment, and the column in turn mounted on a displaceable member which can be moved in a first direction relative to the vehicle and is mounted on a carriage which can be moved in a second direction relative to the vehicle.

4. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein said first and second directions are mutually orthogonal.

5. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to any preceding claim which is located adjacent to a vehicle test bed and extends across the width of the test bed so that the jaws can be brought into engagement with said fixed connection on the vehicle. - 7 -

6. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising a carriage mounted for sliding on guide tracks extending alongside a vehicle test bed, said carriage having a horizontal slideway for a further slidable part extending transversely of the guide tracks and a vertical column having a vertical slideway which carries a member to which is connected an arm which is extensible and retractable in a direction parallel to the horizontal slideway, said arm carrying said clamp means.

7. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the load on the vehicle is minimised by way of a counterbalancing gas strut.

8. A vehicle restraint apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus prevents the longitudinal or lateral displacement of a vehicle during testing whilst allowing free vertical movement of said vehicle.

9. A vehicle restraint apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.