GB2456035A

GB2456035A - Roll-over protection system for a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2456035A
Application number: GB0822919A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mathias Froeschle; Felix Luepkemann
Original assignee: Dr Ing HCF Porsche AG
Current assignee: Dr Ing HCF Porsche AG
Priority date: 2007-12-18
Filing date: 2008-12-16
Publication date: 2009-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2028-12-16
Also published as: FR2924998A1; GB2456035B; DE102007060884A1; FR2924998B1; GB0822919D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a roll-over protection system 1 for a motor vehicle, comprising two roll bars 5 and 6 arranged side by side, which are movable from a lowered, rest position into an extended, raised position. The roll bars are mounted to a transverse carrier 4, wherein each bar has a first and a second movable bar arm 7 which are connected to one another by their first ends 11 in a height-adjustable first articulation, and a second and third articulation (15 and 21, figure 3) via which the bar arms 9 are mounted on the transverse carrier 4. The second articulation is transversely displaceable along the transverse carrier. The transverse carrier may be a U section and the bar arms may have a closed cross-sectional profile. The second articulation may be formed on a sliding block 23, wherein the sliding block is guided along a path (17) in a guide way formed as a double or single guide. A locking device may be provided comprising a locking pawl S1.

Description

Roll-over protection system for a motor vehicle The invention relates to a roll-over protection system for a motor vehicle.

A roll-over protection system of this type is known from DE 600 01 224 T2. It comprises two roll bars, lying side by side, which can be held on a transverse carrier and can be moved from a lowered, rest position into an extended or raised position. Each of the two roll bars has two bar arms which are connected to one another by their first ends via a first articulation. The second ends of the bar arms are mounted in second and third articulations so as to be transversely displaceable along the transverse carrier. If the distance between the second and third articulation is shortened, this produces a lifting movement of the roll bar, during which the height of the first articulation is adjusted and the angle between the two bar arms is reduced. Thus in the known roll bar the extension height is greatly limited.

EP 1 798 116 A2 describes, for a roll-over protection system, a roll bar with two bar arms, one of which has a guide for the first articulation. The first bar ends are secured by a locking device only in the fully raised position, while the second bar ends are mounted on fixed articulations on a mounting cassette. Although the extension height is increased by the displaceable first articulation, the guide for the articulation is accommodated in the safety-relevant bar arm.

The invention seeks to provide a roll-over protection system of the initially mentioned type which is highly stable, but simply constructed.

This maybe achieved by a roll-over protection system having the features set out in claim 1. Further developments of the roll-over protection system are set out in the dependent claims.

The advantages principally achieved by embodiments of the invention are to be seen in that, by means of the first articulation, the two bar arms are pivotable relative to one another, but are fixedly connected to each other, which produces a rigid, fixed connection in the event of the application of force to this articulation. The forces occurring in the two other, lower articulations in the event of the vehicle overturning are usually smaller and, furthermore, can be absorbed by a correspondingly designed transverse carrier. The roll-over protection system according to the invention thus has a low overall height in the rest position so that it can be used in particular in a two-seater roadster with little installation space behind the vehicle seats, but has a sufficient extension height in the raised position. Namely, according to the invention two displaceable articulations (first and second articulation) and one fixed, third articulation are provided.

A low overall height of the roll-over protection system in the rest position is achieved in particular when the bar arms of each roll bar are arranged in a row along the transverse carrier, as indicated in claim 2.

Especially good absorption of forces is achieved if -as described in claim 3-the fixed third articulation lies deeply within the transverse carrier so that the latter can support the bar arm over a long portion, which is further assisted if the transverse carrier has a U-shaped cross-section, as indicated in claim 4.

Improved rigidity is achieved with bar arms which -according to claim 5 -have a closed basic cross-sectional profile.

The extension height of the roll bars can be favourably influenced if -according to claim 6 -the displaceable second articulations are movable past one another when the roll bars are moved from the rest position into the raised position. According to a first embodiment variant (claim 7), the second articulations can be guided in paths lying one above the other on the transverse carrier. Alternatively (claim 8), the paths can lie one behind the other in relation to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. In a particularly advantageous manner, these embodiments permit solution of the conflict between the objectives of a great extension height and the advantageous use of closed basic cross-sectional profiles (tube, square tube, etc.) for the bar arms if the system should additionally have a low overall height in the rest position. As a result of the second articulations advantageously moving past one another, the inner bar arms can lie one behind the other or one above the other in the rest position (claim 10).

Together with the features of claim 2, it is achieved in a preferred embodiment that the two bar arms of each roll bar can extend over a substantial width of the vehicle, i.e. lie along the transverse carrier. In the raised position, such long bar arms can ensure a great extension height. Additionally or alternatively, the first articulation can be set back in relation to the first bar end, as indicated in claim 11, so that the extension height can be further increased or permits shorter inner bar arms, whereby it is optionally possible to dispense with the second articulations moving past one another, but at the same time the transverse carrier can be strengthened.

An embodiment with the features of claim 12 is especially preferred, according to which the second articulations are formed on sliding blocks which are guided in suitable guideways on the transverse carrier. The guideways can be formed as a single or double guide, as described in claim 13.

Furthermore, a locking device will fix the two bar arms in relation to one another at least in the fully raised position thereof. However, the locking device can also be used to lock intermediate positions.

In addition, as is usual in extendable or raisable roll-over protection systems, a driving and release device is provided for the roll bars and is/are provided with a control device, a sensor, springs (helical or leg springs) and/or a motor and/or a pyrotechnic and/or magnetic element in order to hold the roll bars in the rest position, release them and move them into the raised position.

The invention will be further described hereinbelow with the aid of embodiments and with reference to the drawings, wherein: Figs. 1 to 3 show, in a front view according to a first embodiment, a roll-over protection system with roll bars in a rest position, intermediate position and raised position; Figs. 4 to 6 show respective sections along the lines IV-IV, V-V and VI-VI in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 shows a section along the line Vil-VII in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 shows a section through a second embodiment of a roll-over protection system, wherein the cutting plane corresponds to that of the section along the line Vu-Vu; Figs. 9 to 11 show, in a front view according to a third embodiment, a roll-over protection system with roll bars in a rest position, intermediate position and raised position; and Fig. 12 shows a section along the line XII-XlI in Fig. 11.

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a roll-over protection system, hereinafter system 1, which comprises a transverse carrier 4 between two lateral brackets 2 and 3. The brackets 2 and 3 serve to fasten the system 1 to the body of a vehicle (not shown), the orientation of which and thus also the installation position of the system 1 in the vehicle is determined by the vehicle longitudinal axis FL (Fig. 6), the vehicle transverse axis FQ and the vehicle vertical axis FH.

The system 1 also comprises roll bars, hereinafter bars 5 and 6, which are arranged side by side and are each associated with a vehicle seat (not shown). Each bar 5, 6 is constructed in at least two parts and has a first or inner bar arm, hereinafter arm 7, 8, and a second or outer arm 9, 10, is movably held on the transverse carrier 4 and is shown in the retracted rest position RP in Fig. 1. In the rest position RI', the inner and outer arms7and9or8and 10 of eachbar5and6are arranged inarow along the transverse carrier 4, wherein the two inner arms 7 and 8 come to lie one above the other. One of the two inner arms 7 or 8 can have a curved formation.

The arms 7 and 9 or 8 and 10 are pivotably connected to one another by their respective first ends 11 and 12 in a vertically displaceable first articulation 13, for which a bearing pin 14 is provided in each case. Each inner arm 7 and 8 is connected to the transverse carrier 4 in a second articulation 15 or 16 via a bearing pin 14' (Fig. 2), wherein these articulations 15 and 16 are displaceable along a respective path 17, 18 (Fig. 3) along the transverse carrier, in other words are transversely displaceable in relation to the motor vehicle. The path 17 is associated with the articulation 15 and the path 18 is associated with the articulation 16 and are each shown by broken lines. Each path 17, 18 has a path beginning 19 and a path end 20. The outer aims 9 and 10 are pivotably mounted on the transverse carrier 4 in fixed, third articulations 21 arid 22 by means of bearing pins 14".

The second articulations 15 and 16 are each pivotably held on a sliding block 23, 24 via the bearing pins 14', wherein the sliding block 23 is movably guided along the path 17 and the sliding block 24 is movably guided along the path 18 between the path beginning 19 and the path end 20.

In order to be able to move the bars 5 and 6 from their lowered, rest position RP into a raised position AP shown in Fig. 3, in which the arms 7 to 10 are raised or pivoted about their second and third articulations 15, 16 and 21, 22, a driving and release device (not shown) for the roll bars is provided. Starting from the rest position RP, the bars 5 and 6 pass continuously through intermediate positions until they adopt the fully extended, raised position AP, wherein an intermediate position ZP is shown in Fig. 2 by way of example. The sliding blocks 23 and 24 move along the paths 17 and 18 and, in the manner of a rack, have serrations Vi and V2 with a plurality of teeth which co-operate with a respective spring-loaded locking pawl Si, S2 so that in each intermediate position ZP the bars 5 and 6 can be secured at their current extension height AF in relation to the transverse carrier 4 and with respect to their ends 11 and 12. Therefore, the serrations Vi and V2 and the locking pawls Si and S2 together form a locking device for the bars 5 and 6. Until the maximum extension height AF has been reached in the raised position AP, the second articulations 15 and 16 are displaced transversely along the transverse carrier 4, while the inner arms 7 and 8 are pivoted about the second articulations 15 and 16, and the outer arms 9 and 10 are pivoted about the third articulations 21 and 22, and the outer and inner arms of each bar 5 and 6 are pivoted relative to one another about the first articulation 13, during which the height of the first articulation 13 is adjusted.

Fig. 4 shows the first articulation 13 in cross-section. The outer arm 9 is formed with a closed basic cross-sectional profile, here an approximately square profile. The inner arm 7 is arranged inside the arm 9 and is connected to the arm 9 via the bearing pin 14. Fig. 5 shows the second articulation 15 in cross-section. It shows the transverse carrier 4, which is U-shaped in cross-section and has a base 25 and spaced, upright side walls 26 and 27 and can be produced as an extruded section. The side walls have guideways 28 and 29, which are formed by chambers in the side walls 26 and 27. The guideways 28 and 29 permit the transverse displacement of the sliding blocks 23 and 24 along the paths 17 and 18.

The sliding block 23 is guided in the guideway 28, and the sliding block 24 is guided in the guideway 29 (Fig. 7). The guideways 28 and 29 can -as shown -be formed as a double guide with a guideway 28 and 29 in both side walls 26 and 27 or as a single guide in only one side wall 26 or 27. In the first embodiment (Fig. 7), the guideways 28 and 29 lie one above the other, whereby the second articulations 15 and 16 can be guided past and above one another. The arms 7 and 9 of one bar 5 therefore also lie above the arms 9 and 10 of the other bar 6 or vice versa. In Fig. 8, which shows a second embodiment of the system 1, the guideways 28 and 29 lie one behind the other, i.e. in different side walls 26 and 27, and thus the corresponding arms of a bar 5 or 6 also lie behind the other arms of the other bar 6 or 5. In this embodiment the articulations 15, 16 are guided past and behind one another.

In addition, Fig. 6 shows a cross-section through the third articulation 22. The third articulation 22 with its bearing pin 14" sits deeply within the transverse carrier 4 between the side walls 26 and 27, whereby a long portion 30 of the arm 9 is supported front and back between the side walls 26 and 27 with little clearance. The transverse carrier 4 can be formed so as to taper in the region of the third articulation 22 so that the clearance between the arm 9 and the side walls 26 and 27 decreases as the extension height AF increases. The receiver for the portion 30 is constructed as a forked receiver owing to the side walls 26 and 27.

Otherwise, like or like-acting parts are provided with the same reference numerals in Figs. 1 to 8.

In accordance with a third embodiment of the system 1, it is apparent from Figs. 9 to 12 that only one path 17 is provided, along which the second articulations 15 arid 16 of the two bars 5 and 6 are moved, whereby the transverse carrier can have a lower height. However, the maximum extension height AF is reached by the first articulation 13 on the outer arm 9 being set back in relation to the end 11, which can be seen more clearly in Figs. 10 and 11. In the raised position AP, the bars and 6 now have an inverted Y shape, wherein the bar end portion 31 lying above the articulation 13 projects beyond the closed bar shape (U shape) of the arms 7 and 9 or 8 and 10. In the region of the first articulation 13, the inner arm 7 is constructed as an open section and forms a fork which receives the outer arm 9, which (arm 9) is universally formed as a closed section, as shown in Fig. 12 and as described with reference to the closed basic cross-sectional profile in Figs. 4 and 7 for the arms 7 and 9. The bearing pin 14 is constructed in two parts.

The inner arm 7 or 8 is formed as a U-section and receives the respective sliding block 23 or 24 in the rest position RP (Fig. 9), which further reduces the overall height. In the rest position RP, all the arms 7 to 10 now lie in a row along the transverse carrier 4 or on the path 17.

Otherwise, like or like-acting parts are provided with the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment of the system 1. The main differences between the system 1 according to the third embodiment and that according to the first embodiment are accordingly to be seen in the arrangement of the first articulation 13 and the formation of the inner arms 7 arid 8, in the single path 17 and in the arrangement of all the arms 7 to 10 in a row. The undescribed parts of the system 1 according to Fig. 9 can therefore be constructed as in the first and second embodiments according to Figs. 1 and 8.

Claims

Claims 1. A roil-over protection system for a motor vehicle, comprising two roil bars, arranged side by side, which are movable from a lowered, rest position into an extended, raised position and which are mounted on a transverse carrier, wherein each bar has a first and a second movable bar arm, which are connected to one another by their first ends in a height-adjustable first articulation, and a second and third articulation, via which the bar arms are mounted on the transverse carrier, which second articulation is transversely displaceable along the transverse carrier, wherein the third articulation is fixedly formed on the transverse carrier.
2. A roll-over protection system according to claim 1, in the rest position, the bar arms of each roll bar are arranged in a row along the transverse carrier.
3. A roil-over protection system according to claim 1, characterised in that the third articulation lies within the transverse carrier.
4. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transverse carrier is a U-section.
5. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bar arms have a closed basic cross- sectional profile.
6. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second articulations are movable past one another and are guided in paths on the transverse carrier.
7. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second articulations of the two roll bars are guided in paths lying one above the other on the transverse carrier.
8. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second articulations of the two roll bars are guided in paths lying one behind the other on the transverse carrier.
9. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first bar arm is a laterally inner bar arm and the second bar arm is a laterally outer bar arm.
10. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the rest position, the inner bar arms lie one above the other or one behind the other.
11. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first articulation lies set back from the first end of the outer or inner bar arm and, as a result, a bar end portion formed by the bar arm projects beyond the bar shape of the roll bars.
12. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second articulation is formed on a sliding block which is guided along the path on the transverse carrier.
13. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sliding block is guided along the path in a guideway formed as a double or single guide.
14. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a locking device for the roll bar is provided.
15. A roll-over protection system according to claim 14, when dependent on claim 12 or 13, wherein the locking device comprises a locking paw!, and serrations cooperating and engaging therewith, the serrations being formed on the sliding block.
16. A motor vehicle comprising a roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims. * S. S. I I... * I I... * *1 S. S * *

I

S S. S * I* S 4*

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*..SSS

16. A roll-over protection system, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A motor vehicle comprising a roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims. 3.

iaimsAMEM)MENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN MADE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A roll-over protection system for a motor vehicle, comprising two roll bars, arranged side by side, which are movable from a lowered, rest position into an extended, raised position and which are mounted on a transverse carrier, wherein each bar has a first and a second movable bar arm, which are connected to one another by their first ends in a height-adjustable first articulation, and a second and third articulation, via which the bar arms are mounted on the transverse carrier, which second articulation is transversely displaceable along the transverse carrier, wherein the third articulation is fixedly formed on the transverse carrier, wherein the : second articulations are movable past one another and are guided in paths on the transverse carrier. * .* ** *

*:. 2. A roll-over protection system according to claim 1, in the rest position, the bar arms of each roll bar are arranged in a row along the transverse carrier. *

S..... * .

3. A roll-over protection system according to claim 1, characterised in that the third articulation lies within the transverse carrier.

4. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transverse carrier is a U-section.

5. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bar arms have a closed basic cross- sectional profile.

6. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second articulations of the two roll bars are guided in paths lying one above the other on the transverse carrier. l�.

7. A roll-over protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second articulations of the two roll bars are guided in paths lying one behind the other on the transverse carrier.

8. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first bar arm is a laterally inner bar arm and the second bar arm is a laterally outer bar arm.

9. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the rest position, the inner bar arms lie one above the other or one behind the other. * S * ** S S...

10. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first articulation lies set back from the first * end of the outer or inner bar arm and, as a result, a bar end I..

portion formed by the bar arm projects beyond the bar shape of the *.: roll bars.

S

S...., * S 11. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second articulation is formed on a sliding block which is guided along the path on the transverse carrier.

12. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sliding block is guided along the path in a guideway formed as a double or single guide.

13. A roll-over protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a locking device for the roll bar is provided. js.

14. A roll-over protection system according to claim 13, when dependent on claim 11 or 12, wherein the locking device comprises a locking pawl, and serrations cooperating and engaging therewith, the serrations being formed on the sliding block.

15. A roll-over protection system, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.