GB2544290A

GB2544290A - Vehicle front bumper, and vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2544290A
Application number: GB1519848.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Sayers Jonathan
Original assignee: DENNIS EAGLE Ltd
Current assignee: DENNIS EAGLE Ltd
Priority date: 2015-11-10
Filing date: 2015-11-10
Publication date: 2017-05-17
Also published as: GB2544407B; GB2544407A; GB201617646D0; GB201519848D0

Abstract

A goods vehicle with a heavy front bumper (47, Fig 5) is adapted within outboard regions to carry modular weights (23, Fig4|) retained and inserted either in front of, or from above, or from behind, or through a side wall, or a rear wall, or within integral rear facing attachments 21, 22. The modular weights being retained for example by a lid, a strap, or bolts, in order to counterbalance a vehicle from side to side, or from front to rear, in order to balance a tail load such as the tail lift (52, fig 5) of a refuse vehicle. The invention permits the mass of the bumper to be varied after attachment to the vehicle, in particular to allow variation of the bodies to be fitted to the vehicle, and to permit self-propelled delivery of the vehicle to a body builder.

Description

Vehicle Front Bumper, and Vehicle

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to the front bumper of a vehicle, and to a wheeled vehicle having a front bumper fitted thereto.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Wheeled vehicles of many kinds are fitted with a front bumper, typically to provide a measure of crash protection and to provide a sacrificial component to resist parking and other kinds of contact damage.

In certain classes of vehicle, in particular heavy trucks, the front bumper may be structural, and provide attachment locations for components of the vehicle, a means of towing the vehicle and provide underrun protection for other vehicles. The bumper may also act as a step, for example for cleaning a vehicle windscreen, or accessing the under bonnet region. A bumper of a heavy vehicle is typically directly attached to the chassis legs thereof.

In the case of refuse vehicles having a tail lift for refuse bins, a significant mass is carried to the rear of the rearmost axle; the mass of the tail lift assembly may be of the order of 2.5 tonnes. In order to ensure safe and effective vehicle operation, particularly when empty, such as mass must be counterbalanced at the front in order to maintain sufficient contact between the vehicle front wheels and the road surface, and to give an even distribution of load on the vehicle axles. This problem is exacerbated in a forward control vehicle where the centre of gravity of the engine may lie on or behind the front steering axle.

It has been proposed to provide a counterbalance in the form of a very heavy front bumper. The front bumper, being foremost, has maximum counterbalance effect for a given tail lift mass. Such a counterbalance is typically in the form of very heavy steel weights which are welded to the front bumper to form a unitary component. A typical bumper of this kind may have a mass of up to 700kg, and the weights are welded wherever a suitable space can be found, taking into account the necessary mountings of the bumper, external appearance, attached components, and any requirement for through flow of cooling air for the vehicle engine.

For any particular refuse vehicle, the mass of the front bumper is determined at the design stage, having regard to the minimum counterbalance required. After manufacture, the front bumper is assembled to the vehicle chassis, and becomes an integral part of the vehicle, not least because of attachments of e.g. steering gear, cab tilt mechanism and bespoke fitments.

The present arrangement has however certain disadvantages.

Firstly, if the vehicle is adapted to a new use, in which a lesser counterbalance is required, it is generally impractical to alter the mass of the front bumper; significant dismantling of the vehicle is required, and in any event the welded steel weights are difficult to reduce or remove. On the other hand a large unbalanced front mass may significantly affect drivability of the vehicle; it may also affect braking of the vehicle due to the lightly loaded rear axle(s), and be contrary to legislative limits which specify the minimum and maximum proportion of load to be carried by the front axle.

Secondly, the front bumper is generally attached to the chassis at an early stage of manufacture, so that a change of specification during completion of the vehicle may not be possible - for example by substitution of a heavy tail lift assembly with a lightweight door. This may be problematic where a manufacturer would like to build a standard rolling chassis for stock, but is faced with specifying one of many bumper types in order to attach fundamental vehicle components of a rolling chassis, such as steering gear.

Thirdly, and most significantly, many vehicle chassis are provided in fully functional form to a specialist builder of vehicle bodies. The mass of the front bumper is selected to suit the body intended for the vehicle, but in this bodiless form, the vehicle may be undriveable on the road because the proportion of load carried by the front axle exceeds legislative limits. Thus such bodiless vehicles are generally delivered to the body builder on another vehicle, which is both expensive and time consuming.

Moreover, there is generally no possibility of the specialist body builder significantly changing the intended body if the front bumper would be too heavy or too light.

What is required is a solution to these disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle bumper having integral rear facing attachments for a vehicle, and outboard thereof regions adapted to receive modular removable weights.

Such a bumper may have an appropriate number of modular weights for the intended use, and moreover the number of such weights may be increased or reduced relatively easily. In an embodiment of the invention, each weight has a mass of no more than 20kg, so as to be within industry recognised limits and to minimise the risks associated with unassisted manual lifting.

In one embodiment the opposite ends of the bumper are adapted to carry weights in substantially equal amount, so as to provide side to side balance. The bumper may be adapted to receive weights on the interior side thereof, for example within a channel, defined by the bumper. Alternatively or additionally the bumper may be adapted to receive weights on the exterior side, for example under a decorative external cover.

The rear facing bumper attachments are preferably aligned for direct attachment to the chassis legs of a vehicle such as a refuse truck.

The modular weights are preferably of the same size, and may for example comprise rectangular steel plates of uniform thickness. It is envisaged that lesser mass plates may be provided for fine adjustment, for example half thickness.

In one embodiment the vehicle bumper includes one or more integral frames or boxes to receive the modular weights, and which may further include a closure to prevent tampering therewith.

Unused space within a frame or box may be filled with a lightweight packing material, such as plywood inserts of substantially modular size.

In an embodiment of the invention the bumper includes one or more of a steering attachment for the vehicle, an attachment for cab tilt mechanism of the vehicle, and a passage for through flow of air for cooling the vehicle engine.

The bumper is preferably substantially symmetrical, and preferably adapted to a single size of attachable modular weight.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle bumper according to the first aspect of the invention, having one or more modular weights received thereon, in particular in which each modular weight has a through hole to receive a fixing of or to said bumper. Such a fixing holds the weight(s) securely, and may be in the form of a threaded fastener or the like.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle having a bumper according to the invention mounted to the front thereof, said bumper supporting vehicle steering gear and/or vehicle cab tilt mechanism thereon.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of applying a variable axle load to a vehicle, the method comprising attaching a bumper of the invention thereto, and attaching modular weights to the bumper in order to obtain a desired proportion of load on the front axle thereof.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of transporting a self-propelled vehicle chassis to a body builder, the method comprising attaching a bumper of the invention to the front of the chassis, calculating the number of modular weights for the bumper having regard to the intended body of the chassis, mounting said weights on the vehicle chassis behind the front axle so as to obtain a permissible proportion of load on each axle of the vehicle, and driving the vehicle by road to said body builder.

At the body builder the weights can be removed and attached to the front bumper in order to counterbalance the intended body. If necessary, the number of weights may be varied to suit a different body, either prior to manufacture or part-way through the life of the vehicle.

The invention is particularly applicable to heavy vehicles with a significant weight bias to front or back, such as a refuse vehicle or a rear engined bus. A further advantage of the invention is that a vehicle fitted with such weights may be more easily manoeuvred if the weights are removed, and if disabled may be more easily lifted by a recovery vehicle if the weights are removed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a comparatively lightweight prior art front bumper of a right-hand drive refuse vehicle.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of a comparatively heavy weight prior art front bumper of a left-hand drive refuse vehicle.

Fig. 3 corresponds to Fig. 1, and shows an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplar container and weights for use in the invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplar refuse vehicle in side elevation.

Fig. 6 illustrates the refuse vehicle of Fig. 5 in plan.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 illustrates a comparatively lightweight front bumper of a refuse vehicle, and comprising a welded steel fabrication of bent and laser cut sheet components; the steel plate may be of the order of 8-12 mm thick.

The fabrication of Fig. 1 comprises a channel section main cross member 1 having an attachment 3 for a steering bevel box by which steering motion is transmitted from the steering wheel to the front stub axles of the vehicle. On the opposite side is provided an attachment, 4, 5, 11 for a hydraulic ram associated with a tilting mechanism of the vehicle driver's cab.

The cross member is closed at the front by pressings 8 which define necessary apertures therein, and between which is provided a through hole 7 for cooling air. Rear facing plates 9 are generally orthogonal to the cross beam 1 and provide for bolted attachment of the fabrication to chassis legs of the vehicle. A stiffening plate 10 bridges the plates 9, and channel sections 12, 13 further stiffen the structure outboard the plates 9. End plates 14, 15 close the channel sections 12, 13 at the outer edge.

Aligned holes 6 are provided in the upper and lower flanges of the cross beam for vertical towing pin (not shown).

In use the bumper has an outer capping (not shown), for example a plastic moulding, so as to present a smooth exterior surface having good aesthetic and functional properties.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding heavyweight bumper having the steering attachment 3 and ram attachment 5, 11 on the opposite sides; other components are identified by the same reference numerals, as will be apparent.

Steel weights 16-19 are attached to the fabrication to give the required counterbalance mass. The weights are of different size and shape, dictated by surrounding features of the vehicle for which the bumper is to be an integral component. The number of weights, and the position thereof is determined by design considerations, and may have a total mass in the range 50-700kg.

The locations of the weights of Fig. 2 are examples and it will be appreciated that necessary structural features, such as the attachments 3, 5, 11 and rear facing plates 9, provide a constraint. The bumpers of Figs. 1 and 2 essentially comprise front cross members of a respective chassis, in use.

It will also be appreciated that the weights are typically too heavy for safe lifting by a human, and in any event do not fall within industry recognised limits. Accordingly machine assistance is required during movement thereof prior to attachment to the bumper fabrication of Fig. 2. A schematic embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 3; reference numerals correspond to the embodiment of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 fabricated boxes 21, 22 are provided at either end of the cross beam 1; typically the boxes are of steel plate and of welded construction. Preferably the boxes are of the same size, but may be different, as illustrated, if required by physical constraints.

Within the boxes 21, 22 are provided modular weights, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Three modular weights 23 are illustrated, and are close-fitting within the box, which is open to the top. The weights 23 are each of modest dimensions so that each weight does not exceed industry recognised limits for manual lifting, for example 20kg.

The weights are retained with the box in any suitable manner, for example by a lid, a strap, one or more through bolts or the like. Also it will be appreciated that the weights may be inserted through a side wall, or through the rear wall. Although mounted to the rear of the cross beam 1, it is of course possible that weights could be carried at the front.

In the alternative the boxes 21, 22 may be replaced by an open frame, or the weights may be mounted solely by threaded fasteners passing through through holes thereof.

The invention permits weights to be added or removed on demand, thus allowing a vehicle to be adapted to a new use, or to a new body. Initial assembly of the vehicle is made somewhat easier since equipment for handling a front bumper of maximum weight is no longer required - it being envisaged that an unweighted bumper will be attached to the chassis legs, and the weights added later. A single fabrication suffices for all weight variants, and the front axle may be sufficiently lightly loaded to permit delivery of a completed chassis under its own power to a body builder. On such a self-propelled chassis, weights may be mounted behind the front axle, and added to the front bumper when the intended body is attached. Since in this condition the vehicle is bodiless, there is an almost unobstructed region to the rear of the cab for temporarily attaching modular weights. Such weights may for example be secured by through fastener to a chassis crossmember, and the through fastener(s) may subsequently be used for securing the modular weights to the vehicle bumper.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a vehicle incorporating the invention. A self-propelled chassis/cab 30 consists of a ladder type chassis 31 and a cab 32. The chassis is of conventional kind and consists of longitudinal legs 33, 34 linked by cross-members 35-38 of any suitable kind and spacing. The legs and cross-members are typically of steel 'C section and joined by riveting and/or welding to form an integrated base to which vehicle components are attached. In Fig. 6 the forward parts of the legs 33, 34 are shown in dotted outline.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the usual engine 41 transmission 42, propeller shafts 43, 44 and rear axles 45, 46 can be seen; these are conventional and need not be further described. The number of wheels on each rear axle may be reduced according to the specified maximum gross vehicle weight, whether both axles are powered, and whether rear wheel steering is provided.

Fig. 5 illustrates a vehicle body 50 in dotted outline, this being a conventional refuse body comprising a central generally open box portion 51 and a rear mounted tail lift and compacter assembly 52. The box portion is relatively lightweight whereas the tail assembly 52 is heavy, and typically about 2.5 tonnes.

The vehicle front bumper 47 is mounted directly to the chassis legs, as previously explained, and by virtue of its weight counterbalances to a sufficient extent the weight of the tail assembly.

In an embodiment of the invention the chassis/cab 30 may be driven to a body builder provided the axles carry a permitted proportion of the vehicle mass. The invention permits the modular bumper weights to be mounted in any convenient position aft of the vehicle cab, for example on a cross-member 35-38, or on the top or side of a chassis leg 33, 34. The weights are removed just prior to bodying the vehicle, and are attached to the front bumper in the desired number. Additional modular weights may be supplied from stock if required, and superfluous weights may be returned to stock for use on another vehicle.

For chassis/cab delivery, the weights may of course be distributed about any readily accessible region of the exposed chassis, according to requirements.

When fitted, the modular weights may be accessed in any suitable manner, for example via removable panels of the vehicle cab, or via removable end caps of the vehicle bumper. It is anticipated that a variety of configurations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle bumper having integral rear facing attachments for a vehicle and outboard thereof regions adapted for receiving modular removable weights.

2. A vehicle bumper according to claim 1 and adapted for direct attachment of one or more of vehicle steering apparatus and vehicle cab tilt apparatus.

3. A vehicle bumper according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said rear facing attachments comprise substantially parallel arms for attachment to respective chassis legs of a vehicle.

4. A vehicle bumper according to any of claims 1-3 wherein said bumper comprises a channel section defining said regions.

5. A vehicle bumper according to claim 4 wherein said weights are receivable within said channel section.

6. A vehicle bumper according to any preceding claim and adapted for direct attachment of modular weights thereto.

7. A vehicle bumper according to claim 6 wherein said weights are attachable by one or more threaded fasteners of said bumper, said one or more threaded fasteners passing through said weights.

8. A vehicle bumper according to claim 7 wherein a threaded fastener is adapted to secure a plurality of modular weights.

9. A vehicle bumper according to any preceding claim and comprising an enclosure adapted to retain modular weights therein.

10. A vehicle bumper according to claim 9 wherein said enclosure is one of a box and an open frame.

11. A vehicle bumper according to claim 9 or claimlO wherein said enclosure is adapted to support at least a proportion of the mass of modular weights associated therewith, in use.

12. A vehicle bumper according to any preceding claim, and a plurality of modular weights received thereon.

13. A vehicle bumper according to claim 12 wherein said modular weights are substantially rectangular, of steel, and of less than 25kg in weight.

14. A vehicle incorporating a bumper according to any preceding claim.

15. A self-propelled chassis/cab having a bumper according to any of claims 1-11, and a plurality of said modular weights attached to the chassis aft of the cab.

16. A method of applying a variable axle load to a wheeled vehicle, the method comprising: attaching to the vehicle a bumper according to any of claims 1-11, and attaching modular weights to the bumper in order to obtain a desired proportion of load on the front axles thereof.

17. A method of transporting a self-propelled vehicle chassis/cab to a vehicle body builder, the method comprising: attaching to the vehicle a bumper according to any of claims 1-11; calculating the number of modular weights having regard to the intended body of the chassis; mounting said weights on the chassis aft of the vehicle cab so as to obtain a permissible proportion of load on each axle of the vehicle, and driving the vehicle on the road to the body builder.