HRP970097A2 - A device with a tyre for the protection of a vehicle in a collision - Google Patents

Description

Areas of technique

The subject of the invention is a device for protecting vehicles in the event of a collision, in which a spare and/or used wheel of the vehicle itself or a similar used wheel of another vehicle is used as a bumper on the vehicle.

According to the International Classification of Patents, the invention belongs to the following areas of technology:

B60R-019/02; Bumpers, i.e. elements that receive or absorb impact in order to protect the vehicle or to deflect impact from other vehicles or objects.

B60R-019/16; Bumpers consisting of several sections with repulsive elements, e.g. rollers, balls.

B60R-019/18; Impact-absorbing means in the bumper.

B60R-021/32; Inflatable protective devices or liners for crew and passengers that inflate upon impact or impact resistance, e.g. "pneumatic cushions" that react to the condition of the vehicle, e.g. sensitive to impacts, collisions, including electric sensors that initiate inflation.

B62D-043/00; Accommodating, fixing or mounting the spare wheel.

Technical problems

Road and rail vehicles are the technical symbol of land transport today. The motor vehicle industry, in which the production of passenger cars plays a key role, is one of the economically strongest parts of the world economy.

The development of the passenger car as the most massive representative of land motor vehicles is aimed at improving technical properties: increasing speed, reducing fuel consumption and increasing passenger comfort.

The general safety of the vehicle, i.e. the safety of the vehicle itself in motion and the safety of the living and non-living environment from the motor vehicle in motion remained at the initial level of development.

Modern land vehicles still do not have their "own" power of orientation in space and time: they do not "hear" and "do not see" as means of air and water transport. The external control of a land vehicle as an individual is not nearly as developed as the control of an aircraft or a ship. The land vehicle is still, as at the beginning of its development, a detached part of the planet Earth in its gravitational hold with the driver lending it hearing and sight to anticipate dynamic events that the driver can influence by relatively slowly changing the kinetic energy of the vehicle and/or the direction of travel using with a weak influence on the Earth-vehicle frictional connection.

The gap between the increase in the technical characteristics of land vehicles, primarily speed, and the lag in general mutual safety between the vehicle and the environment is evident from the indicators of human casualties and material damage.

Artificial management of land vehicles using radar, computer and telecommunication systems is in the development phase. The consequences of the insecurity of land vehicles are still not a factor that would change the existing economic laws governing their production and the legal laws governing traffic regulation in favor of the safe artificial management of land vehicles, as is the case in air and sea traffic.

The development of the safety of land vehicles flows in two directions.

The first direction of development flows in the development of traffic itself through the development of roads, means of regulation and legal norms of behavior in traffic.

The second direction of development refers to increasing the internal level of readiness of the vehicle itself for incident situations. The need for safer and more reliable vehicles will not diminish even in the future, when traffic will be fully regulated using external safety and navigation systems, because even in these circumstances, the possibility of incident situations will not be completely excluded. The development of the internal level of readiness of land vehicles for incident situations lags behind the development of traffic conditions and technical characteristics of vehicles.

Unwanted physical contact of vehicles with the environment manifests itself as crashes in which vehicles are active crash triggers or passive crash participants. The front frontal outer surfaces of vehicles are the surfaces where vehicles most often actively cause collisions by transferring part of their kinetic energy to other objects, while the rear and side outer surfaces of vehicles are the surfaces where vehicles most often passively participate in collisions by receiving part of the kinetic energy of other objects in motion.

Collision is generally a short-term and complex process of exchange of energy potentials of mechanical energies of two bodies, the results of which are elastic and plastic deformations of these bodies. These deformations are proportional to the total kinetic energy released by the collision.

Plastic deformations that occur during vehicle collisions in traffic are direct indicators of the consequences of the collision in the form of material damage and human casualties.

Elastic deformations during a vehicle collision in traffic usually lead to the vehicle bouncing off the obstacle or the vehicle sliding on the obstacle, where the initial amount of kinetic energy of the collision is completely consumed or at least reduced. The rest of the unused kinetic energy of the collision is used to slide the vehicle to a stop or to a new collision with the next obstacle.

With a pure elastic crash, deformations of the vehicle can be avoided, and by combining the initial elastic crash with later plastic crashes, the overall consequences of the crash can be significantly reduced.

The degree of preparedness of a land vehicle for incident situations depends on the strength and construction of the chassis and bodywork and the type of equipment to protect the vehicle in the event of collisions.

Modern land motor vehicles are equipped with bumpers, i.e. elements that receive and/or absorb impacts or repel impacts from other vehicles or objects. The exchange of kinetic energy of collisions of motor vehicles in motion or at rest with other vehicles or objects in motion or at rest takes place in most cases through the front and rear bumpers of vehicles that protect the external surfaces most often exposed to collisions.

The bumpers of today's vehicles show a low degree of protection. The part of the crash energy that is transmitted through the bumper is very low compared to the total achievable crash energy. Bumpers of today's vehicles also have a low level of influence on converting harmful plastic impact into less harmful elastic impact or impact with properties of mixed elastic plastic impact.

In addition to bumpers, whose primary active role is to protect the vehicle during collisions, other mandatory parts of the vehicle's equipment are also used for this purpose, which perform this role passively.

Such equipment also includes the vehicle's spare wheel, which for this purpose is placed on the front or rear of the body as a part that protects other parts of the vehicle from deformations caused by crashes.

Locating the vehicle's spare wheel is a separate technical problem that can be solved in different ways. The choice of position and method of securing the spare wheel primarily solves the technical problem of placing the spare wheel as a mandatory part of the vehicle's equipment.

The role of a passive bumper with a weak contribution to the protection of the vehicle does not diminish the essential property of the spare wheel as useless ballast that burdens the vehicle and reduces the useful space in the vehicle.

The use of a spare and/or used vehicle wheel according to the invention primarily solves the technical problem of protecting the vehicle and passengers in a collision by using the vehicle wheel as an active front and/or rear bumper of the vehicle. The device with a wheel protects the vehicle independently or in combination with a classic bumper or in combination with pneumatic cushions and safety belts in a way that significantly reduces the possibility of collisions with plastic deformations and increases the possibility of collisions with elastic deformations, which solves the following technical problems: increase in general safety the vehicle itself and passengers and other vehicles and objects in traffic, placement of the vehicle's spare wheel, increasing the degree of utilization of the spare and/or used wheel and increasing the useful space in the vehicle.

State of the art

The bumpers of modern land motor vehicles are made mainly in the form of different metal and/or polymer profiles that protect the narrow strip of the front and rear of the vehicle. The shape of profiled bumpers is determined more by aerodynamic and aesthetic factors than by safety factors, and their protective role is transformed into the role of aerodynamic decorative parts of the body.

These bumpers show a low degree of protection of the vehicle itself and other vehicles in traffic. The collision energy transmitted through these bumpers mainly causes plastic deformations of the bumper itself and the vehicle. Their power to absorb or repel blows is very low.

The wheel of a motor vehicle in the function of a passive bumper is present in a certain way in practice. Some types of off-road passenger cars have a spare wheel located at the front or rear of the vehicle body by means of a special bracket attached to the body on which it rests on its side. This arrangement of the vehicle's spare wheel has the primary task of increasing the utilization of the vehicle's internal volume. The spare wheel passively performs the task of the bumper.

More complex bumpers with shock-absorbing elements in the form of rollers, balls or discs that repel impact or absorb collision energy more effectively than static profile bumpers are the subject of patent literature. Although their protective role is better, few solutions described in the patent literature have been put into use.

In patents DE2148218, US3997209 and FR2166846, the intention of complete protection of the vehicle with bumpers is expressed. The solutions suggest protecting the vehicle with bumpers that protect the front and rear of the vehicle and the sides with complex bumpers composed of supporting profiles, rollers, balls and strips. The complexity of these solutions and the undetermined degree of protection that these solutions provide are most likely the reason why these solutions are not in mass use.

Patent SU1588597 describes a solution for the front bumper of a heavy-duty motor vehicle in which the wheel of the vehicle is installed. The bumper consists of two unequal profiled side parts between which the vehicle wheel is installed on the winch shaft. The axis of the wheel is horizontal and parallel to the axis of the front and rear axles of the vehicle. The primary role of this bumper with a wheel is to extract the vehicle from problematic situations where the wheel in the bumper driven by the winch is used as an auxiliary drive wheel. Protecting the vehicle from collisions is an understated secondary role of this bumper with a wheel.

Patent FR2538336 describes the solution of the rear bumper of a motor vehicle with an auxiliary wheel installed in a recess in the floor of the vehicle. In the event of a collision, the spare wheel and its mounting parts are deformed to protect the fuel tank, which is located under the wheel. This solution is a typical example of using a spare wheel as a passive bumper.

Patent DE1918833 describes a solution for the front bumper of a motor vehicle in the form of a device with a rotating disc.

The device consists of a housing of the device, in the front part of which there is a rotating metal disk with a rubber ring, which is embedded in the housing of the device via a vertical shaft around which it can rotate in the horizontal plane. The housing of the device is mounted on the front part of the vehicle chassis via a vertical axis around which it can rotate in the horizontal plane. The axis of rotation of the device housing and the axis of rotation of the metal disk with a rubber ring lie in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle. The rear part of the housing of the device has the shape of bent levers, the ends of which rest on the chassis of the vehicle behind the front wheels of the vehicle via compression springs.

The device is an ambitiously conceived solution that, in the description, promises a high degree of vehicle safety in the event of a collision.

Safety should be realized on the basis of the following protective effects of the device:

• elastic spring action at the point of impact of the rubber ring that surrounds the outer belt of the rotating metal disc,

• reliable rotation of the rotating metal disc with a rubber ring, which would achieve the rejection to the left or right side of the obstacle against the vehicle or vehicles against the obstacle,

• reliable turning of the device housing to the left or right,

• reliable rotation of the front wheels of the vehicle using the ends of the bent levers of the device housing in the direction of rotation of the device housing, and

• when the contact of the rubber ring with the obstacle stops, the device reliably returns to its pre-collision state.

In the case of head-on collisions of vehicles with obstacles, which are the most damaging and fatal in terms of material damage and human casualties, the inertial forces of the vehicle and the forces exerted by the obstacles on the vehicle are transmitted along the axis of symmetry of the vehicle or in directions that make a small angle with the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle.

By analyzing the attached drawings, it can be established that the kinematics of the device with a rotating disc does not confirm the statements about the reliability of the protective action given in the description of the solution.

Due to the fact that the axis of rotation of the housing of the device and the axis of rotation of the rotating metal disk with a rubber ring lie in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle, in the event of a head-on collision of the vehicle with an obstacle, there will be no reliable rotation of the rotating metal disk and the housing of the device. Their turn will occur only under the condition that the direction of the inertial force of the vehicle and the direction of the force exerted by the obstacle on the vehicle intersect.

It is also untenable to claim that the rotation of the housing of the device will cause the rotation of the front wheels of the vehicle due to the fact that the axis of rotation of the housing of the device does not coincide with the axis of rotation of the wheels of the vehicle.

In the representation of the solution, no dimensional relations between the turntable and the vehicle are given. The generality of the presentation of the solution represents a major obstacle to its applicability, which is why this solution represents only a good incentive for finding new solutions that would achieve the indicated protective effects.

The essence of invention

A device with a vehicle wheel to protect the vehicle in the event of a collision consists of a spare and/or used wheel of the motor vehicle itself or a similar wheel mounted on a vertical fixed or vertically movable axle which is attached to the front or rear of the vehicle by means of a suitable bracket so that one half of the wheel is exposed to crashes.

The wheel basically consists of a metal rim on the rim of which there is a shell in the form of a hollow torus made of elastomer material filled with gaseous, liquid, loose or solid filling. The wheel is mounted on the axle so that it can rotate freely in both directions. Regarding the kinematic structure, two versions of the device are possible, namely a device with a fixed wheel axle and a device with a movable wheel axle.

In a device with a fixed axle, the vertical wheel axle is rigidly attached to a support that is attached to the front or rear of the vehicle so that one half of the horizontally placed wheel is exposed to the bumps. Under the action of an external tangential force, the wheel can rotate in one or the other direction.

In a device with a movable axle, the vertical wheel axle is attached to a support that is attached to the front or rear of the vehicle via a movable connection that enables it to move along a certain path. A horizontally placed wheel whose vertical axis of rotation can move so that its projection on the horizontal plane describes a predetermined or undetermined path can, under the action of an external tangential force, perform complex motion in the plane of rotation consisting of rotation of the wheel about its axis in one or the other the direction and movement of the vertical axis of the wheel along a path.

The vertical movable axis of the wheel is maintained by an elastic connection in a labile initial position in which the axis of the wheel is located outside the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the device.

When a vehicle collides with a device, the collision forces create a force moment with an arm equal to the current distance of the wheel axis from the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the device, which reliably leads to the movement of the wheel axis along a certain path.

The movement of the wheel axle also occurs in a direct head-on collision, in which the direction of the inertial force of the obstacle and the direction of the inertial force of the vehicle pass through the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the vehicle. As a result of the relative movement of the wheel axis perpendicular to the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the vehicle, there is a relative rolling of the rim of the wheel casing on the obstacle, i.e. rotation of the wheel around its axis of rotation. Thus, even in the case of a direct head-on collision, wheel rotation is stimulated, which, due to the dynamism of the process, continues even after the relative movement of the wheel axle has stopped. In this way, the wheel receives part of the energy of the collision, which is transformed into the kinetic energy of wheel rotation with which the wheel rolls over the obstacle perpendicular to the direction of travel, which leads to the rejection of the vehicle against the obstacle or the obstacle against the vehicle. The direction of mutual repulsion of the vehicle and the obstacle during a direct collision depends on the initial position of the wheel axis in relation to the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the device.

After a collision that did not result in plastic deformation or tearing of parts of the device, the elastic connection returns the wheel axle to the initial labile position outside the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the device, thus returning the device to an active state.

In a dynamic sense, the device with a wheel on a movable axle is an accumulator of kinetic collision into the kinetic energy of wheel rotation and a reliable transformer of negative kinetic collision energy into positive energy, which is used to remove the vehicle and the obstacle from mutual unwanted engagement.

In relation to the solution shown in patent DE1918833, the device according to the invention has the following elements of novelty:

The axis of rotation of the wheel in the initial position does not lie on the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the vehicle or device. The excitation of wheel rotation due to the relative movement of the wheel axis perpendicular to the longitudinal central plane of symmetry of the vehicle leads to a reliable rotation of the wheel and the effect of repelling an obstacle against the vehicle or the vehicle against an obstacle to the left or right side.

Exciting wheel rotation can be solved in another way by using more complex and expensive regulatory, drive and transmission devices that would detect the direction of rotation conditioned by the directions of inertial forces and that would perform and transmit the turn. As a collision is essentially a short-term process of exchange of high energies between two bodies that takes place over a short distance, the detection of collision parameters, the management of the collision process, and the transfer and conversion of these energies would require complex and expensive regulation, drive and transmission devices whose protective effectiveness would be uncertain. .

The solution of the rotating disk device described in patent DE1918833 is only applicable as a front bumper of a road motor vehicle because the housing of the device should perform the rotation of the front wheels of the vehicle during a collision.

The device according to the invention is applicable as a front and rear bumper of motor vehicles. Its application can be extended to the protection of parts of movable and immovable objects exposed to collisions, such as the side parts of freight vehicles, parts of roads, sides of buildings and all places where a direct collision between two bodies can occur.

By using a spare or used vehicle wheel or another similar wheel in the device, the octet repulsive element of the device and the dimensional relations between it and the vehicle are completely structurally determined, which is not the case with the "metal rotating disc with rubber ring" from patent DE1918833.

Based on the information about the kinematic and dynamic properties of the crash that can be obtained from the device according to the invention, it is possible to improve the protective effects of other protective means in the vehicle, such as pneumatic cushions and seat belts that protect passengers in vehicles.

The device according to the invention provides protection of vehicles and objects in traffic with the following protective measures:

1. by the elastic spring action of the elastomeric wheel casing with gas, liquid, loose or solid filling,

1. reliable rotation of the wheel on a stationary axle to the left or right when at the beginning of the collision a force with a tangential component acts on the wheel casing, which achieves the vehicle's rejection of an obstacle or an obstacle against the vehicle,

1. reliable rotation of the wheel on the movable axle to the left and right when at the beginning of the collision a force with a tangential component or a radial force lying on the line passing through the wheel axis acts on the wheel casing, which achieves the vehicle's rejection of the obstacle or the obstacle against the vehicle,

1. by the combined action of the spring action of the elastomeric wheel casing and the rotation of the wheel on a fixed or movable axle,

1. by reliably returning the undeformed device with a wheel on a movable axle to its initial state before the collision,

1. by improving the protective effects of pneumatic cushions, seat belts and other safety devices for the protection of passengers in the vehicle based on information on the kinematic and dynamic crash properties obtained from the device.

Image descriptions

Figure 1 shows in a floor plan the kinematic arrangement of the device with one or more wheels on one movable axle shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5 and the kinematic arrangement of the device with two or more wheels on two movable axles shown in Figure 6 which are located on the front or rear side vehicles.

Figure 2 shows the cross-section A-A from Figure 1 in an example of a device with one wheel on a moving axle whose axis can move in a circular path.

Figure 3 shows the section B-B from Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a partial section A-A from Figure 1 in an example of a device with one wheel on a fixed axle.

Figure 5 shows the section A-A from Figure 1 in an example of a device with two wheels on two movable axles with a common axis that can move in a circular path.

Figure 6 shows the section A-A from Figure 1 in an example of a device with two wheels, each on its own movable axle, which can move independently of each other along circular paths from a common starting position.

Fig. 7 shows a side view of the passenger car from Fig. 8 with devices with one wheel on a movable axle located at the front and rear of the car.

Fig. 8 shows the floor plan of the passenger car of Fig. 7 with devices with one wheel each on a movable axle located at the front and rear of the car.

Performance descriptions

Regarding the kinematic structure, two basic designs of devices with vehicle wheels for the protection of motor vehicles in the event of a collision are possible: devices with wheels on movable axles and devices with wheels on fixed axles.

The design of the device with one wheel on a movable axle in the kinematic sense represents a solution that allows the wheel to perform a motion during a collision consisting of the rotation of the wheel around its axis and the movement of the wheel axis itself along a certain path. During this complex movement of the wheel, part of the kinetic energy of the collision is converted into the kinetic energy of the rotation of the wheel, which rotates between the vehicle and the obstacle and which takes the vehicle and the obstacle out of mutual engagement, thus interrupting or changing the negative course of the plastic collision between the vehicle and the obstacle.

The device shown in Figures 2 and 3 consists of a spare or used wheel of a vehicle on which the device is mounted or a dimensionally similar wheel of another type of vehicle, an assembly for accommodating the wheel and a support with which the device is attached to the vehicle or other object. Its kinematic structure corresponds to the representation on the right half of Figure 1 with the path of the central axis O in the form of a circle Pk.

The wheel used in the device can be the type wheel used on a vehicle on a driving or driven axle. It can be a new unused spare or used spare wheel of the vehicle itself or a used wheel of the same type of vehicle or a dimensionally similar wheel of another type of vehicle.

The wheel consists of an outer elastomer cover 1, a filling 2 with a filling and emptying device 3, a rim 4 and a protective cover 5.

The elastomer cover of 1 wheel can be a new or used type standard cover. A used cover can have a worn tread surface, but it should have a preserved and undamaged structure of the cover.

When the spare wheel of the vehicle itself is used in the device, filling 2 is made by a standard tube filled with air compressed to the prescribed pressure for the spare wheel for a particular type of vehicle.

Elastomeric sheath 1 can be filled with substances of other physical and aggregate properties, such as liquid, loose and solid substances. Liquid substances can be non-flammable oils, fats and water; loose substances can be sand, metallic and non-metallic granules, while solid substances can be gypsum, concrete and other substances.

The filling of the elastomer sheath 1 with the filling 2 is carried out in a manner appropriate to the physical properties of the filling. Filling with gaseous filling is done using non-return valve 3. Filling casing 1 with liquid fillings can be done using inner tubes with modified non-return valves 3. Loose and solid fillings can be filled into the inner space of the torus that borders casing 1 and rim 4, which in normal design fills tube. Filling with loose and solid fillings can be done through the expanded opening for the air valve 3 on the rim 4, which is closed with a suitable closure after filling. Filling with solid substances such as gypsum and concrete is performed by pouring these substances while they are in a granular state.

The choice of the type of substance used for filling 2 depends on the assumed amount of collision energy. The stiffness of filling 2 should be proportional to the vehicle's mass: the greater the weight of the vehicle, the greater the stiffness of filling 2 and vice versa. Lighter vehicles such as cars can use a spare or used tire with a compressed air tube as a filler, while heavier vehicles such as trucks can use liquid, loose and solid fillers.

The elastomeric cover 1 with the filling 2 during the crash receives the crash forces and transfers them to the rim 4, which transfers them to the wheel mounting assembly.

Rim 4 can be a typical vehicle wheel rim, but it can also be a modified reinforced version.

The wheel, which consists of an elastomer cover 1, a filler 2 and a rim 4, is placed on the disc 6 so that the concave surface 7 of the rim 4 rests on the horizontal surface of the disc 6, to which it is attached with screws 8. Standard rims are attached with the same type of screws used for attachment to vehicle axles.

The protective cover 5, which is used as a decorative and safety part against unauthorized disassembly of the wheel, closes the outer surface of the rim 4. In order to directly transfer forces from the rim 4 to the disc 6, it is necessary that the gap Z between the outer side surface of the disc 6 and the inner side surface of the rim 4 is as small as possible.

The disc 6 can be made as a solid or hollow part that is separable or inseparable attached to the outer ring 9 of the radial axial bearing. The disc 6 can be seated on the shaft 10 using a sliding or rolling radial axial bearing attached to the shaft 10 with a nut 11. In order to transfer high amounts of radial inertial collision forces, a sliding radial axial bearing is more advantageous than a rolling one.

In the design of a device with a wheel on a movable axle, the entire wheel, which consists of an elastomer cover 1, filling 2, rim 4 and a protective cover 5, must be able, in the event of a collision, to perform a complex movement composed of rotation of the wheel around the central axis O in one or the other direction rotation and motion of the wheel in the horizontal plane, in which the vertical projection of the central axis O on the horizontal plane performs motion along a certain path. That path can be a straight line Ppr, an open curve Pot such as a parabola and hyperbola, a closed curve Pk such as a circle and an ellipse, and other open and closed regular or irregular curves. If the trajectory is a closed curve, as in the case shown in figures 1, 2, and 3, in which the trajectory of the circle Pk is the projection of the central axis O onto the horizontal plane, it can perform motion from the initial position along the entire circle Pk or another closed trajectory. If the trajectory is a straight line Ppr or an open curve Pot, then the projection of the central axis O onto the horizontal plane performs motion on the segment of the straight line Ppr or open curve Pot from the initial position Po to the final position P1 or P1'.

When the vehicle V with the device moving in the direction of movement Sk collides with the obstacle P, the central axis of the wheel O must perform a movement in the direction S towards the vehicle whose inclination is � in the initial position Po in relation to the plane of symmetry of the vehicle RSv, i.e. the plane of symmetry of the device RSn , equal to or greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. The inertial force of the vehicle Iv, which is transmitted via the device support attached to the chassis and/or body of the vehicle V in the direction of the plane of symmetry of the device RSn, creates a moment of force Iv times the arm of the force Rk that pushes the wheel axis O along the path towards the vehicle V. The component of motion Sb of the central axis O which is perpendicular to the direction of movement Sk causes the wheel to roll over the obstacle P in the direction of the plane of symmetry of the device RSn, which continues to the end position P1 or P1' on the open path, i.e. until the axle movement stops at the point of establishing dynamic balance on the closed path. In this way, the rotation of the wheel around the central axis O is induced and part of the collision energy is transferred to the wheel, which accumulates it in the form of kinetic energy of the rotating masses of the wheel.

The impact of the vehicle V on the obstacle P depends on many factors, the most influential of which, in addition to the amount of exchanged collision energy, are: the mass of the rotating parts of the wheel, the shape of the path of the central axis O, the position of the plane of symmetry of the device RSn in relation to the plane of symmetry of the vehicle RSv and others.

The initial position along the central axis O must be outside the plane of symmetry of the device RSn. This can be achieved in practical versions of the device with different types of elastic connections of the wheel axle with the stationary parts of the device. The plane of symmetry of one device RSn can be in the plane of symmetry of the vehicle RSv as shown in Figure 8 or located to the left or right of the plane of symmetry of the vehicle RSv as shown in Figure 1. The distance of the plane of symmetry of the device RSn from the plane of symmetry of the vehicle RSv should not be large . In the case of devices with symmetrical open or closed paths of the central axis O, this distance should not be greater than half the width of the path. To protect the central part of the vehicle with a device with a movable shaft, this distance should be smaller than the outer radius of the elastomer cover 1.

The shape of the path of the vertical projection of the central axis O onto the horizontal plane significantly affects the effect of the collision process.

When the path is the direction Ppr, the excitation of the rotation of the wheel takes place on the segment of the direction from the initial position Po to the final position P1. If there is no mutual repulsion of the vehicle and the obstacle along the path of the central axis O, the wheel axle remains in the final position P1, in which the entire device begins to function as a device with a fixed axle, and from that moment the process of plastic collision with all its consequences can begin.

When the path is an open curve Pot, the excitation of rotation takes place on the segment of the curve from the initial position Po to the final position P1'. The first part of the open path must be indented towards vehicle V. It is most logical that this part of the path is the indented symmetrical segment of the open curve. On the way from the initial position Po to the minimum point on the open path, the rotation of the wheel should occur. It is to be expected that during the collision the central axis O will oscillate around the minimum point and that the process of elastic collision will end around the minimum point. However, there is a theoretical possibility that the central axis O reaches the end position P1' and remains there, and the process of elastic collapse ends and the process of plastic collapse begins.

When the path is a closed regular or irregular curve, the final position of the central axis O does not exist, and a dynamic process of oscillating motion of the central axis O can take place along its entire length during the collision.

The dynamism of the motion of the wheel consisting of rotation around the central axis O and the motion of the central axis O itself along a closed path or within the surface bounded by that path is also affected by the dynamism of the collision process that takes place between the obstacle P and the elastomer shell 1. The central axis O of the wheel is in a continuous labile state. in an unspecified position that must lead to the vehicle hitting an obstacle or an obstacle hitting the vehicle.

In the example of the design of the device with one wheel on a movable shaft whose central axis O can move along the circular path Pk shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the shaft 10 is inseparably connected at its lower end to the horizontal circular plate 12. The lower end of the shaft 10 is welded to the circular plate 12 at a distance Rk from its central axis Ok can rotate together with the circular plate 12. The circular plate 12 rests on the base plate 13 to which it is attached with a ring 14 by means of screws 15 for the support 16 of the device. The axis 10 is maintained by an elastic connection in the initial position of the central axis Po. The elastic connection is achieved by a tension spring 17 which, via a ring 18, keeps the shaft 10 connected to the fixed console 19. If the circular plate 12 rotates around the OK axis, the distance between the console 19 and the central axis O of the shaft 10 increases and the spring 17 stretches, in which the tension increases. the force that returns the axis 10 to the initial position Po.

The described design solution of the device with one wheel on a movable axle is one of a number of possible constructive solutions. It shows one of the many ways of achieving the movement of the wheel axle along a given path, maintaining the axle in the initial position and returning it to the initial position.

The design of the device with two or more wheels on one movable axle or two movable axles with a common central axis O shown in Figure 5 is kinematically equivalent to the described basic design of the device with one wheel. Its kinematic structure also corresponds to the representation on the right half of Figure 1 with the path of the central axis O in the form of a circle Pk.

The shown device consists of two or more wheels located on two axles with the same central axis O. On the lower and upper side of the device support 16 there are axles 10 with the same central axis O welded to one circular plate 12 which can rotate in the support 16 between two rings 14 attached with screws 15 to the support 16. One or more wheels can be mounted on each of the axles 10 in parallel horizontal planes.

The performance of the device with two or more wheels on two moving axles is shown in Figure 6. Its kinematic structure corresponds to the complete representation in Figure 1 with the paths of the central axes O in the form of circles Pk. The kinematic structure of the upper wheel corresponds to the representation on the left half of Figure 1, and the kinematic structure of the lower wheel corresponds to the representation on the right half of Figure 1. The central axes O of both movable axes in the initial positions Po are on the same line. This is the best starting position where the wheels on both axles have the least horizontal projection. In case of a simultaneous collision with an obstacle P, the central axis O of the upper wheel moves along the left path Pk and the central axis O of the lower wheel along the right path Pk. The central axes of the wheels are separated and rotation in opposite directions is induced in the wheels. The actual unfolding of the dynamic crash process is more complex and the crash process itself is more unstable than in a device with one wheel, and the probability of the vehicle hitting an obstacle is higher. The device basically consists of two devices with one or more wheels on each moving axle, which are attached to a wider support 16.

The design of a device with one or more wheels on a fixed axle represents a special simplified case of the described device with a wheel on a movable axle. The wheel can only rotate in one or the other direction of rotation around the vertical axis O, which is located in the vertical plane of symmetry of the device RSn. An example of the design of this device is shown in Figure 4. The lower end of the axle 10 is welded directly to the support 16. The device can have one or more wheels located on one or two axles with a common central axis.

This version of the device can be used to protect vehicle parts and stationary objects in places where inertial collision forces reliably occur, the direction of which does not pass through the central axis O of the wheel. Devices of this arrangement can also be used in combinations with devices with wheels on movable axles.

Application descriptions

The device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of vehicles in the event of a collision has multiple application possibilities for the protection of moving and stationary objects from the consequences of a collision. The described versions of devices with wheels on movable axles can be combined with devices with wheels on fixed axles and from them create various shock systems. These systems can be used to protect parts of movable and immovable objects exposed to collisions, such as parts of road and rail vehicles, parts of roads, edges of buildings and all places where a direct collision between two bodies can occur.

The best protective effect of the vehicle during collisions is achieved by using devices with wheels on movable axles on the front and/or rear of the vehicles that are most often exposed to collisions. The devices can be used independently or in combination with existing bumpers. Figures 7 and 8 show the method of application of a device with one wheel on a movable axle in combination with existing bumpers to protect the central parts of the front and rear of a passenger car.

The device with the wheel is attached to the chassis and/or body of the car by means of the bracket 16 so that the central axis of the wheel O is perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the road. The support 16 should be dimensioned and shaped so that it can transfer the foreseeable inertial forces of the collision from the wheels to the chassis and/or the vehicle body. In specific cases of application, the support 16 can be a one-part rigid body or a multi-part structure that enables the wheels to be moved from the position for protecting the vehicle to the position for parking the vehicle.

The vertical plane of symmetry of the device RSn can be in the vertical plane of symmetry of the vehicle RSv. To protect the central part of the vehicle, their distance should be smaller than the outer radius of the elastomer cover 1.

The entire device with a wheel can be installed in the body or protruded outside the body depending on the available space. Application of the device on existing vehicles is possible after analysis of the acceptance and available space for installation in the front and/or rear part of the vehicle, while a place for the devices must be foreseen during the construction of new vehicles. When installing the device, care should be taken that the height of the central horizontal plane of symmetry of the wheel from the road Hn is greater than or equal to the height Ht of the highest point of the vehicle's center of gravity T from the road. In this case, the inertial forces of the collision will create a moment of force that will lift the part of the vehicle exposed to the collision, which will reduce the possibility of the vehicle pulling under the obstacle.

By applying a device to protect the front and/or rear of the vehicle, the length of the vehicle increases.

This drawback is not so devastating if the device is understood as an elastic stop by which the vehicle can be supported at a low speed on bodies at rest, whereby the wheel from the initial position Po moves towards the vehicle. The horizontal wheel of the device is actually an auxiliary wheel that is used to "ride" on vertical bodies at rest. The distance between the vehicle with the device on the front and/or rear of the vehicle and the objects next to which the vehicle is parked is not required, nor is caution required when parking as when parking a vehicle with classic bumpers. The negative effect of the increase in the length of the vehicle with the device is canceled out by the reduction or complete disappearance of the distance between the vehicle and neighboring objects.

The increase in the length of the vehicle can be avoided by the construction of such devices that can be moved from the position of the active bumper to the parking position. This can be achieved by construction solutions with an articulated support or other device solutions that can bring the wheel from an active horizontal position to a passive vertical or inclined position. Each of such constructive solutions should be harmonized with the construction of the part of the vehicle on which the device is installed.

A satisfactory degree of protection of the front and/or rear of the truck can be achieved by applying a shock absorber system composed of one device with wheels on movable axles placed in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the truck and two devices with fixed axles placed laterally from the central device.

Based on information about changes in dimensional, kinematic and dynamic quantities during a crash that can be obtained from the device according to the invention, such as: angle of rotation of the wheel, displacement of the movable axle of the wheel, deformation of the elastomer shell, change in the pressure of the gas filling, change in the amount of inertial forces and other quantities it is possible to improve the protective effects of other protective devices in the vehicle, such as pneumatic airbags and seat belts that protect the passengers in vehicles.

Claims (8)

1. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of vehicles in the event of a collision, consisting of a spare or used wheel of a type of vehicle on which the device is mounted, or a similar wheel of another type of vehicle, consisting of an outer elastomer shell (1), a rim (4) and an infill ( 2) which fills the cavity of the torus closed by the elastomer shell (1) and the rim (4), indicated by the fact that the rim (4) is attached to the horizontal surface of the circular disc (6) by means of screws (8) with the surface (7) of the ring (9) mounted on a vertical shaft (10) around which it can freely rotate in both directions of rotation and to which it is attached with a nut (11) and which is rigidly connected at the other end to the movable plate (12) attached to the base (13) by means of a part (14) with screws (15) for the support (16) through which the device is attached to the chassis and/or body of the vehicle (V) and that the movable plate (12) can move in the collision of the elastomer cover (1) with the obstacle (P) horizontal plane so that the vertical projection of the central axis (O) of the wheel on the water a flat plane moves along a path that is a segment of a line (Ppr), or a segment of a regular or irregular open curve (Pot), or a regular or irregular closed curve (Pk) or an undefined path within the surface bounded by a regular or irregular closed curve from the initial position (Po ) located outside the vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry of the device (RSn) at a distance (Rk) in which it is maintained before and after the collision by means of an elastic connection (17) with the stationary parts of the device (14) in the direction (S) towards the vehicle (V) whose is the slope (�� in relation to the vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry of the device (RSn) equal to or greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. 2. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of a vehicle in the event of a collision according to patent claim 1, indicated by the fact that it has one vertical shaft (10) on which one or more wheels are located and which is immovably attached to the support (16) at one end or that it has two vertical axles (10) with one or more wheels on each of the vertical axles (10) which have a common central axis (O) and which are fixed at one end to the opposite sides of the support (16) through which the device is attached to the chassis and /or vehicle body (V). 3. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of a vehicle in the event of a collision according to patent claim 1, characterized in that it has one vertical shaft (10) on which two or more wheels are located and which is rigidly connected at one end to a movable plate (12) attached to the base (13) using the part (14) with screws (15) for the support (16) through which the device is attached to the chassis and/or body of the vehicle (V) or which has two vertical axles (10) with one or more wheels on each of vertical shafts (10) which have a common central axis (O) and which are rigidly connected at one end to the opposite sides of a common movable plate (12) attached by means of two parts (14) with screws (15) to a support (16) over which the device fastens to the chassis and/or body of the vehicle (V). 4. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of a vehicle in the event of a collision according to patent claim 1, characterized in that it has two vertical axles (10) with one or more wheels on each of the vertical axles (10) which are rigidly connected to movable plates at one end (12) attached to the bases (13) using parts (14) with screws (15) on opposite sides of the support (16) through which the device is attached to the chassis and/or body of the vehicle (V) so that the central axes (O) are both vertical the shafts (10) in the initial positions (Po) are located on the same vertical direction or in its immediate vicinity. 5. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of a vehicle in the event of a collision according to patent claims 1 to 4, indicated by the fact that two or more identical and/or different devices are combined into one bumper system of the front and/or rear of the vehicle or that one or more of the same and/or different devices are used independently or in combination with existing bumpers to protect the central parts of the front and/or rear of the vehicle. 6. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of a vehicle in the event of a collision according to patent claims 1 to 4, indicated by the fact that it is used for the protection of other movable and immovable objects in the event of a collision. 7. Vehicle wheel device for vehicle collision protection according to patent claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the filling (2) consists of a typical wheel tube filled with compressed air, or an elastomeric container filled with a non-flammable liquid substance, or a non-flammable loose substance or from a non-flammable solid substance that is introduced into the inner space of the torus that delimits the elastomer shell (1) and the rim (4) by means of a filling and emptying device (3) and that the stiffness of the filling (2) is proportional to the vehicle's mass (V). 8. A device with a vehicle wheel for the protection of a vehicle during a collision according to patent claims 1 to 5, indicated by the fact that changes in the dimensions of the component parts are made, and/or changes in kinematic quantities and/or changes in dynamic quantities occurred during the duration of the vehicle collision (V) with an obstacle (P) are used as input data to activate devices for the protection of passengers in the vehicle such as airbags and/or seat belts.