WO2001003977A1

WO2001003977A1 - A vehicle accessory

Info

Publication number: WO2001003977A1
Application number: PCT/IB1999/001278
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mattheus Adriaan Albertus Ludick; Jacob Coetzer Ludick
Original assignee: Ludick Mattheus Adriaan Albert; Jacob Coetzer Ludick
Priority date: 1999-07-13
Filing date: 1999-07-13
Publication date: 2001-01-18
Also published as: AU4640199A

Abstract

A safety accessory (12) for a passenger vehicle (10) includes a protective structure (14) which is receivable within a passenger compartment (22) of the vehicle for defining a protected region (20) in which passengers conveyed in the vehicle are positioned in use, the protective structure having at least one roof portion (16) and a pair of opposed side portions (18). The accessory includes a fastening means which is arranged on the protective structure for fastening it to a suitable part of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a passenger vehicle.

Description

" A VEHICLE ACCESSORY "

THIS INVENTION relates to a vehicle accessory. More

particularly, this invention relates to a safety accessory for a passenger

vehicle and to a passenger vehicle.

In this specification, the words "passenger vehicle" shall

be understood to mean a vehicle which is intended to convey

passengers commercially or a vehicle which is intended to convey more

than five passengers.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is

provided a safety accessory for a passenger vehicle, the safety

accessory including

a protective structure which is receivable within a passenger

compartment of the vehicle for defining a protected region in which

passengers conveyed in the vehicle are positioned in use, the protective

structure having at least one a roof portion and a pair of opposed side portions; and

a fastening means which is arranged on the protective structure

for fastening it to a suitable part of the vehicle.

The accessory is intended primarily for use with mini¬

buses. However, the applicant believes that the invention can also be

effectively applied to full size buses.

The protective structure may include a plurality of roof

portions, each having an associated pair of opposed side portions. Each

roof portion and its associated pair of side portions may be

interconnected to define a hoop, each hoop having an operatively

horizontal tube and a pair of opposed, operatively substantially vertical

tubes.

The hoops may be positioned in a spaced, aligned fashion

with at least one cross member interconnecting each consecutive pair

of hoops.

The safety accessory may include at least one roof cross

member which is fastened between each consecutive pair of horizontal tubes and at least one side cross member which is fastened between

each consecutive pair of vertical tubes.

An end of a roof cross member may be fastened to each

end of each horizontal tube and to the upper end of each vertical tube

so that the structure defines a number of pairs of aligned upper nodes.

Similarly, a lower end of a side cross member may be fastened to a

lower end of each vertical tube so that the structure defines a number

of pairs of aligned lower nodes.

The safety accessory may further include a cabin portion

which is receivable in a driver's cabin of the vehicle for defining a

protected region in which a driver of the vehicle is positioned in use, the

cabin portion having at least a cabin roof portion which is connected to

the structure. The cabin portion may be comprised of seamless tubes

and may be connected to a pair of aligned upper nodes.

The safety accessory may also includes an attachment

arrangement which extends from the structure for attaching a roof rack.

Each roof portion, side portion and cross member may be formed of an elongate steel element. The steel element may be in the

form of a seamless tube which is circular in cross section.

The fastening means may include a clamping device which

is configured to clamp on to the ends of the cross members and the

tubes defining the nodes so that said ends are fastened together.

Each clamping device may include a pair of complementary

clamping members, each of which is shaped so that, in use, when the

clamping members are clamped together, the ends of the cross

members and tubes defining the nodes are sandwiched between the

clamping members. Each clamping device may define a flange which

is fastenable to a chassis of the vehicle for fastening the structure to

the chassis.

The fastening means may thus include a number of upper

clamping devices which are engageable with the upper nodes. The

fastening means may thus also include a number of lower clamping

devices which are engageable with the lower nodes.

The invention extends to a passenger vehicle which 90 includes the accessory described above.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is

provided a passenger vehicle which includes a safety accessory for a

passenger vehicle, the safety accessory including a protective structure

95 which is fastened within a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the

protective structure having at least one a roof portion and a pair of

opposed side portions.

The invention is now described, by way of example, with

00 reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a vehicle which

incorporates a safety accessory, in accordance with the invention, for

05 a passenger vehicle;

Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of the vehicle of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a schematic plan view of the vehicle of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows a schematic side view of the safety accessory;

Figure 5 shows a schematic plan view of the safety accessory;

1 0 Figure 6 shows a schematic three dimensional view, from the front, of the safety accessory;

Figure 7 shows a schematic, three dimensional view of the safety

accessory, from the rear;

Figure 8 shows a plan view of an upper clamping device of the

safety accessory;

Figure 9 shows a schematic sectioned view of part of the

clamping device of Figure 8; and

Figure 1 0 shows a schematic sectioned side view of part "B" of

the safety accessory shown in Figure 7.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates

a vehicle or mini bus, in accordance with the invention, which

incorporates a safety accessory 1 2, also in accordance with the

invention.

The safety accessory 1 2 includes a protective structure 14.

The protective structure 14 comprises a roof portion 1 6 and a pair of

opposed side portions 1 8. The protective structure 14 defines a

protected region 20 and is dimensioned to be receivable within a

passenger compartment 22 of the vehicle 1 0 so that passengers (not

shown) conveyed in the vehicle 1 0 are positioned in the protected region 20.

The accessory 1 2 also includes a fastening means 24

which is arranged on the protective structure 14 to permit the protective

structure 1 4 to be fastened to a chassis 26 of the vehicle 10 when the

protective structure 14 is received in the passenger compartment 22.

The roof portion 1 6 and side portions 1 8 of the protective

structure 1 4 comprise elongate steel elements in the form of seamless

steel tubes 28.

The tubes 28 are connected together to define a number

of three aligned hoops 30, each hoop 30 having a pair of vertical tubes

32 and a horizontal tube 34. An upper end 36 of each pair of vertical

tubes 32.1 is connected to each end 38 of a horizontal tube 34.1 . An

upper end 40 of each pair of vertical tubes 32.2 is connected to each

end 42 of a horizontal tube 34.2. Similarly, an upper end 44 of a

vertical tube 32.3 is connected to each end 46 of a horizontal tube

34.3.

A hoop 30.1 which comprises the vertical tubes 32.1 and the horizontal tube 34.1 is positioned adjacent a driver's cabin 48 of the

mini bus 1 0. A hoop 30.3 which comprises the horizontal tube 34.3

and the pair of vertical tubes 32.3 is positioned adjacent a rear 50 of

the mini bus 10. A hoop 30.2 which comprises the vertical tubes 32.2

and the horizontal tube 34.2 is positioned intermediate the hoops 30.1

and 30.3.

The structure 14 includes a driver's cabin portion 52. The

driver's cabin portion 52 includes three pairs of spaced, parallel tubes

54 which extend from the upper ends 36 of the tubes 32.1 . A first pair

54.1 extends substantially horizontally from the end 36 of the tubes

32.1 . A second pair 54.2 is connected to the first pair 54.1 and is

angled downwardly from the first pair 54.1 . A third pair 54.3 is

connected between the second pair 54.2 and the chassis 26. A number

of cross-members 56 are connected between the tubes 54 to brace the

tubes 54.

A first pair of roof cross-members 58 are connected

between the horizontal tubes 34.1 , 34.2. A cross-member 58 extends

diagonally from each end 38 of the horizontal tube 34.1 to each

diagonally opposed end 42 of the horizontal tube 34.2. A second pair of roof cross-members 60 is connected

between the horizontal tubes 34.2., 34.3. A roof cross-member 60

extends from each end 42 of the horizontal tube 34.2 to each end 46

of the horizontal tube 34.3.

A pair of side cross-members 62 is connected between one

of the vertical tubes 32.1 and one of the vertical tubes 32.2. These

vertical tubes 32.1 , 32.2 are positioned on the same side of the mini

bus 1 0. Thus, provision is made for a door of the mini bus 1 0. A side

cross-member 62 extends from the upper end 36 of the vertical tube

32.1 to a lower end 64 of the vertical tube 32.2. A side cross-member

62 extends from the upper end 40 of the vertical tube 32.2 to a lower

end 66 of the vertical tube 32.1 .

A pair of side cross-members 68 is connected between the

vertical tube 32.2 and the vertical tube 32.3 on one side of the mini bus

10. A further pair of side cross-members 70 is connected between a

vertical tube 32.2 and a vertical tube 32.3. The side cross-members

68, 70 are connected to their respective vertical tubes 32 in the same

manner as are the side cross-members 62. A pair of rear cross-members 72 are connected between

the pair of vertical tubes 32.3.

An upper cross-member 74 is connected between each

upper end 36 of the vertical tubes 32.1 and each upper end 40 of the

vertical tubes 32.2. An upper cross-member 76 is connected between

each pair of aligned upper ends 36, 40 of the vertical tubes 32.2., 32.3.

The cross-members are also in the form of seamless steel

tubes 28.

It will be appreciated that the structure 1 4 defines three

pairs of upper nodes 78 and three pairs of lower nodes 80. For the

purposes of brevity, the fastening means 24 is described below with

reference to one of the upper nodes 78 generally indicated at "A" in

Figure 7 and one of the lower nodes 80, generally indicated at "B" also

in Figure 7. In this specification, reference to the upper nodes 78 shall

be understood to mean reference to the node generally indicated at "A" .

Further, any reference to the node 80 shall be understood to mean

reference to the node generally indicated at "B" in Figure 7. It will readily appreciated that by merely altering the shape

of the fastening means 24, it will be possible to obtain a configuration

suitable for fastening any of the nodes 78, 80, together. It follows that

the reference numeral 28 in Figures 8 to 1 0 is used so that it is

understood to be interchangeable with any of the tubes and cross

members of the structure 14.

In Figure 8, a schematic plan view of a clamping device 82

is shown. The clamping device 82 includes an upper shell 84 and lower

shell 86 (Figure 9) . The shells 84, 86 each define six clamping

formations 88. Further, the shells 84, 86 are shaped so that a tube 28

can be clamped between any pair of corresponding clamping formations

88, as is shown in Figure 9.

Each upper clamping formation 88.1 has a pair of aligned

openings 90 defined therein. A threaded nut 92 is fast with each

clamping formation 88 about each opening 90. Each lower clamping

formation 88.2 also has a pair of openings 94 defined therein. An

opening 94 is aligned with each opening 90 when the shells 84, 86 are

clamped together. That portion of a tube 28 which is sandwiched

between the clamping formations 88 also has openings defined therein so that a bolt 96 can pass through each opening 94, the tube 28 and

the opening 90 to be threadedly received in the nut 92. It will be

appreciated that, by screwing each bolt 96 into its associated nut 92,

240 the shells 84, 86 are drawn together to clamp the tube 28

therebetween. A pair of bushes 98 are positioned in an end of each

tube 28. A bush 98 is aligned with each pair of aligned openings 94,

90. Each bush 98 is dimensioned to inhibit buckling of the tube 28.

245 Each bolt 96 is of the type having a snap-off head 1 00.

The snap-off head 100 is designed so that, at a desired torque, the head

1 00 parts from the bolt 96. This inhibits tampering with the bolts 96

and also indicates whether or not the bolts 96 have been correctly

tightened.

250

The clamping device 82 includes twelve of the devices 82.

As set out above, by simply modifying the clamping device 82, it is

possible to obtain a configuration which can be used with any of the

upper nodes 78.

255

In Figure 10, there is shown a schematic, side-sectioned

view of the node 80. A further clamping device 102 is provided to fasten tubes 28 to the chassis 26.

As with the clamping device 82, the clamping device 1 02

includes a pair of shells, one of which is indicated at 1 04. With

reference to Figures 8 and 9, like reference numerals refer to like parts,

unless otherwise specified.

The clamping device 1 03 includes a flange 106. The

flange 1 06 is divided into two parts, one part being formed integrally

with each shell 104.

Once the shells 1 04 have been clamped together in the

manner described above with reference to Figures 8 and 9, with the

tubes 28 locked in the position shown in Figure 10, the flange 1 06 is

bolted to the chassis 26. For this purpose, a threaded formation 107

is defined on an inner surface 1 08 of the chassis 26.

In order to further secure a vertical tube 28 to the chassis

26, an insert 1 1 0 is threaded into a lower end 1 1 2 of the vertical tube

28. The lower end 1 1 2 has a number of openings (not shown) defined

therein so that, once the insert 1 10 has been screwed into position, the insert 1 1 0 can be tack-welded to the tube 28 to inhibit further rotational

280 movement of the insert 1 10. The insert 1 10 defines a threaded passage

1 1 4 which extends through the insert 1 1 0.

The chassis 26 comprises a number of tubular box

elements, one of which is indicated at 1 1 6. The box element 1 1 6

285 comprises a pair of opposed side walls 1 1 8 and a pair of opposed upper

and lower walls 1 20, 1 22. The upper wall 1 20 and the lower wall 1 22

have a pair of aligned openings 1 24 defined therein. The openings 1 24

are aligned with the threaded passage 1 14. A threaded bolt of the

snap-off type, similar to the bolt 96 is received through the openings

290 1 24 and is threaded into the passage 1 14. The bolt is then tightened

until the head of the bolt parts from the shank thereof. It will be

appreciated that this will further secure the vertical tube 28 to the

chassis 26, in a tamper-proof fashion.

295 A plate 1 26 is secured to the lower wall 1 22 of the

element 1 1 6. The plate 1 26 and the lower wall 1 22 have four pairs of

aligned openings 1 28 defined therein. A threaded formation 1 30 is

defined on an inner side 1 30 of the lower wall 1 22, about each opening

1 28. A bolt (not shown) is received through each pair of aligned openings 1 28 to threadedly engage each formation 1 30.

The plate 1 26 has a central opening 1 32 defined therein.

The opening 1 32 is aligned with the openings 1 24. A bush 1 34 is

received in the element 1 1 6 to be aligned with the openings 1 24. Thus,

the shank of the snap-off bolt is received through the opening 1 32, the

openings 124 and the bush 1 34.

The applicant believes that the invention provides a safety

accessory 1 2 for use with a mini bus 10 which will substantially reduce

the death rate of mini bus drivers and passengers. In the majority of

mini bus accidents, rolling of the mini bus results in destruction of the

passenger compartment. The protective structure 14 supports the

passenger compartment in the manner described above. This will assist

in maintaining a protective region within the passenger compartment so

that the passengers are not ejected from the vehicle or killed or injured

by a collapsing roof of the mini bus 10.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A safety accessory for a passenger vehicle, the safety

accessory including

a protective structure which is receivable within a passenger

compartment of the vehicle for defining a protected region in which

passengers conveyed in the vehicle are positioned in use, the protective

structure having at least one a roof portion and a pair of opposed side

portions; and

a fastening means which is arranged on the protective structure

for fastening it to a suitable part of the vehicle.

2. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the

protective structure includes a plurality of roof portions, each having an

associated pair of opposed side portions.

3. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 2, in which each

roof portion and its associated pair of side portions are interconnected

to define a hoop, each hoop having an operatively horizontal tube and

a pair of opposed, operatively substantially vertical tubes.

4. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 3, in which the hoops are positioned in a spaced, aligned fashion with at least one cross

member interconnecting each consecutive pair of hoops.

5. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4,

which includes at least one roof cross member which is fastened

between each consecutive pair of horizontal tubes and at least one side

cross member which is fastened between each consecutive pair of

vertical tubes.

6. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 5, in which an

end of a roof cross member is fastened to each end of each horizontal

tube and to the upper end of each vertical tube so that the structure

defines a number of pairs of aligned upper nodes.

7. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 6, in which a

lower end of a side cross member is fastened to a lower end of each

vertical tube so that the structure defines a number of pairs of aligned

lower nodes.

8. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 1 , which ncLdes

a cabin portion which is receivable in a driver's cabin of the vehicle for defining a protected region in which a driver of the vehicle is positioned

in use, the cabin portion having at least a cabin roof portion which is

connected to the structure.

9. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 1 , which includes

an attachment arrangement which extends from the structure for

attaching a roof rack.

10. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 4, in which each

roof portion, side portion and cross member is formed of an elongate

steel element.

1 1 . The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 1 1 , in which the

steel element is in the form of a seamless tube which is circular in cross

section.

1 2. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 7, in which the

fastening means includes a clamping device which is configured to

clamp on to the ends of the cross members and the tubes defining the

nodes so that said ends are fastened together.

1 3. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 1 2, in which

each clamping device includes a pair of complementary clamping

members, each of which is shaped so that, in use, when the clamping

members are clamped together, the ends of the cross members and

tubes defining the nodes are sandwiched between the clamping

members.

14. The safety accessory as claimed in Claim 1 2, in which each

clamping device defines a flange which is fastenable to a chassis of the

vehicle for fastening the structure to the chassis.

1 5. A passenger vehicle which includes an accessory as

claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 1 6.

1 6. A passenger vehicle which includes a safety accessory for

a passenger vehicle, the safety accessory including a protective

structure which is fastened within a passenger compartment of the

vehicle, the protective structure having at least one a roof portion and

a pair of opposed side portions.

1 7. A safety accessory for a passenger vehicle, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 8. A passenger vehicle, substantially as herein described with

reference to the accompanying drawings.