WO2003016102A1

WO2003016102A1 - Safety devuce for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2003016102A1
Application number: PCT/IB2002/003273
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zarius André KACHELHOFFER
Original assignee: Kachelhoffer Zarius Andre
Priority date: 2001-08-17
Filing date: 2002-08-15
Publication date: 2003-02-27

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle (12) which includes a protective windscreen barrier (14) which is displacable from a stored position to a protective position, wherein the view of an occupant of the vehicle(12) through a windscreen (18) of the vehicle (12) is substantially unaffected by the barrier (14), to a protectiveposition, wherein the barrier (14) covers the windscreen (18). The vehicle (12) further includes an actuatingdevice (23) for rapidly moving the barrier (14) from its stored position into its protective position, when triggered, and a trigger arrangement (19) for triggering the actuating device (23). The invention extends to a safety system for mounting on the vehicle (12), and to a method of enhancing the safety of occupants of a motor vehicle (12).

Description

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES

THIS invention relates to motor vehicles. In particular it relates to a

system for enhancing the safety of occupants of a motor vehicle in the event of a

collision.

The invention provides a motor vehicle which includes: a protective windscreen barrier which is displaceable from a stored

position, wherein the view of an occupant of the vehicle through a windscreen of

the vehicle is substantially unaffected by the barrier, to a protective position,

wherein the barrier covers the windscreen;

an actuating device for rapidly moving the barrier from its stored position

into its protective position, when triggered; and

a trigger arrangement for triggering the actuating device.

By "covers the windscreen" is meant that the barrier, in its protective

position, is positioned such that, in use, the barrier will obstruct the passage of

objects larger than a predetermined size through the windscreen. This

predetermined size of objects obstructed by the barrier will be determined by the

size of openings defined by the barrier.

The trigger arrangement may be responsive to a predetermined

deceleration of the vehicle, to trigger the actuating device. It will be appreciated that the trigger arrangement may function in a manner substantially similar to the trigger arrangement of conventional air-bag systems.

The protective barrier may, in its protective position, be substantially

parallel to and closely spaced from the windscreen. The barrier may, in its

protective position, be located in front of the windscreen, outside of a driver's

cabin of the vehicle. Alternatively the barrier may, in its protective position, be

located behind the windscreen, inside a driver's cabin of the vehicle. Preferably,

the barrier may be constructed to permit an occupant of the vehicle at least a

partial view through the windscreen, when the barrier is in its protective position.

The protective barrier may, in its stored position, be located parallel to and

closely spaced from a roof of the vehicle, and which includes guide rails which run

from the roof along A-pillars of the vehicle, the windscreen being located between

the A-pillars.

The actuating device may include a pair of actuators that are movable

along the guide rails to displace the barrier into its protective position.

The barrier may, in its stored position, be located above the roof. Instead,

the barrier may, in its stored position, be located below the roof. In another

embodiment of the invention the barrier may, in its stored position, be located in

an engine compartment of the vehicle, adjacent the windscreen. The protective barrier may be a metal mesh. The metal mesh may be of steel mesh, or instead, the mesh may be of a suitably strong and lightweight

material, such as a titanium alloy.

In another embodiment of the invention, the protective barrier may be a

rigid metal frame. The frame may include an inverted U-shaped member having

more or less parallel spaced apart legs and a cross-bar extending transversely

between the legs.

The barrier may be of a flexible sheet-like material. Naturally, this flexible

material will be selected to have sufficient tensile strength, in use, to prevent the

passage of potentially dangerous objects through the windscreen. Thus, the barrier

may be of synthetic fabric material, such as woven aramid fibre.

The frame may, in its stored position, be located adjacent a firewall of the

vehicle in its engine compartment, below the windscreen. The frame may be

actuated by actuators running along guide rails, the actuators driving the lower

ends of the legs of the inverted U-shaped member.

The motor vehicle may include a locking mechanism for locking the barrier

in its protective position.

The invention further provides a safety system for a motor vehicle, which

system includes: a protective barrier which is mountable on the vehicle;

an actuating means for rapidly moving the barrier from a stored position,

wherein the view of an occupant of the vehicle through a windscreen of the vehicle

is unaffected by the barrier, to a protective position, in which the barrier covers the

windscreen, the actuating device being mountable on the vehicle together with the

barrier; and

a trigger arrangement for triggering the actuating device in response to the

vehicle's undergoing a shock of a predetermined magnitude, the trigger

arrangement being operably connectable to the actuating device.

The invention extends to a method of enhancing the safety of occupants

of a motor vehicle, which method includes

automatically and rapidly moving a protective barrier into a protective position

wherein it covers a windscreen of the vehicle, in response to the vehicle's

experiencing at least a predetermined shock or deceleration.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with

reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view of a safety system in

accordance with the invention, a barrier of the safety system being in a stored

position;

Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 , the barrier in a protective

position; Figure 3 is a schematic three-dimensional view of a further embodiment of a

safety system in accordance with the invention, a barrier of the safety system

being in a stored position;

Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3, the barrier in a protective

position;

Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a part of the

safety system of Figure 2 taken at line V - V in Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5 of a further embodiment of a

safety system according to the invention.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates

a safety system for a motor vehicle 1 2. The safety system 1 0 is mounted on the

vehicle 12. The safety system 10 includes a barrier 14 which, in the embodiment

shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 of the drawings, is in the form of a protective

screen 14, comprising a steel wire mesh.

The screen 14 is displaceable between a stored position (shown in Figure

1 ) and a protective position (shown in Figure 2). In the stored position, the screen

1 4 is closely spaced above an upper side of a roof 1 6 of the vehicle 1 2, being

substantially parallel to the roof 16. In the protective position, the screen 14 is

substantially parallel to and immediately in front of a windscreen 1 8 of the vehicle

1 2, being closely spaced from the windscreen 1 8, as can be seen in Figure 5 of the

drawings. In this position, the screen 14 obstructs the passage of objects which

are larger than the openings defined by the mesh through the windscreen 1 8. When in the stored position, the view of an occupant (not shown) of the vehicle 1 2 through the windscreen 1 8 is unaffected by the screen 1 4.

The screen 1 4 is displaceable between its stored and protective positions

by an actuating device which includes a pair of guide rails 20. The guide rails 20

extend longitudinally along opposed sides of the roof 1 6 and down associated A-

pillars 22, the windscreen 1 8 being located between the opposed A-pillars 22.

Each guide rail 20 defines a passage (not shown) extending along its length, along

which an actuator 23 is movable. The actuators 23 are, in use, driven along the

passages by known means, such as the expansion of pressurised gas in the

passages. The screen 14 is, at its lower-most corners, connected to the actuators

23 so that movement of the actuators 23 along the guide rails 20 effects

displacement of the screen 14 from its stored position into its protective position.

It will be appreciated that the screen 14 is sufficiently flexible to allow the screen

14 and the actuators 23 to pass past cranks in the guide rails 20 at upper ends of

the A-pillars 22.

The system 10 also includes a trigger arrangement for triggering

movement of the actuators 23 along the guide rails 20 in response to a sufficient

shock or deceleration being experienced by the vehicle 1 2. It will be appreciated

that the trigger arrangement functions in a manner substantially similar to the

trigger arrangements of conventional air-bag systems. In this case the trigger

arrangement includes a sensor 1 9 for measuring shock or deceleration experienced

by the vehicle 1 2, the sensor 1 9 being electronically connected to the actuating device. Actuation of the screen 14 is automatically triggered when the sensor 1 9 measures a shock or deceleration larger than a predetermined value. The system

10 also includes a locking mechanism (not shown) for locking the screen 1 4 in its

protective position.

It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the screen 1 4 may, in

its stored position, be located immediately below the roof 1 6 of the vehicle 1 2, so

that, in its protective position, it is located immediately behind the windscreen 1 8,

as shown in Figure 6.

In use, normal operation of the vehicle 1 2 is unaffected by the presence

of the safety system 10. In the event of the vehicle's 1 2 being involved in an

accidental collision, the trigger arrangement senses the shock or deceleration

experienced by the vehicle 1 2 during the collision and automatically activates the

actuating device, rapidly to displace the actuators 23 along the guide rails 20,

thereby moving the protective screen 1 4 into its protective position. Safety of the

vehicle's occupants is hereby enhanced in that potentially dangerous objects which

might have passed through the windscreen 1 8 to cause injury to the occupants are

obstructed by the protective screen 14. The occupants are also prevented from

flying through the windscreen 18 in the event of an occupant's not wearing a

seatbelt, or of the seatbelt breaking. Even in its protective position, the screen 14

does not completely obstruct an occupants's view through the windscreen 1 8, so

that in an emergency the driver of the vehicle 1 2 can still exert effective control

over the vehicle 1 2. Figures 3 and 4 show a further embodiment of a safety system 24 in accordance with the invention, with like reference numerals indicating like parts in

Figures 1 - 2 and Figures 3 - 4.

The system 24 functions in a manner substantially similar to the system 10 described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, a major distinction being that the

protective barrier is in the form of a rigid frame 26. The frame 26 is made of steel

tubing, and consists of an inverted U-shaped member 28 having two more or less

parallel spaced legs 30, and a cross-bar 32 extending between the legs 30.

In its stored position (shown in Figure 3) the frame 26 is located adjacent

a firewall (not shown) of the vehicle 1 2 in its engine compartment 34, while, in its

protective position (shown in Figure 4), the frame 26 is again closely spaced in

front of the windscreen 1 8.

As before, the system 24 includes an actuating device which includes a

pair of guide rails 36 which are, in this case, substantially vertical and are located

in the engine compartment 34. Actuators 23 which run along passages defined by

the guide rails 36 are connected to operatively lower ends of the legs 30 of the

frame 26. A slot 38 which extends parallel to the windscreen 1 8 is provided in the

body of the vehicle 1 2 immediately in front of the windscreen 1 8, to allow

displacement of the frame 26 from its stored position to its protective position. In use, the frame 26 is rapidly displaced into its protective position in

response to shock or deceleration experienced by the vehicle 1 2 owing to its

involvement in a collision, the actuators 23 moving upwardly along the guide rails 36, to drive the lower ends of the legs 30, and therefore the frame 26, upwardly

and into the protective position.

When the frame 26 is in this position, the occupants of the vehicle 1 2 are

protected against the passage of objects larger than the opening between the

cross-bar 32 and the U-shaped member 28 through the windscreen 1 8.

It is an advantage of the invention as illustrated with reference to the

accompanying drawings that the safety of occupants of the vehicle 1 2 during an

accidental collision is enhanced in that the undesired passing of objects larger than

a predetermined size through the windscreen 1 8 is inhibited by the presence of the

barrier 26, 14 in its protective position. Activation of the barrier 14, 26 is

automatic, via the trigger arrangement, and displacement of the barrier 14, 26 via

the actuating device occurs rapidly enough to ensure that the barrier 14, 26 is in

its protective position in time to protect the occupants of the vehicle 1 2.

Claims

1 . A motor vehicle which includes:

a protective windscreen barrier which is displaceable from a stored position, wherein the view of an occupant of the vehicle through a windscreen of

the vehicle is substantially unaffected by the barrier, to a protective position, wherein the barrier covers the windscreen;

an actuating device for rapidly moving the barrier from its stored position into its protective position, when triggered; and

a trigger arrangement for triggering the actuating device.

2. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the trigger arrangement

is responsive to a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle, to trigger the actuating

device.

3. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the barrier, in

its protective position, is substantially parallel to and closely spaced from the

windscreen.

4. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 3, in which the barrier, in its

protective position, is located in front of the windscreen, outside of a driver's cabin

of the vehicle.

5. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 3, in which the barrier, in its

protective position, is located behind the windscreen, inside a driver's cabin of the

vehicle.

6. A motor vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which

the barrier, in its stored position, is located parallel to and closely spaced from a

roof of the vehicle, and which includes guide rails which run from the roof along A-

pillars of the vehicle, the windscreen being located between the A-pillars.

7. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 6, in which the actuating device

includes a pair of actuators that are movable along the guide rails to displace the barrier into its protective position.

8. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claims 6 or Claim 7, in which the barrier,

in its stored position, is located above the roof.

9. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claims 6 or Claim 7, in which the barrier, in its stored position, is located below the roof.

10. A motor vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the

barrier, in its stored position, is located in an engine compartment of the vehicle,

adjacent the windscreen.

1 1 . A motor vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the barrier is of metal mesh.

1 2. A motor vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 1 0, in which the

barrier is a rigid metal frame.

1 3. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 2, in which the frame includes an

inverted U-shaped member having two more or less parallel spaced apart legs and

a cross-bar extending transversely between the legs.

14. A motor vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which

includes a locking mechanism for locking the barrier in its protective position.

1 5. A safety system for a motor vehicle, which system includes:

a protective barrier which is mountable on the vehicle; an actuating device for rapidly moving the barrier from a stored position,

barrier; and

a trigger arrangement for triggering the actuating device in response to the

vehicle's undergoing a shock of a predetermined magnitude, the trigger

arrangement being operably connectable to the actuating device.

1 6. A method of enhancing the safety of occupants of a motor vehicle, which

method includes automatically and rapidly moving a protective barrier into a

protective position wherein it covers a windscreen of the vehicle, in response to the vehicle's experiencing at least a predetermined shock or deceleration.

1 7. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 , substantially as herein described

and illustrated.

1 8. A safety system as claimed in Claim 1 5, substantially as herein described

and illustrated.

1 9. A method as claimed in Claim 1 6, substantially as herein described and

illustrated.