Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D21/00—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted
  • B62D21/15—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body

Definitions

• the second category involves the vehicle's occupants more closely, and it is in this category that we are still lacking something.
• the lateral airbags carry out their function very well, but from what has been observed in the crash-tests (tests carried out at velocities frequently inferior to the speeds at which a road accident occurs) this is not sufficient to guarantee our safety, let alone the integrity of the vehicle.
• the lateral bars that have been applied to the doors can do very little against the momentum of another vehicle. This is why there's the necessity for an idea that permits us to distribute the force of the impact in order to safeguard all the passengers of the vehicle and, when possible, the vehicle itself. In fact all the innovations actually available on the present market do not guarantee complete safety of the passengers' lives, let alone the integrity of the vehicle itself.
• the aim of the present innovation is to increase the safety of all types of vehicles in any sort of collision: lateral, head-on collision or back-to-front, against another vehicle, whether in movement or not, or against fixed obstacles such as trees, poles, ... employing a system of metallic cords, or otherwise made of another resistant material, attached to some of the strong points of the vehicle's structure, and adjustable according to the technical requirements, such as above and below the shock-absorbers.
• the above-named patent is aimed to protect the vehicle's occupants and reduce the damages to the vehicle both in the front and the rear, but ,mainly on the sides.
• the LCS Lifesaving Cord System
• the LCS is based upon a basic physics principle: a body hit by another body resents much less from the consequences of the impact proportionally to its capacity to distribute or deviate the forces created during the collision.
• the LCS is therefore applicable to any type of vehicle: trucks, cars, vans, other means of transport or sports vehicles, ... , whatever number of doors the vehicle may have; some slight structural modifications to the system, the materials used or to the types of attachments used may obviously be required, such as in the case of automobiles with sliding doors.
• the variations are not at all complicated as they usually are just simple variations to the attachments, slight changes to the points of attachment, changes to the points through which the cords will pass, ...
• cords made of metal or of another resistant material that form the shape of a ring to encircle the perimeter of the passenger compartment, or of any other part of the vehicle, passing within the vehicle's body so as to result invisible from outside.
• the cords are passed through apertures/hooks made of metal or of another resistant material, that are attached to a number of known points of resistance of the vehicle's structure.
• These special hooks are purposely constructed so as to allow the cords to become tense at the moment of collision without however damaging neither the vehicle nor its occupants.
• the loci into which they are attached and the types of hooks used can differ from those indicated according to the type of vehicle or other particular needs. The important aspect is that the hooks/apertures permit the cords to function solidly, and that the cords can pass horizontally, obliquely or as one prefers.
• the system must be built on strong hooks and attachments, but it's best aspect lies on the cords' ability to slide, allowing a better distribution of the forces created during impact.
• These "metallic protections” thus have two functions: they prevent the cords form suddenly snapping or from progressively getting cut and they guarantee a better protection of the vehicle's body. Their position may be altered and adapted to the vehicle model, and also their number can vary according to the requirements.
• the tension adjuster in fact connects two of these segments thus linking and calibrating their tensions; these tension adjusters hence partition the tension whilst distributing it over all the cord segments.
• eight segments of cords are needed for a four- door vehicle (when utilising a two-cord LCS) and a total of four segments are needed for a two-door vehicle.
• This extra element is a small shock-absorber that is placed both anteriorly and posteriorly to the passenger compartment (two shock-absorbers per cord) and that has only a limited amount of space for compression, after which it becomes a solid body. This limits, when minor accidents are involved, the damage inflicted to the vehicle.
• the example mentioned above represents a LCS with two cords running, one horizontally and one slightly obliquely, along the sides of the passenger compartment and applied to a normal automobile.
• the first cord, Cord 1 anteriorly runs through the two hooks/apertures located above the anterior shock-absorbers, practically passing within the motor chamber in front of the passenger compartment and descending obliquely along both sides of the vehicle so as to pass through the two hooks/apertures located beneath the posterior shock-absorbers at the rear end of the vehicle, thus completing the first "protective ring" around the passenger compartment.
• the second cord, Cord 2 anteriorly passes through hooks/apertures situated midway along the smooth part of the anterior shock-absorbers (the hooks/attachments are of the same type as those placed beneath the posterior shock-absorbers for Cord 1), or where preferred, to terminate, this time running horizontally along the vehicle's sides, at the same level on the posterior shock-absorbers through another two hooks/apertures, thus forming a second ring around the passenger compartment.
• this second cord may, in case of a frontal collision, prevent the engine from moving backwards and probably causing fractures to the legs of the occupants seated in front. It is also possible to add protection to the cord, such as a girdle to guarantee its integrity.
• the system further protects the occupants in the rear seats since Cord 2 passes behind these seats to reach the middle of the posterior shock-absorbers. How effectively the system works depends on the tension of the cord that distributes the eventual force of impact thus rendering the whole vehicle less vulnerable.
• Figure 1 illustrates a bird's-eye-view of a section of a four-door vehicle with Cord 1, the cord passing obliquely, surrounding the passenger compartment , the hooks to the anterior and posterior shock-absorbers, the four tension adjusters, the two extra small shock- absorbers, the two metal protections and the four attachments to the doors.
• Figure 2 illustrates a bird's-eye-view of a section of a four-door vehicle with Cord 2 passing horizontally, the hooks (metallic clamps) located midway along the anterior and posterior shock-absorbers, the four tension adjusters, the two extra small shock-absorbers, the four metallic protections and the four attachments to the doors.
• Figure 3 illustrates a side view of a section of a four-door vehicle and the two cords running horizontally and obliquely as described in the above example. Also shown are the various types of hooks and protections used.
• Figure 4 illustrates the tension-adjusting device and the locking spikes.
• Figure 5 illustrates a bird's-eye-view of the hook aperture situated on the extremity of the anterior shock-absorbers, and that in reality it is a metallic plate having two perforations to allow Cord 1 to pass through it. One can also notice how Cord 1 twists inside the plate.
• Figure 5a illustrates a side view of Fig.5; ie. the metal plate that is situated above the anterior shock-absorbers.
• Figure 6 illustrates a bird's-eye-view of the component utilised to allow Cord 1 to pass posteriorly and to allow Cord 2 to pass both anteriorly and posteriorly of the passenger compartment.
• This component is a metal clamp made of a metal "U” closet by a metallic bar to surround the shock-absorber and having a hole to let the cord pass through it. These clamps are situated halfway along the front and rear shock-absorbers (for Cord 2) and at the extremity of the rear shock-absorber (for Cord 1).
• Figure 7 illustrates a side view of Fig.6; the metal clamp with the cord passing through it.
• Figure 8 illustrates the type of attachment used at the anterior and posterior doors. It is composed of a pyramid-shaped metallic body attached to the door and a metallic body fixed to the door's upright. The pyramid-shaped component will penetrate the second component when the door is closet.
• the cord is connected, through welding or other methods, to the pyramid-shaped component from one side and, from the other side, to the posterior part of the component that has been fixed into the door's upright.
• Figure 8a illustrates a bird's-eye-view, in section, of Fig.8, demonstrating how the attachment has been connected to the doors (opened and closed), and also showing how the metallic body located inside the door's upright has been connected to the latter via two metal plates.
• Figure 9 illustrates a frontal view of the type of protective plate used for the vehicle's anterior, that is between the vehicle's front end and the front doors.
• Figure 9a illustrates a side view of Fig.9 showing how the two cords pass within the protective guides.
• Figure 10 illustrates a front view of the type of protective plate used at the vehicle's rear end to allow Cord 2 to pass from the vehicle's sides to the rear.
• Figure 10a illustrates a side view of Fig.10 showing also the passage of Cord 2 within the protective guides.
• the system illustrated in the figures above includes a system with two metallic cords, or made of any other resistant material, that surround the perimeter of a vehicle's passenger compartment in the shape of a ring.
• the two cords are numbered 1 and 2 in Fig.3.
• Cord 1 in Fig.3 passes anteriorly to reach the hook above the anterior shock-absorber 3 in Figs. 3 and 1.
• Cord 1 From the hook above the anterior left shock-absorber 3 in Fig. l, Cord 1 curves while entering the metallic protection 32 and passes obliquely along the left side of the vehicle, passing through the attachment of the front left door 40, attaching itself to the tension adjustor 23 and entering the attachment to the rear left door 60. The cord then curves 90° with the help of the posterior hook 4 and in doing so connects itself to the tension adjustor 23 and is attached to the shock-absorber 28.
• Cord I passes through hook 4 A which is positioned as hook 4, at the extremity of the rear right shock-absorber, to curve 90° and pass beneath the posterior part of the vehicle thus entering the vehicle's right side; it passes through the attachment to the rear right door 60 A, the tension adjustor 23, the attachment to the front right door 40 A and then passes through the metal protection 32 A to reach the hook situated above the front right shock- absorber 3A in order to access the vehicle's anterior.
• This hook is illustrated in Figs.5 and 5a in a bird's-eye-view and side view respectively; it is composed of a square-shaped metal plate 12, anchored to the upper extremity of the anterior shock-absorber (in the motor chamber) by four bolts 14 and locked in place by the same number of self-locking nuts 14A.
• Two metal “U”s 13 are inserted on the upper surface of the plate as in Figs. 5 and 5a, in order to guide the cord as it passes through them.
• the position of the metal "U”s on the plate is slightly slanting as can be noted in Fig.5.
• the two metal "U”s 13 must be extremely sturdy and their dimensions wil be calculated according to the expected force that they must contrast.
• Two metal cylinders 15 are placed along the vertical parts of the metal "IP's as indicated in Fig.5a. These are slightly concave in the middle in order to allow the cord to pass correctly and smoothly against them thus preventing eventual damages through time.
• the cord therefore passes inside the two "U”s leaning on two of these four metal cylinders to turn 90° as shown in Figs. 5 and 1.
• the metallic protection 32 ( Figures 3 and 1) is shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 9a: a metal plate 16 together with two small guides 32 is fixed to the upright of the front door (on the side opposite where the door opens) with four screws.
• the two small guides 32 are 5- 10cm long depending on the requirements, are directed towards the motor chamber and serve well as guides to the two cords (1 and 2 in Fig.3).
• each guide is rounded so as not to erode the cord which will probably curve at one of these ends in order to reach the next hook/attachment more easily.
• the diameter of these guides is proportional to that of the cord itself, and will be determined depending on the cases. The diameter will however be 3 to 5 times the diameter of the cord (well illustrated in Fig.9a).
• the first part the part fixed into the door itself, is made of a cylindrical body 17 notched at one extremity and terminating into a pyramid-shaped body 18 (side view): the cord 70 is welded or fixed using other methods to this cylinder .
• This metallic body is attached to the door by screwing it into the respective rectangular- shaped metal plate 37 and locked into place using a self-tightening nut 19.
• the other part is a rectangular piece of metal fixed by eight nuts 71 A, located at four side projections 71, to the two side rods 22 that are in turn anchored to the door's upright.
• This second part the part attached to the door's upright, has a cavity in the shape of a pyramid 20 (side view) into which the pyramidal component 18 will enter, while at the other end it has a metal guide 41 (similar to the one in Fig 10a) so that the other piece of cord 70 A can enter the cylindrical perforation 21 (3 -7cm) to which it will be welded or attached using another method at the right angle.
• the pyramid-shaped body 18 When the door is closed the pyramid-shaped body 18 will be situated inside its respective cavity 20 so that at the moment of collision the two send of the two cord segments 70 and 70A will pull in opposite directions but the gadget will remain tightly closed.
• the continuation and perfect functioning of the system around the passenger compartment is thus guaranteed both when the vehicle is at a stand and when the vehicle is moving, and the passenger compartment can be accessed by opening and closing the doors as usual.
• the cord is attached to a tension-adjusting device 23 located between the two doors, anterior and posterior, of the same side of the vehicle as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.
• the system works thanks to the cord's tension which distributes the force of an eventual collision throughout the whole structure of the vehicle thus making it less vulnerable. By chstributing the force of impact he vehicle appears to be more resistant.
• the tension-adjusting device is best illustrated in Fig.4; it is composed of two rods each having at one end a ring (25 and 25A) through which the cords will pass (the rings must be extremely sturdy as they will undergo extreme pressure) and that are notched 24, having towards the other extremity a perforation in order to safely lock these rods 28.
• the rods are screwed into a cylindrical body 23, about 20 cm long, that has two fenesfrations (of the right size to allow the locking spikes to enter) into which, once the cords have the preset tension, one will see the sections of the two rods that present the perforation.
• the cord is passed through the rings of the tension-adjusting device and, with two clamps per side, one can tighten them and make the final adjustment to their tension.
• the adjustment to the tension is brought about be working on the central perforation 26, of the diameter of 8- 10mm, of the external cylinder 23.
• a lever is inserted and rotated in one direction or another to tighten or loosen the tension.
• Towards the notched ends of the rings here is a perforation 28 that is visible from the fenestrations of the external cylinder.
• a spike 27 is placed in the perforation 28 in order to prevent the ring from rotating thus loosening the cord.
• a square-shaped "U” with part 50 (the base of the "U") slightly modified so as to adhere, without moving, to the smooth cylindrical part of the shock-absorber and having a square-based ring 13 in front of it, as illustrated in Figs 6 and 7, through which a cylinder 15 is placed (the diameter of the cylinder is proportional to the cord and to the forces that will be acting upon it), being slightly concave so as to make the cord turn 90° and prevent it from constantly rubbing against its inner surface.
• Each end of the "U” is notched (51) so as to block the square-based ring and cylinder with the second part of the clamp by screwing on the self-tightening nuts 53.
• the second part therefore has two perforations to allow the two extremities of the "U” to pass through it. It is pushed down as mush as possible until the two convex pieces 50 are pressed tightly against the sock-absorber.
• shock-absorbers In order to increase the absorptive property of the cord system and to limit as much as possible the damages to the vehicle when involved in minor accidents, one can, if desired, add some shock-absorbers to the cord 28 and 28A as in Figs I and 2. This is a shock-absorber that is positioned on the anterior and posterior sections (or wherever one thinks best) of the cord (in the example described previously two shock- absorbers were used for each cord) and has a very limited space for compression, after which it becomes a solid body.
• Cord 2 curves 90° from hook 5, passes through the metal protection 32 and the vehicle's side, in a straight line, passes through hook 40 (Fig.2), its tension is controlled by the adjustor 23, passes through the hook of the rear door 60, to then turn towards the luggage compartment at hook 6.
• Cord 1 and Cord 2 passes through a further metal protection 34.
• This metallic guide (34 and 34A) is very similar to that used for Cord 1 (see Figs.10 and 10a).
• the cord must pass from one shock-absorber to the other through the vehicle's body, hence one must place a plate 16 (see Fig.10) with a guide 34 having smoothed ends.
• the plate is fixed to the vehicle's body with the use of four screws 16B.
• the cord's tension is once again adjusted using the tension-adjusting device 23 (see Fig.2), connected to a small shock-absorber on cord 28, it comes out of the vehicle's body through another guide 34 A and curves 90° while it passes through hook 6 A to pass along the right side of the vehicle. At this point it meets the attachment to the back right door 60A, another tension adjustor 23 placed in the back door itself, and the next attachment to the front right door 40A.
• Cord 2 enters the guide 32A to curve 90° with the help of clamp 5A, and is fixed 11 to the shock- absorber 28A; after adjusting its tension with the tension adjustor 23 it passes again over clamp 5 (see Fig. 2) halfway along the front left shock-absorber to return to the left side of the vehicle.

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Citations (6)

• 2003
  • 2003-09-30 IT ITMC20030116 patent/ITMC20030116A1/it unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-09-14 WO PCT/IT2004/000494 patent/WO2005030534A1/en active Application Filing

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