US4231607A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Side collision protection system for motor vehicles
Assignee: Volvo AB
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Filing: 1978-04-03
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Granted: 1980-11-04
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Expires: 1998-04-03
Abstract
Abstract A system for protecting motor vehicle occupants against injury in side collisions comprises first reinforcing members arranged between the exterior and interior panels of the vehicle body sides and/or doors and second reinforcing members incorporated in the vehicle seats, the members extending transversely to the vehicle and disposed to transmit, after a certain deformation of a press-loaded body side or door, the load to the floor of the vehicle and to the opposite body side or door. The first reinforcing members are made as essentially plastically deformable, energy absorbing members extending transversely over at least the greater part of the space between the exterior and interior panels of the body sides and/or doors and which vertically cover an area level with the bumpers of the vehicle. The second reinforcing members comprise members which take up pressing loads, are incorporated in the seat cushion support level with the first reinforcing members and have outer end surfaces located adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the interior panels of the body sides and/or doors.
Inventors
- 👤 Nils I. Bohlin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 13:13
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/24; B60N2/42; B60N2/427; B60N2/42709; B60N2/4207; B60N2/4235; B60R; B60R19/00; B62; B62D; B62D21/00; B62D21/15; B62D21/157; B60R21/00; B60R2021/0002; B60R2021/0006
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
210 words
System for protecting motor vehicle occupants against injury in side collisions, comprising exterior and interior panels of a car body side and/or doors, a seat support, first reinforcing members arranged between the exterior and interior panels of the car body side and/or doors, and second reinforcing members, incorporated in the seat support, and which extend transversely to the vehicle and are disposed to transmit, after a certain deformation of a press-loaded body side or door, the load to the floor of the vehicle and to the opposite body side or door, characterized in that the first reinforcing members (4) are made as essentially plastically deformable, energy absorbing members, which extend transversely over at least the greater part of the space between the exterior and interior panels (2 and 3 resp.) of the body sides and/or doors and which vertically cover an area level with the bumpers of the vehicle, and in that the second reinforcing members (6; 6,11) comprise transversely extending members which take up pressing loads and are incorporated in the seat support (5) level with the first reinforcing members, and outer end surfaces affixed to said transversely extending members and located adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the interior panels of the body sides and/or doors.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
210 words
System for protecting motor vehicle occupants against injury in side collisions, comprising exterior and interior panels of a car body side and/or doors, a seat support, first reinforcing members arranged between the exterior and interior panels of the car body side and/or doors, and second reinforcing members, incorporated in the seat support, and which extend transversely to the vehicle and are disposed to transmit, after a certain deformation of a press-loaded body side or door, the load to the floor of the vehicle and to the opposite body side or door, characterized in that the first reinforcing members (4) are made as essentially plastically deformable, energy absorbing members, which extend transversely over at least the greater part of the space between the exterior and interior panels (2 and 3 resp.) of the body sides and/or doors and which vertically cover an area level with the bumpers of the vehicle, and in that the second reinforcing members (6; 6,11) comprise transversely extending members which take up pressing loads and are incorporated in the seat support (5) level with the first reinforcing members, and outer end surfaces affixed to said transversely extending members and located adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the interior panels of the body sides and/or doors.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
System according to claim 1, characterized in that the members (6; 6,11) which take the pressing load extend so far in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and are arranged such that the pressing forces cause a substantially rectilinear flow of force across the vehicle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first reinforcing members (4) are made of cellular plastic.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
System according to claim 1, characterized in that the interior panels (3) lie adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the outer sides of the seat bottoms and that the second reinforcing members are designed in their entirety as transversely extending rigid members (6) which take pressing loads.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
System according to claim 4, characterized in that said rigid members (6) for taking pressing loads are made of metal tubes running transversely to the seat support (5), and vertical metal plates joined to the outer ends of said tubes and arranged parallel to the interior panels (3) of the body sides and/or doors.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
66 words
System according to claim 1, characterized in that the interior panels (3) are spaced from the outer sides of the seats and that the second reinforcing members comprise, firstly, rigid members (6) for taking pressing loads, said members extending over the width of the seat supports and, secondly, essentially plastically deformable energy-absorbing members (11) which extend over the space between said interior panels and outer sides.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
System according to claim 6, characterized in that said rigid members (6) for taking pressing loads are made of metal tubes running transverse to the seat cushion and that said energy-absorbing members (11) are made of cellular plastic members which are attached to the outer sides of the cushion support and have outer sides parallel to the interior panels of the body sides and/or doors.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
System according to claim 1 in vehicles with separate seats arranged beside one another with a tunnel console between, characterized in that the second reinforcing members have inside ends adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the sides of the console (8) and that the console has pressure force absorbing reinforcements (9).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
System according to claim 1, characterized in that the first reinforcing members (4) fill such a large portion of the body sides and/or doors (1) longitudinally that the second reinforcing members are at least for the most part located between the ends of the first reinforcing elements, regardless of the longitudinal seat adjustment.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
156 words
A safety system for providing transverse reinforcement to a motor vehicle for protecting the occupants against injury in side collisions comprising exterior and interior panels on the sides of the vehicle, deformable energy-absorbing means arranged bumper high between the exterior and interior panels on both sides of the vehicle, rigid members extending transversely of the vehicle intermediate the deformable energy-absorbing means on opposite sides of the vehicle, and longitudinally extending rigid surfaces affixed to the ends of the transversely extending rigid members and located adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the deformable energy-absorbing means so that upon impact against the side of the vehicle the deformable energy-absorbing means will initially absorb energy by deformation against the longitudinally extending surfaces, and the transversely extending rigid members and the longitudinally extending rigid surfaces will thereafter resist further deformation by transmitting the load to the floor of the vehicle and to the opposite body side or door.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
156 words
A safety system for providing transverse reinforcement to a motor vehicle for protecting the occupants against injury in side collisions comprising exterior and interior panels on the sides of the vehicle, deformable energy-absorbing means arranged bumper high between the exterior and interior panels on both sides of the vehicle, rigid members extending transversely of the vehicle intermediate the deformable energy-absorbing means on opposite sides of the vehicle, and longitudinally extending rigid surfaces affixed to the ends of the transversely extending rigid members and located adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the deformable energy-absorbing means so that upon impact against the side of the vehicle the deformable energy-absorbing means will initially absorb energy by deformation against the longitudinally extending surfaces, and the transversely extending rigid members and the longitudinally extending rigid surfaces will thereafter resist further deformation by transmitting the load to the floor of the vehicle and to the opposite body side or door.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A safety system as set forth in claim 10 in which the deformable energy-absorbing means is cellular plastic material interposed between the exterior and interior panels of the vehicle.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A safety system as set forth in claim 10 including at least one longitudinally extending rigid member intermediate opposite ends of the transversely extending rigid members.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
72 words
A safety system as set forth in claim 10 for a vehicle having separate seat supports arranged beside one another with a console therebetween and in which the transversely extending rigid members are incorporated in the seat supports and in the console and including rigid longitudinally extending means intermediate the rigid members of the console and one seat support and intermediate the rigid members of the console and the other seat support.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-11-04 | 1984-05-05 | 1984-11-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-11-04 | 1988-05-05 | 1988-11-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-11-04 | 1992-05-05 | 1992-11-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |