Abstract:
In a vehicle, a housing has a weight that is normally centered by springs that yield to impact force components in several directions. This movement of the weight causes closing of fuel valves and opening of electrical switches that reduce the likelihood of fire or explosion in an accident.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to safety shut-off systems for motor vehicles, airplanes and any powered vehicle of the type adapted to carry at least one person. More specifically, the present invention relates to an impact responsive control system for shutting off the fuel and the electricity to a motor vehicle in order to reduce the likelihood of fire or explosion when the vehicle is involved in an accident situation. 
     CROSS REFERENCE 
     The following patents are incorporated by reference herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,304 issued Apr. 14, 1998 and entitled Emergency Aircraft Fuel System. U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,354 issued Nov. 15, 1999 also entitled Emergency Aircraft Fuel System. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Inertia operated safety devices for vehicles are well known. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,036 dated Oct. 8, 1974 wherein a magnetic field is set up between two plates that are normally spaced apart, but which come together in the event of impact where the plates are held in contact by magnetic attraction. This attraction continues after the impact to maintain a fuel shut-off valve in the closed condition, and to also achieve opening of an electrical circuit. 
     In accordance with present invention a multi-directional inertia device is provided without the need for magnetic attraction as in the above-mentioned patent, and the present device achieves both the shut off of a fuel line, and disabling of the vehicle&#39;s electrical system. 
     The general object of the present invention is to provide a unit which when properly installed in a vehicle offers significant protection against fires, explosions and electrical fire caused by head-on collision, side impact, and any other conditions that occur all too often on America&#39;s present day highway system. The advantages can also be realized in other vehicles such as boats and airplanes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is intended for use in a vehicle having fuel lines for delivering ignitable fuel to an engine, as well as an electrical system having branch circuits that include electrical wiring in close proximity to these fuel lines and to the engine itself. For example the ignition wiring in most automotive vehicles generally derives its electrical input from the vehicles electrical system, and is necessarily provided in close proximity to the engine itself. 
     In accordance with present invention, a control box or housing has electrical connections for the vehicle&#39;s electrical system, and further the housing includes fuel inlet and outlet connections for connection to the vehicle&#39;s fuel lines. Electrical switches are provided in the housing for normally closing the electrical system circuit until and unless an impact should occur. These switches are provided in electrical series with one another so that activating any one of said switches disables the electrical system. 
     Fuel valves are provided in the housing as well for normally allowing fuel to flow through the fuel lines which are connected to the housing. These valves are provided in series with one another so that activating either of the valves interrupts fuel flow in the vehicle fuel lines. 
     A bi-directional inertia responsive means is provided for activating the switches and the valves, and the presently preferred form for this inertia responsive means includes a single mass in the form of rectangular block that is movable on a horizontal surface provided for this purpose in the housing. Means is provided for biasing this mass in primary longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so that an impact force with a component of pre-determined magnitude that is in said one direction overcomes the biasing force and activates at least one electrical switch and at least one valve. 
     The mass is also likely biased in both lateral directions, that is transversly of the primary longitudinal direction so that a lesser lateral component of any impact force on the vehicle will activate at least one electrical switch independently of the above described component of force in the longitudinal direction. 
     In this presently preferred form the mass is restrained by a threaded shaft oriented in the longitudinal direction at least in under normal conditions, and the biasing means preferably is in the form of coiled compression spring acting between the shaft and an abutment provided in the housing. The abutment will allow the shaft to swing in pendulum fashion but in a horizontal plane, and to allow for longitudinal movement of the mass in response to an impact on the vehicle&#39;s longitudinal axis. 
     The two valves are normally held open by gas pressure from a source of pressure independent of the housing, and the valves are mechanically activated so as to be movable from a normal open condition under the pressure of the gas, which gas pressure can be overridden by action of a mechanical linkage and a connecting inertial mass with the mechanically activated valve itself. The mechanical linkage is also provided for activating one or both of the switches to affect shut off of the vehicle&#39;s electrical system under either a lateral impact of relatively low magnitude or a head-on impact of somewhat greater magnitude. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a quartering top rearward looking view of a device incorporating the invention. The vertical centerline can be taken as the longitudinal direction of a vehicle equipped with this device. 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but shows the vehicle subjected to an impact from the left. 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the results of an impact from the right side. 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 1,  2 , &amp;  3  but showing the results of an impact having a component from the right side, but having a component on the vehicle centerline from a head-on impact. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a housing H of generally rectangular configuration, and with mounting brackets B, B suitable for securing the housing to a vehicle (not shown). Preferably, the housing H would be secured to a vehicle so that the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle would be oriented parallel to and preferably on the longitudinal axis of the shaft  12  supported in the housing H in a manner to be described. 
     Bi-directional inertia responsive means  14  is provided in the form of rectangular block or mass  14  which is movable against the force of compression spring  16  provided on the shaft  12 . In response to a head-on impact or component of force in the longitudinal direction the mass  14  can overcome the bias of spring  12  to move downwardly in FIG.  1 . The mass  14  is also movable horizontally in one and an opposite lateral direction as suggested in FIGS. 2 and 3 in response to a side impact or lateral component of force due to an impact to the side vehicle, and hence to the housing in which the vehicle is mounted. 
     The spring  16  provides a convenient biasing means for holding the mass or block  14  in the position shown in FIG.  1 . The mass can move in the longitudinal direction downwardly as suggested by the arrow A in FIG. 4 in response to an impact force on the vehicle and hence on the housing in an opposite direction. 
     Fuel lines  18  and  20  are routed through the housing H, and communicate with valves  22  and  24  provided in the housing as shown. These valves  22  and  24  are held in open condition by gas pressure from the line  26 , which line  26  communicates with a source of gas under pressure, as for example air pressure generated by a pump driven by the engine. In some engines, the engine that operates the vehicle may also provide this pressure. 
     Each of these valves  22  and  24  includes an internal spool or plunger that is normally held by gas pressure in a position to hold the valve open, and therefore causing fuel to flow through the lines  18  and  20  between the fuel tank of the vehicle and the engine or more particularly the fuel delivery system associated with the engine. 
     Each of the valves  22  and  24  further includes a short lever arm,  23  and  25  respectively, which lever is in turn directly connected to an elongated lever,  28  and  30  respectively, which levers serve a function to be described below. 
     Also provided in the housing H, and preferably in a separate compartment from the fuel valves and the inertia operating mechanism, is an electrical bus that provides a convenient series of terminals T, T to which the electrical lines from the vehicle&#39;s electrical system can be connected as shown at  32 ,  32 . Thus, the bus will serve to connect such of the terminals as will provide a continuous circuit for each of the several wires indicated in the drawings. One of these wires may be for example a ground line, another wire the electrical line which operates the vehicle&#39;s lighting system, and still another wire serves to provide electrical energy for the vehicle&#39;s ignition system. 
     Each of these wires  32  is connected through a plurality of switches S, S. Two such switches are arranged in electrical series with one another so that both switches must be closed in order to properly operate the vehicle&#39;s electrical circuitry. Each switch S comprises a bat or toggle-type switch having an elongated actuator portion, and each of the switches S preferably comprises a two position (on/off) switch that is so oriented in the housing as to present the toggle actuator or bat for engagement by the above-mentioned levers  28  and  30 . 
     The bi-directional inertia responsive means or mechanism comprises the mass in the form of rectangular block  14  and its supporting structure which is designed to cause movement of the levers  28  and  30  for closing the valves and opening the electrical switches in response to either a head-on impact force or a laterally directed force of somewhat lesser magnitude when the vehicle is subjected to an accident situation. 
     More particularly, the mass or block  14  is slideably supported on a horizontal surface  15  defined for this purpose in the housing, and is held in its rest position on shaft  12  as a result of the action of coil compression spring  16 , and a concave saddle  17  defined for this purpose for centering the shaft  12  on the longitudinal centerline of the housing and of the vehicle in which it sits. This rest condition for the rectangular block or mass  14  is shown to best advantage in FIG.  1 . FIGS. 2 and 3 show the mass  14  displaced from its rest position as a result of a side impact which causes a corresponding inertial reaction and change in position of the mass  14 . In these situations, the block or mass  14  has engaged one of the levers  28  or  30  thereby pivoting the lever  28 , or  30  on the fulcrum provided at the free end of a wing portion  38  associated with a nut to which the wing is attached. Two nuts are threadably received on the threaded portion of the shaft  12 . A first nut  40  on the shaft  12  engages one end of the coiled compression spring  16 , and the second nut  42  is provided in spaced relation on the threaded shaft  12  from the first nut  13 , and serves to pivotally support the wing portion  38 . As so constructed and arranged, movement of the mass  14  in the longitudinal direction due to an impact from a head-on collision will cause the block  14  to be displaced downwardly as shown in FIG.  4 . In FIG. 4 the mass  14  is also shifted laterally spreading the wing portion  38  moving lever  28  outwardly closing at least one of the two valves and opening both electrical switches as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     In further accordance with present invention, the inertia responsive mass  14  is sensitive not only to impact in the longitudinal direction, but also to impact with a component in the lateral direction. Where a spring force from the spring  16  must be overcome to achieve motion of the mass  14  in the longitudinal direction, movement of the mass  14  in either lateral direction is more readily achieved. Merely overcoming whatever gravity forces act on this block  14  due to the mounting of the shaft  12  in its saddle  17 . The saddle  17  is of concave configuration restricting sliding movement of the shaft. However, the mass overcomes the downward force of gravity tending to keep the shaft  12  positioned as shown in FIG. 4 when a lateral impact force occurs. 
     In order to provide for and accommodate this lateral swinging motion of the shaft  12 , and of the weight  14  relative to the surface of the saddle  17  the spring  16  acts against an abutment surface defined by bracket  44  pivotably mounted in the housing H at  35 . The bracket  44  includes a flange  44   a  that engages one end of the spring  16 . The other end of the spring  16  acts on the nut  40  mentioned previously. This arrangement allows swinging movement of the mass  14  and the shaft  12  in response to impacts directed laterally of the vehicle and hence laterally of the housing which is mounted in the vehicle. 
     It will be apparent that other variations of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. Although the present invention is described with reference to a fuel system of the type described in my prior patent 5,738,304, the pressure from a source of gas being relied upon to operate the valves, direct activation of on/off valves in a continuous fuel line fed through the housing might also be provided for use in the automotive field. The present invention is, however, described with reference to my prior art patents which are not only incorporated by reference herein, but which serve to offer greater safety in the form of explosion proof tanks and fuel shut off valves associated with these tanks. The shut off valves are operated from a source of gas under pressure and therefor the valves in the invention as described are also of this type. 
     Thus, the invention is described in detail with reference to a particular embodiment, but other variations will occur to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Therefore, the protection granted is to be limited only within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims, as dictated by the doctrine of equivalents.