Abstract:
An automobile which affords increased safety to its occupants and sustains minimal damage during a frontal collision includes elongated force-transmitting members that extend between front and rear bumpers in slidably telescopic interaction with the chassis of the automobile. Energy-absorbing springs receive force from a rearwardly displaced rear bumper during a frontal collision, and impart a rearward pulling effect on the automobile. The automobile may also be equipped with a passenger module that moves forwardly and tilts upwardly during a frontal collision. An air bag device may be disposed between the front bumper and the passenger module.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to systems for minimizing damage to an automobile and injury to its occupants in a frontal collision, and more particularly concerns automotive vehicles having front energy-absorbing means and a movable passenger compartment.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,508,783; 3,695,629; 3,589,466; 5,738,373; 3,806,184; 3,743,347 and 3,479,080 describe passenger compartments which, upon frontal impact, slide forwardly and upwardly. Such movement protects the occupant from injury by providing a longer effective stopping distance and causing the occupant&#39;s body to assume a semisupine position which can more effectively cope with impact force. None of these patents, however, provide means for making the vehicle itself particularly less damageable.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,886 describes an impact-absorbing frame system with telescoping bumper mounts and a frame equipped with energy absorbing sections which collapse on impact. Again, this does not make the vehicle itself particularly less damageable.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,755 describes an electric motor vehicle divisible into separable front, middle and rear sections. The middle section includes a passenger compartment that slides fore and aft in a collision. However, the compartment does not tilt the passenger to a protective semisupine position. Aside from the telescoping bumper mounts it has no further means for minimizing collision damage.  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,434 describes an automotive vehicle having a shock mounted passenger-carrying area which is free to move horizontally, whereby deceleration forces on the passengers are dissipated more slowly. It has no means for making the vehicle less damageable.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,041 describes a driver/passenger compartment mounted on a separate chassis, with shock-absorbing means between them. It describes extensive interior padding to protect the occupants from head to foot but has no means for making the vehicle less damageable.  
           [0009]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,941,582; 5,884,959 and 4,441,751 describe various means for improving the impact-absorbing capacity of front bumper assemblies. The impact force of the collision is thus ultimately transmitted to the frame. There are no provisions for making the frame itself less prone to damage from this force.  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,077 describes a resilient safety bumper and a two-piece frame. The bumper partially absorbs the impact, and the front section of the frame swivels sideways to further protect the passenger-carrying rear section from impact shock. It has no means for making the vehicle as a whole less damageable.  
           [0011]    In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,538; 4,411,462; 4,518,183 and 4,176,858, the bumper assembly utilizes an air container means such as an air bag to improve its impact-absorbing capacity. The bumper assembly is mounted to the adjacent portion of the vehicular frame, to which the impact force of the collision, albeit dampened, is ultimately transmitted. They do not include means for making the frame itself less deformable or less damageable.  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,169 describes an energy transforming means which allows an upward movement of a truck&#39;s rear body, exclusive of the passenger compartment, to absorb kinetic energy of the body upon collision. It does not describe a separate passenger compartment slidably mounted on the chassis and does not describe means for making the vehicle less damageable.  
           [0013]    It is evident from the above that although many patents address the problem of passenger safety and address the matter of improving the impact-absorbing capacity of the bumper assembly, none of them present means for making the vehicle itself less damageable, particularly its frame or chassis. It is well known that a bent frame or chassis is frequently the reason for declaring the vehicle a total loss.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    It is accordingly the primary object of this invention to provide a vehicle that is not only safer for its occupants during a frontal collision but also one that is less damageable. It achieves this by a novel approach based on the observation that a hollow body in motion such as an automobile whose structural integrity is maintained by a deformable framework is more apt to sustain damage and deformity if its motion is halted by a compressive force applied to its leading aspect (“a push from the front”) than if its motion is stopped by an equal traction force acting on its rear aspect (“a pull from behind”). This is because in general the materials used in automobiles such as the chassis is more apt to be bent when pushed from the front end than when pulled (to a stop) from the rear end, other factors being equal. That is, they are better able to withstand tensile stress than compressive or bending stress.  
           [0015]    Another novel approach used in this invention is the means for instantaneous transfer of the impact force from the front bumper to the rear bumper, making it possible to use the rear bumper as a strong anchor from which to exert a strong controlled traction force (“pull from behind”) on the chassis and thereby gradually pull the chassis and the rest of the vehicle to a controlled stop.  
           [0016]    Although this invention also uses a passenger compartment which, upon frontal impact, slides forwards and tilts upwards to protect the occupants from injury as described in the referenced patents, it also adds two further improvements. Firstly, by combining the stopping distance of the chassis on the longitudinal bumper supports (substantially 1½ feet) and the stopping distance of the passenger compartment on the chassis (substantially an additional 1½ feet) it gives the passengers a total stopping distance of substantially three feet which is longer than what is achievable in the referenced patents, and permits significant reduction of the deceleration forces on the passengers which in turn results in less injuries. Secondly, the present invention provides means for automatic return of the chassis and the passenger compartment to their original pre-impact positions immediately after the collision so that the vehicle is automatically returned to operable condition.  
           [0017]    It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a system that will be protective of the vehicle and its occupants regardless of whether the frontal collision is a laterally offset frontal collision, a tangentially directed offset frontal collision or a straight head-on frontal collision, utilizing a novel application of the familiar torsion bar equalizers.  
           [0018]    Finally, it is the purpose of this invention to reduce the cost of manufacture by using standard off-the-shelf parts such as the illustrated leaf springs and shock absorbers, and straight tubular members for the chassis and bumper supports which are not only inexpensive to fabricate but are also less apt to be deformed when subjected to strong axially directed forces like those that occur during frontal collisions. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0019]    With these and other advantages in view, the invention is disclosed in the following description which will be more fully understood when it is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a top view, partially in section, of an automotive vehicle having an embodiment of the protective system of this invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a left side view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 before a collision.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a left side view of the vehicle early in a frontal collision with a fixed object before full impact.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a left side view of the vehicle in a frontal collision at full impact.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a left side view of the vehicle undergoing partial automatic recovery immediately after full impact.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a left side view of the vehicle after full automatic recovery following a frontal collision.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 is a top sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows upon line  7 - 7 ′ of FIG. 2.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 is a top sectional view of the vehicle along line  8 - 8 ′ of FIG. 4.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 9 is a left sectional view of the vehicle along line  9 - 9 ′ of FIG. 1.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 10 is a left sectional view of the vehicle along the same plane as in FIG. 9, during a frontal collision at full impact like the one shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 11 is a left sectional view of the vehicle along line  11 - 11 ′ of FIG. 1.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 12 is a left sectional view of the vehicle along the same plane as in FIG. 11, during a frontal collision at full impact like the one shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 13 is a rear sectional view of the vehicle along line  13 - 13 ′ of FIG. 1.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 14 illustrates an offset frontal collision with a fixed object, at initial contact.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 15 illustrates an offset frontal collision with a fixed object, at full impact.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 16 illustrates an offset tangential frontal collision with a moving vehicle, at initial contact.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 17 illustrates an offset tangential frontal collision with a moving vehicle at full impact.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 18 is a top sectional view in the same plane as FIG. 7 illustrating the use of diagonal cables to supplement the function of the torsion bar assembly in transmitting an offset frontal collision force acting on one side of the front bumper to both sides of the rear bumper.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 19 is a top sectional view of the vehicle along the same plane as in FIG. 8 similarly illustrating the use of diagonal cables.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the vehicle along line  20 - 20 ′ of FIG. 18, illustrating how a diagonal cable may be attached to the right front hinge and left rear hinge. 
     
    
       [0040]    For clarity of illustration, details which are not relevant to the invention, such as the engine, power train, internal air bags, etc., have been omitted from the aforesaid drawings.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0041]    Referring now to the above drawings wherein one character designates one part of the vehicle, there is shown an automobile  1 , with chassis  2  and passenger module  3 . Supporting the chassis  2  are wheels  4  journaled to axles  5  attached to springs  6  which are anchored to chassis  2  by front leading hangers  7 , front trailing hangers  8 , rear leading hangers  9 , and rear trailing hangers  10 .  
         [0042]    The chassis  2  is composed of left tubular longitudinal member  11  and right tubular longitudinal member  12  which are fixedly attached to each other by front cross member  13 , second cross member  14 , third cross member  15  and rear cross member  16 , forming a rigid “ladder” configuration.  
         [0043]    Snugly but movably fitted inside left tubular longitudinal member  11  is left tubular bumper support  17 , and similarly mounted inside right tubular longitudinal member  12  is right tubular bumper support  18 ; said fit being snug enough to prevent rattling, but loose enough to permit forward and backward movement of the bumper supports  17  and  18  within the members  11  and  12 . Lubrication with grease facilitates such movement.  
         [0044]    The front bumper is attached to the bumper supports  17  and  18  by hinges  20  and  21  which allow hinge motion on a horizontal axis but not on a vertical axis. The hinges  20  and  21  are movably attached to bumper  19  in a manner that allows lateral sliding motion of hinges  20  and  21  relative to bumper  19 . Hinge stopper  22  attached to bumper  19  prevents hinges  20  and  21  from being moved towards each other during a collision.  
         [0045]    A prestressed cable  23  anchors right hinge  21  to the left end of front cross member  13 , and a similar cable  24  anchors left hinge  20  to the right end of front cross member  13 . Said cables prevent sideward displacement of front bumper  19  and sideward bending deformity of tubular bumper supports  17  and  18  during an offset frontal collision, yet these cables do not impede the rearward telescoping motion of the bumper supports  17  and  18  through the tubular longitudinal members  11  and  12  of the chassis  2 .  
         [0046]    The tubular bumper supports  17  and  18  extend substantially forward from the front end of chassis  2  and extend rearward from the rear end of chassis  2  as well. Rear bumper hinges  25  and  26  attach rear bumper  27  to the rear ends of tubular bumper supports  17  and  18  in a manner similar to the hinged attachments of front bumper  19 .  
         [0047]    Rear bumper leaf spring  28  is fixed to the rear bumper  27  by clamps  29  and  30 ; and rear cross member leaf spring  31  is fixed to the rear cross member  16  by clamps  32  and  33 . Rear bumper leaf spring  28  is movably attached at each end to the corresponding ends of rear cross member leaf spring  31  by U-bolts  34  and straps  35  so that together their spring action controllably restrains rearward movement of rear bumper  27  relative to the chassis  2 . When in their unstressed, resting state, the leaf springs  28  and  31  are pre-loaded so that their ends pull against each other through their linkage with U-bolts  34  and straps  35 , with a force of about 500 to 800 lbs. This preload force is borne by rubber bumper  84 , attached to leaf spring  31 , which stops this force from causing direct contact between leaf spring  28  and rear cross member leaf spring  31 . This arrangement prevents rearward movement of the rear bumper  27  relative to chassis  2  unless it is subjected to a rearward force in excess of the spring preload stated above.  
         [0048]    During a frontal collision, when the impact force exceeds the spring preload of 500 to 800 lbs., the front bumper  19  is pushed rearward, causing the tubular bumper supports  17  and  18  to telescope rearward within chassis  2  and push rear bumper  27  rearward. This motion is controllably resisted by leaf springs  28  and  31  and dampened by shock absorbers  36  and  37 . This results in a controlled gradual stoppage of the forward motion of chassis  2 . Thus the forward motion of the main mass of the vehicle is stopped through a controlled pull on the chassis from behind rather than by a strong sudden blow from the front which would be more damaging and deforming to the vehicle, particularly the chassis.  
         [0049]    The passenger module  3  is constructed as a separate unit, and is seated on the chassis  2  in a manner that allows it to glide forward and tilt upward during a collision, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11  and  12 .  
         [0050]    The passenger module  3  has a front end wall  38 , a rear end wall  39 , a sturdy floor  40 , and a windshield  41 . The under surface of the floor  30  has a left longitudinal groove  42  and a right longitudinal groove  43 . When the passenger module  3  is assembled unto chassis  2  the left tubular longitudinal member  11  fits into the left longitudinal groove  42 , and the right longitudinal member  12  fits into the right longitudinal groove  43 . The front end wall  38  is heavily reinforced to form a protective shield, and is equipped with the fixed front end wall retaining hook  44  shaped to fit over and partially around the upper accessory cross member  45  of chassis  2 . Retaining hook  44  is open downward and rearward so that, although it secures the passenger module  3  to the chassis  2 , it does not prevent the passenger module  3  from moving forward and upward during a collision. The passenger module  3  can thereby unhook itself from upper accessory cross member  45  and tilt its front end upwards, as shown in FIG. 10.  
         [0051]    Fixed to the under surface of the hood  46  is a sturdily constructed external air bag  47  triggered to deploy whenever the passenger module  3  is displaced a preset distance from its original position on chassis  2 . The external air bag  47  serves to protect the passenger module  3  against the impact from any oncoming object. A deflator mechanism (not shown) deflates the air bag  47  after the collision sufficiently quickly so that the air bag  47  will not impede the return of the passenger module  3  to its original position on the chassis  2 .  
         [0052]    The rear end of the passenger module  3  is further secured unto the chassis  2  by longitudinal groove retaining rollers  48  which are located at the rear part of longitudinal grooves  42  and  43 . The retaining rollers  48  are rotatably mounted on the lateral ends of retaining springs  49 , which are mounted to the floor of the passenger module  3  by U-bolts  80  and  81 . The retaining rollers  48  are positioned to roll on the lower surfaces of tubular longitudinal members  11  and  12 , with sustained pressure from retaining springs  49 . They serve to prevent the passenger module  3  from being displaced upward from the chassis  2 , but they allow the passenger module  3  to glide forward on the chassis  2  during a collision.  
         [0053]    The rear end wall  39  of the passenger module  3  is strongly reinforced so that it can withstand strong traction from behind, sufficient to arrest forward movement of the passenger module  3  during a collision, without sustained damage.  
         [0054]    Third cross member leaf spring  50  is secured to the third cross member  15  by U-bolts  51  and  52 . The ends of third cross member leaf spring  50  are linked to the corresponding ends of passenger module leaf spring  53  by U-bolts  54  and straps  55 . Passenger module leaf spring  53  is securely attached to passenger module cross bar  56  with cross bar U-bolts  57  and  58 . Each lateral portion of cross bar  56  is rotatably inserted into cross bar sleeves  59  and  60 , which are in turn secured unto the rear end wall  39  of passenger module  3  with U-bolts  61 ,  62 ,  63  and  64 . The spring action of third cross member leaf spring  50  and passenger module leaf spring  53  serve to resist and stop the forward movement of the passenger module  3  during a collision, and to return the passenger module to its original position after the collision. These movements are dampened and modulated by passenger module shock absorbers  65  and  66  which are mounted on the chassis  2  and connected to the rear end wall  30  of passenger module  3 , as shown.  
         [0055]    Third cross member leaf spring  50  and passenger module leaf spring  53  are pre-loaded to pull against each other during assembly with a force of about 500 to 800 lbs., and this preload is borne by rubber bumper  82 , attached to passenger module leaf spring  53 , which serves to prevent leaf springs  50  and  53  from being forced against each other. This preload prevents premature forward movement of the passenger module  3  relative to the chassis  2  unless it is subjected to a deceleration force in excess of the 500 to 800 lbs. preload during a collision.  
         [0056]    Upper accessory cross member  45  is positioned above and forward and parallel to second cross member  14 , and is fixedly connected to the chassis  2  by front accessory cross member supports  67  and  68 , and by rear accessory cross member supports  69  and  70 , respectively. Lower accessory cross member  71  is positioned below and to the rear and parallel to second cross member  14 . It is fixedly anchored at each end to the front trailing hangers  8  as shown. A flat plate  72  made of steel or other suitable material is fixedly mounted on the upper rearward surfaces of upper accessory cross member  45 , second cross member  14 , and lower accessory cross member  71  to form a wide strong inclined ramp  72  that slants upward and forward, and upon which the front end wall  38  of passenger module  3  glides during a frontal collision.  
         [0057]    The front end wall  38  of passenger module  3  rests on ramp  72 , and also angles forward from the vertical to match the forward inclination of ramp  72 . During a frontal collision when the passenger module  3  is forced by inertia to glide forward on chassis  2 , this angulation of front end wall  38  and ramp  72  forces the front end wall  38  to slide upward as well as forward on ramp  72 . This serves to tilt the front end of passenger module  3  upward so that the reinforced floor  40  and front end wall  38  are now positioned towards the point of impact. In this manner the upward tilting of the passenger module  3  automatically deploys a protective shield for the passengers. This same tilting motion also tilts the passengers and their seats backwards so that the force of deceleration is now directed towards their braced feet and their seated buttocks which can absorb the force more harmlessly. Finally, this same tilting motion serves to move the windshield  41  upwards and away from the direction of inertial motion of the passengers, thereby preventing the passengers from hitting the windshield and hurting themselves.  
         [0058]    Passenger module retaining coil springs  73  flexibly anchor the passenger module  3  to the front end of the chassis  2  and prevent backward displacement of the passenger module  3  during a collision. It also maintains a forward traction on passenger module  3  so that its front end wall  38  and floor  40  remains in contact with ramp  72  at all times during the collision. This ensures proper engagement of retaining hook  44  unto upper accessory cross member  45  during the return of passenger module  3  to its original position immediately after the collision, thereby securing the passenger module  3  again unto the chassis  2 .  
         [0059]    Rear accessory cross member supports  69  and  70  fit into the forward extensions of left longitudinal groove  42  and right longitudinal groove  43 , respectively, and together with the left tubular longitudinal member  11  and right tubular longitudinal member  12  of chassis  2 , they serve to prevent sideward displacement of the passenger module  3  from the chassis  2 .  
         [0060]    After the collision, the return action of rear bumper leaf spring  28  and rear cross member leaf spring  31  pulls the rear bumper  27  back to its original position; the rear bumper  27  in turn pushes tubular bumper supports  17  and  18  forward, thus causing them to return front bumper  19  to its original forward position. This return movement is dampened by shock absorbers  36  and  37 . Also, after the collision, the return action of passenger module leaf spring  53  and third cross member leaf spring  50  retracts the passenger module  3  back to its original position on the chassis  2 . This return movement is dampened by passenger module shock absorbers  65  and  66  to prevent injury or discomfort to the occupants.  
         [0061]    Torsion bar  74  is rotatably mounted on rear trailing hangers  10  across the rear end of the chassis  2 . Left torsion bar arm  75  is fixedly connected to the left end of torsion bar  74 , and right torsion bar arm  78  is fixedly connected to torsion bar  74 . Torsion bar arms  75  and  78  are directed substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of torsion bar  74 , and they lie in essentially the same plane. Therefore, any angular movement of one is translated into a similar movement in the other due to the torsional rigidity of torsion bar  74 . The left torsion bar arm  75  is flexibly connected to connecting rod  76 , which is in turn connected to left rear bumper hinge  25 . The right torsion bar arm  78  is flexibly connected to right connecting rod  77 , which is in turn connected to right rear bumper hinge  26 . Thus, when the left side of rear bumper  27  is moved rearwards it causes rearward movement of left torsion bar connecting rod  76  which in turn pulls left torsion bar arm  75  rearward, thereby rotating torsion bar  74  and causing right torsion bar arm  78  and connecting rod  77  to push the right side of the rear bumper  27  to move backwards as well. In an offset collision, when the impact force is mainly directed to either the left or the right side of the front bumper  19 , the torsion bar assembly serves to distribute the force equally to the left and right sides of rear bumper  27  and the associated springs  28  and  31 , and shock absorbers  36  and  37 , to improve shock absorbing efficiency.  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 14 illustrates a collision of the vehicle head-on with a fixed object  86  in an offset manner. Here, the impact is borne mainly by the left side of front bumper  19 . Upon impact, the left side of front bumper  19  is instantly stopped, while the chassis and the rest of the vehicle continues to move forward due to its kinetic inertia, except for left tubular bumper support  17  which, being connected to the left part of front bumper  19 , is instantly brought to a stop as well, and with it the left bumper hinge  25 , the left side of rear bumper  27  and the left torsion bar connecting rod  76 . As the chassis  2  moves forward, connecting rod  76  pulls on left torsion bar  75  which in turn imparts a twisting force on torsion bar  74 . This twisting force is transmitted to right torsion bar arm  78  which in turn pushes right torsion bar connecting rod  77  rearward, causing the latter to push the right side of rear bumper  27  rearward as well. Such action brings the right side of the rear bumper  27  to a stop, and with it the right tubular bumper support  18  and the right side of front bumper  19 . This illustrates how the various elements of this invention overcome the imbalance of forces in an offset collision, and distribute the impact force to both sides of the rear bumper  27 , converting the latter into an effective balanced anchor from which springs and shock absorbers are employed to bring the vehicle to a more controlled and safer stop with less attendant damage, as shown in FIG. 15.  
         [0063]    In FIGS. 16 and 17, the vehicle of this invention is hit tangentially from the left front end by a moving vehicle at an angle of approximately 45°, in the direction of arrow  87 . Here the impact force not only drives the left side of front bumper  19  rearward, it also forces it to the right, threatening to bend bumper supports  17  and  18  to the right and rendering them inoperable. This is prevented by the prestressed diagonal cable  23  and hinge stopper  22  which together resist the initial rightward impact force. The impact force is then safely deflected into a rearward force which is absorbed and dissipated by the combined action of telescoping bumper supports  17  and  18 , various springs  28 ,  31 ,  50  and  53 , shock absorbers  36 ,  37 ,  65  and  66 , rear bumper  27  and torsion bar  74  and associated parts previously described. As in the previous example in FIGS. 14 and 15, the offset impact force of this collision is again distributed to both the left and right side of rear bumper  27  resulting in balanced action of the springs  28 ,  31 ,  50  and  53  and shock absorbers  36 ,  37 ,  65  and  66 . Sturdy braces  83  fortify the stress points of the chassis  2 .  
         [0064]    As may be seen from the examples illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, the diagonal cables  23  and  24  and the torsion bar  74  and its associated linkages allow the system to function properly in an offset collision as well as in a direct frontal collision.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIGS. 18, 19 and  20  illustrate an alternative means for distributing an offset force, directed to one side of the front bumper, to both sides of the rear bumper, as is done by the torsion bar assembly described earlier. There is shown a diagonal cable  89  attached to left front hinge  20  and right rear hinge  26 . Another diagonal cable  90  is similarly attached to the right front hinge  21  and left rear hinge  25 . When an offset force is directed against the left part of the front bumper  19  the left tubular bumper support  17  is forced rearward together with it. This forces the left bumper hinge  25  rearward causing it to draw the attached diagonal cable  90  rearwards as well, causing it to pull the right front hinge  21  rearward and with it the right bumper support  18 . This forces the right rear hinge  26  and the right part of the rear bumper  27  rearward. The other diagonal cable  89  functions similarly when an offset force hits the right part of front bumper  19 . This system, therefore, can be used in conjunction with—or in place of—the above-described torsion bar assembly. Cables or cable mounts designed to have an initial “give” may be used to mitigate the initial shock of the impact of the collision and thereby prevent or reduce damage.  
         [0066]    All mechanical and electrical cables and linkages are modified to allow for the forward, upward and rearward displacements of the various parts described above, without sustained damage or loss of function, during a collision. One such modification could be a steering column with telescoping segments and universal joints (not shown), although an electronically controlled steering system would be ideally suited for this application.  
         [0067]    It is possible to design vehicles embodying this invention to fit specific performance parameters. For example, a four-passenger car with known total weight and known weight of the passenger module plus the four passengers may be designed to withstand a straight frontal collision at 50 MPH. Aside from making the bumpers, bumper supports and the chassis assembly strong enough to withstand the forces of the impact, the springs  28 ,  31 ,  50  and  53  must be strong enough to completely stop the chassis assembly and the passenger module with the occupants, so that, for instance, the front bumper hinges  20  and  21  do not actually reach the front ends of longitudinal chassis members  11  and  12 . Within the design impact speed parameters, therefore, the vehicle will be expected to withstand the collision without any damage, and in proper operating condition. It is also reasonable to expect the passengers to escape significant injuries, provided that they have been wearing proper seat belts and the vehicle is equipped with air bags. With the use of super strong lightweight materials, such as magnesium, aluminum and titanium alloys and Kevlar, graphite and other suitable, composite materials, the performance parameters of this vehicle may be greatly increased in so far as its ability to resist collision damage.  
         [0068]    For greater versatility, in the event that the impact speed of the collision exceeds the design parameters of the vehicle, bumper stoppers  87  of suitable design, with or without associated coil springs (not shown), may be installed between front bumper hinges  20  and  21  and the front ends of the longitudinal chassis members  11  and  12  to absorb any impact that may occur.  
         [0069]    The rear portion of chassis  2  includes braces  83  for improved structural strength. For improved damage resistance, the bumpers and associated structures are sturdily constructed.  
         [0070]    The position of the seats  84 , seat back  85  and steering wheel  86  during normal operating conditions (FIGS. 1, 2,  6 ,  7 ,  9  and  11 ) when compared to their position during a collision (FIGS. 4, 8,  10  and  12 ) are illustrative of the bodily positions assumed by the driver and passengers before and during a frontal collision.  
         [0071]    It may be seen from the foregoing description that in addition to providing means for reducing vehicular damage and passenger injury through temporary displacement of certain parts of the vehicle, the invention also provides for automatic return of these parts to their original position.  
         [0072]    Although this preferred embodiment is described in great detail, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is more fully defined in the appended claims.