ARRANGEMENT FOR A VEHICLE OR PART OF A VEHICLE

Abstract: The invention concerns a rollover safety arrangement for a vehicle or part of a vehicle particularly for a truck, tanker (1), trailer or bus. According to the invention means (13-16) are provided alongside the vehicle which will expand or enlarge in volume due to circumstances anticipating overturning of said vehicle whereby the expanding means create shock-absorbing elements (13, 14) between the road and said of a turning vehicle, such that damages to vehicle and/or road will be restricted or avoided. Said means mainly consist of inflateable, flexible containers (13-16) which are applied to the relevant sides of a vehicle. The arrangement also comprises a controlling system which will measure and react to an overturning of the vehicle as well as a system (21, 22) for inflating said containers.

Description: Arrangement for a vehicle or part of a vehicle. The invention refers to aan arrangement for a vehicle or part of a vehicle particularly for a truck, tanker, trailer or bus which is either or not moving on a road. It is known that vehicles for various reasons e.g. at a too high speed in bends, due to (almost) collisons or a side-slip may overturn. Moreover the cargo or content of I Q trucks and especially tankers has a significant influence on the overturning of the vehicle. This influence is critically depending on what kind of cargo is stored in the truck or tanker, especially stored liquid can cause and will shift freely with sudden manoevres of the tanker. The liquid can cause an impelling force or motion which will expedite the overturning of the vehicle. These so-called unpackaged-tankers have, in practice, a relatively higher chance of overturning. 15 Often unpackaged-tankers are filled with chemical or petrochemical products. At present whenever during or after the tanker overturns - on the road - the tank may crack regardless of the sometimes applied reinforcements on the sides and the content of the tank spills out which not only causes material damages but also damages to the environment. Besides other undesirable effects could develop such as fire, harm to body, to public health, explosion (e.g. by LPG) or poisoning (e.g. by 20 chlorine gas) for the surroundings. The invention will meet the above mentioned drawbacks by the introduction of an arrangement which is characterized in that to the outside of said vehicle means are applied which will expand or enlarge in volume due to circumstances which will 25 result into initial overturning of said vehicle whereby said expanding means create shock-absorbing elements between the road and the overturning vehicle, such that damages to vehicle and/or road will be restricted or avoided. Also due to this arrangement the risk that liquids, solids or gases will escape is now considerably reduced. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention means which mainly consist of inflateable, flexible containers are applied to the relevant sides of a vehicle and being part of a controlling system which will measure and react to an overturning of said vehicle as well as being connected to a system for inflating said containers. A favourable embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention comprises a controlling system provided with sensors which continously indicate the wheel pressures and position of the wheel-shafts of said vehicle with regard to the road. In the event of lacking certain wheel pressure on the road caused by loss of contact by one or a group of wheels the start of an overturn is registered by the system due to which the inflation of the relevant containers is initiated on the overturning side of the vehicle. As already mentioned the impact of the collision resp. shock-energy between vehicle and road is absorbed by the inflated containers due to which damages of the overturned vehicle and possible other passing vehicles, road as well as environment will be prevented or at least limited. An other prefereable embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that the amount of wheel pressure and/or the position of the wheel-shafts of said vehicle with regard to the road will determine the activity of the inflating system of the relevant container(s). Due to this measure unnecessary inflating of the relevant container(s) will be prevented in the event of a short interruption of contact between wheel and road whilst there would be not aan overturning of the vehicle. The content of a bulk-enlarging container can be in a gas forming state which under normal cicumstances remains as a fast, liquid or as a high-pressured gas which is transported in a so-called non-activated container system. This type of gas may have an additional positive contribution during or directly after overturning of the vehicle (tanker or trailer) as this gas can reduce the risk and possibilities of a fire or an explosion or that it reduces the chemical effects of a transported product which leaks out of the vehicle. Another favourable embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that the containers during their inactive position are mounted as almost flat and elongated elements against the sides and mostly lengthwise of the vehicle as well as following the shape of the vehicle sides, such that the driving resistance of said vehicle being as small as possible, on the other hand the shock-absorbing ability of the inflateable containers in case of a vehicle overturning remains optimal. Besides due to this arrangement the containers can be usefull as insulation material for the tanks itself. An effective and favourable shape of a container which inflates is a round or oval cylinder which follows the contour of the vehicle tank. Another effective embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that the surface of a container is made of a very durable material particularly a synthetic material which is provided with highly resistant parts e.g. ridgy protrusions which by overturning of a vehicle will enlarge the friction between the inflated container(s) and the road. The invention will hereafter be described as shown by the figures due to which other features and advantages will be illucidated. Fig. 1 shows the back of a tanker on the road; Fig. 2 shows the tanker according to Fig. 1 overturning on the left; Fig. 3 shows the overturned tanker of Fig.1. Fig.1 shows schematically a tanker 1 which as such is a known vehicle, mainly comprising of a chassis 2 with a loading platform 3 which usually include wheel suspensions 4 with back-wheels 5,6 and a reserve wheel 7. On platform 3 a cylindrical tank 8 is mounted having an opening 9 which can be reached via a ladder 10. According to the invention on the sides 11 and 12 of tank 8 flat non-inflated containers 13,14 resp. 15,16 are fitted which containers follow the outside shape of tank 8 such that the driving resistance of tanker 1 is as small as possible. Furthermore at appropriate places in the wheel suspension system 4 pressure measuring-elements e.g. Load cells 17,18 are applied which are connected to a measuring and control-system (further not shown) which specific data will be noticeable in the tanker's cabin. Five most important parts of the control system are: a pressure gauge e.g. Load cells, this gauge continously measures the actual pressure between wheel (5,6) and road 19; a pressure adjustment device which indicates the limit due to which the relevant container(s) must be activated; a pressure comparing device which compares the actual (measured) pressure with the set limit pressure; a so-called container-initiator which converts the result of comparison between the afore mentioned pressures in order to activate the inflateable system respectively gas-forming or gas-providing substance for a container. Furthermore a safety sensor is fitted to prevent unnecessary activation of the gas-cylinders for the containers in case of a collision (in stead of overturning of the vehicle). The system works continously. The measurements preferably are continously monitored whether the vehicle (tanker) is moving/driving or not. Particularly the data concern the pressure between the wheels 5,6 and the road 19, and when necessarily, also the angle of the wheel shaft 20 with respect to the road in which case the afore mentioned five devices relate to the measuring of the angle between the shafts and the road rather than the wheel pressures. Measuring of this angle can be of importance e.g. in case the tanker is driving across uneven grounds during which the wheel-pressure (shortly) can drop off whilst there is no question of an initial overturn since the wheel-shaft 20 did not meet a specific critical angle with respect to the road or grounds. Fig. 2 shows the start of aan overturning of tanker 1 which overturn is observed due to drop of pressure between the wheel 6 and the road 19 as measured by the control system of this vehicle 1 as well as the development of the angle β of the wheel-shaft 20 which facts according to the invention result into inflating of the containers 13 and 14 to their shape as shown. It is noticed that according to a prefered embodiment the gas or foam cylinders 21 ,22 which will inflate the containers 13 resp. 14 are fitted on the inside of these containers. According to this measure the use of special tubes or hoses for the high-pressured gas or foam can be avoided. As has been mentioned above the (inflated) containers (13 and 14) are mounted lengthwise or circumferential on the tank 8 and are mainly cylindrical in shape. However, containers may also according to their sectional view be oval. For a tanker with normal dimensions an inflated lengthwise container can have e.g. a diameter of minimal 30 cm and a length of minimal 2 m. This container will have a thickness in the inactive position of 5 - 15 cm. If necessary the (effective) length of a container may be same as the length of the tank. Fig. 3 shows the position after the overturn of tanker 1 whereby the two inflated containers 13,14 are thus situated between the road 19 and the tank 8 and have absorb the shock(s) resp. impact or impact-energy between tanker 1 and the road 19 such that damages of tank and road are prevented or at least limited. Another favourable effect is that there is less risk of tearing the tank-walls such that the whole content of tank 8 or part of it is prevented from causing harm to the environment. It is noticed that manufacturing of a container from a durable synthetic material will have a chemical resistance and will meet the fire safity demands. Moreover, in case such a vehicle has to be driven through a water-rich area containers shall be fitted which will have such a dimension that when inflated the floating capacity of the vehicle that has e.g. run into water or mud, will be enlarge. An arrangement according to the invention is obviously not restricted to the examples of the embodiments as described since other arrangements of flexible inflateable containers having suitable shapes which can be activated by a control system of the above described ability are also applicable for other types of a vehicle. Whenever in the above description and the claimes is mentioned inflation or inflating system this in general covers every volume enlarging system which will have the same results on the solution for overturning problems as presented by the invention.

Claims: Claims 1. Arrangement for a vehicle or part of a vehicle particularly for a truck, tanker, trailer or bus which is either or not moving on a road, characterized in that to the outside of said vehicle means are applied which will expand or enlarge in volume due to circumstances which will result into initial overturning of said vehicle whereby said expanding means create shock-absorbing elements between the road and the overturning vehicle, such that damages to vehicle and/or road will be restricted or avoided 2. Arrangement according to claim 1 , characterized in that said means mainly consist of inflateable, flexible containers which are applied to the relevant sides of a vehicle and being part of a controlling system which will measure and react to an overturning of said vehicle as well as being connected to a system for inflating said containers. 3. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the controlling system comprises sensors which continously indicate the wheel pressures and position of the wheel-shafts of said vehicle with regard to the road. 4. Arrangement according to claim 1-3, characterized in that the amount of wheel pressure and/or the position of the wheel-shafts of said vehicle with regard to the road will determine the activity of the inflating system of the relevant container(s). 5. Arrangement according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inflating system for said containers being connected to a separate controlling system for different wheel-groups of said vehicle. 6. Arrangement according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inflating system of said containers comprises cylinders which are filled with gas under high pressure or a foam forming means. 7. Arrangement according to one or more of the preceding claims and claim 6, characterized in that a high pressure gas-cylinder is arranged in a container. 5 8. Arrangement according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containers during their inactive position are mounted as flat and elongated elements against the sides and mostly lengthwise of the vehicle as well as following the shape of the vehicle sides, such that the driving resistance of said vehicle being as small as possible, on the other hand the shock-absorbing ability of the inflateable 1° containers in case of a vehicle overturning remains optimal. 9. Arrangement according to one or more of the preceding claims and claim 8, characterized in that an inflateable container mainly has a cylindrical shape. 10. Arrangement according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in I 5 that the surface of a container is made of a very durable material particularly a synthetic material which is provided with highly resistant parts e.g. ridgy protrusions which by overturning of a vehicle will enlarge the friction between the inflated container(s) and the road. 11. Arrangement according to claiml and one or more of the preceding claims, 0 characterized in that inflated containers can extend to such a dimension that the floating ability of a vehicle which is overturned e.g. in water will be enlarged. 12. Arrangement provided with an arrangement as described and as shown by the figures. 5

Inventors: EENKHOORN ERIK JEROEN, EENKHOORN, ERIK, JEROEN
Applicants: EENKHOORN ERIK JEROEN, EENKHOORN, ERIK, JEROEN
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B60R21
IPC codes: B60P3, B60R21