Abstract:
A brush guard is attachable to a vehicle frame rail or a vehicle bumper mounting bracket by means of mounting members, each having a mounting surface mountable between the bumper mounting bracket and the bumper frame rail mounting bracket. Each mounting member includes a crush surface positioned in the same spatial relationship from a vehicle mounted sensor crush surface as the original crush surface of a bumper mounting bracket. The brush guard is mounted on the vehicle independent and free of the bumper and is disposed in a position so that the brush guard does not extend forwardly of the frontmost surface of the bumper. In one aspect, the mounting members are pivotally connected to the vehicle to allow pivotal movement of the brush guard during a front-end vehicle collision. A pair of optional outriggers are releasably secure to the outer lateral ends of the brush guard and the vehicle bumper.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates, in general, to vehicle grille or brush guards. 
     2. Description of the Art 
     Vehicle grille or brush guards are typically formed of a tubular frame structure having horizontal slats and/or vertical posts mounted within an outer frame. The brush guard is mounted by means of brackets in front of the vehicle grille and headlights. 
     Typically, brush guards have been mounted over the top and front of the bumper and connected to the top or side of the vehicle frame rails or extend below the bumper to a connection with the bottom of the frame rails. Such mounting arrangements place a portion of the brush guard in front of the vehicle front bumper where it is in a position to contact an object during a front collision before the bumper engages the object. 
     However, the placement of a vehicle brush guard in front of the bumper raises a significant problem with respect to the on-board collision sensors which are designed for interaction with crush surfaces in the vehicle to activate a passenger restraint, such as an air bag, at the proper time during a front end collision so that the air bag inflates in sufficient time to absorb forward motion of the vehicle front seat occupant(s). 
     The conventional mounting of vehicle brush guards in front of the vehicle will cause the vehicle crush surfaces to begin their movement toward each other and result in an earlier engagement with and earlier triggering of the vehicle collision sensors which activate the air bag restraint slightly earlier than would be normal if the vehicle did not have a brush guard and the vehicle bumper itself, as it was originally designed, first contacted the object. An earlier than designed activation of the air bag during a front collision will cause the air bag to inflate earlier than normal such that the air bag itself would be starting to deflate when first contacted by a vehicle front seat occupant. This, of course, negates the restraint features provided by the air bag. 
     Thus, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle brush guard mountable in front of the vehicle grille which does not change the spatial relationship between the vehicle crush surfaces which trigger collision sensors used to activate a vehicle passenger restraint air bag in a front end collision. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is a vehicle attachment is the form of a brush guard mountable on a vehicle in a position which does not change the vehicle front end collision sensor activation sequence during a front-end collision with the vehicle bumper. In one aspect, the vehicle attachment is a brush guard and a mounting member for mounting the brush guard to a vehicle frame where the front surface of the brush guard is disposed behind a front-most edge of the front vehicle bumper. 
     The brush guard, in an exemplary aspect, is constructed of spaced, joined members. Each of a pair of mounting members includes means for attaching the mounting members to the brush guard. Each mounting member includes a mounting surface or portion mountable between the bumper mounting bracket and the bumper frame rail mounting bracket of a vehicle. Each mounting member also has a crush surface which is designed to be positioned in the same spacial relationship from a vehicle mounted sensor activation crush surface as the original crush surface on the bumper mounting bracket. 
     In one aspect of the invention, a pair of brush guard mounting members are provided on the brush guard. Each one of the pair of brush guard mounting members has a first crush surface nominally spaced from a sensor crush surface at the first spacing. 
     In another aspect of the invention, outrigger support brackets are mounted between a laterally outboard position of the brush guard and the vehicle bumper. Preferably, the brush guard is releasably connected to the outrigger support bracket. 
     The brush guard mounting member, in one aspect, is movably mountable on the bumper mounting bracket. In another aspect, the brush guard mounting member is pivotal relative to the bumper mounting bracket under vehicle collision forces. 
     The mounting members provide a secure mount for a brush guard on a vehicle without requiring the brush guard to be attached to the bumper of the vehicle. More importantly, the mounting members mount the brush guard on a vehicle in a position above the top surface of the bumper so that the brush guard does not extend forwardly of the foremost surface of the bumper. This prevents the brush guard from interfering with the normal crush sequence of the bumper and collision sensors of the vehicle during a front end collision. 
     The crush surfaces formed on the brush guard mounting members act in the same fashion as similar crush surfaces normally found on the bumper mounting brackets to trigger or activate the vehicle collision sensors at the same time during a front collision as the bumper mounting brackets in a vehicle crush sequence for nominal operation of the inflatable passenger restraint air bags. 
     The present brush guard is easily attachable to existing vehicles despite the different vehicle bumper mounting configurations. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The various features, advantages and other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a vehicle bumper showing a vehicle bumper mounting bracket; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle frame rail showing the bumper frame rail mounting bracket mounted thereon; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of a typical collision sensor and sensor mounting bracket; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational, partially cross-sectioned view showing the spatial relationships of the bumper mounting bracket, the bumper, the bumper frame rail mounting bracket, the frame rail, the collision sensor and the collision sensor mounting bracket in their normal mounted positions; 
     FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a brush guard according to the present invention mounted on a vehicle in connection with the bumper and frame rail assemblies shown in FIGS. 2-4; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a driver side brush guard mounting bracket according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a passenger side brush guard mounting bracket of the present invention depicted in its mounted position on the bumper mounting bracket attached to the vehicle bumper; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the attachment of the vehicle brush guard to the brush guard mounting bracket shown in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a side elevational view, partially cross-sectioned, depicting the spatial relationships of the vehicle brush guard mounting bracket, the bumper frame rail mounting bracket, the vehicle bumper and the crash sensor mounting bracket in their normal mounted position; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an outrigger bracket according to one aspect of the invention connecting the side outboard portion of the vehicle brush guard to the vehicle bumper; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the outrigger mounting bracket shown in FIG. 10; and 
     FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the vehicle bumper showing the mounting of the outrigger mounting bracket to the bumper. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawing, and to FIGS. 1-4 in particular, there is depicted a typical bumper front fascia assembly for a vehicle. The bumper assembly includes a conventional bumper  10  which may be formed of any suitable material, such as metal, formed plastic, etc. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the bumper  10  includes a top generally horizontally extending top wall  12 , a front, vertically extending wall  14  and a bottom, inward curved bottom wall  16 . A metal frame  18  is mounted on an inside surface of the bumper  10  and is joined to the bumper  10  by suitable fasteners, such as J-nuts  20 . 
     A bumper mounting bracket shown generally by reference number  26  is secured by fasteners  28  to the metal frame  18 . The bumper mounting bracket  26 , which may take any suitable shape, includes, by example, a raised center portion  30  having apertures which receive fasteners, such as bolts  32 , for attaching the bumper mounting bracket  26  to a bumper frame rail mounting bracket  34  shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The bumper frame rail mounting bracket  34  is of a generally U-shaped member having an end wall  36  and opposed side walls  38 , only one of which can be seen in FIG.  2 . The side walls  38  include an open ended aperture, such as a generally triangular aperture, which divides each side wall  38  into spaced leg portions as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The end wall  36  terminates short of the end of the side walls  38  to form an opening  40  in conjunction with the lower extended portions of the side walls  38  which enables the mounting bracket  34  to be disposed over a conventional tubular frame rail  42  and secured thereto by suitable fasteners, welds, etc. A pair of apertures  44  are formed in the bumper frame rail mounting bracket  34  and alignable with the apertures in the bumper mounting bracket  26  to receive the fasteners or bolts  32  to normally secure the bumper mounting bracket  26  to the bumper frame rail mounting bracket  34  and thereby attaching the vehicle bumper  10  to the vehicle frame rails  42 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a conventional vehicle collision sensor depicted generally by reference number  50  is mounted on a sensor mounting bracket  52  to stationary vehicle structure. A crush surface  54  is formed at one end of the bracket  52  and adapted to engage a corresponding bumper crush surface  56  formed on the end of a tab extending from the center portion  30  of the bumper mounting bracket  26  as shown in FIG. 4 during a front collision. While in the normal mounting position of the bumper  10  relative to the frame rails  42 , opposed faces of the crush surfaces  54  and  56  are spaced apart. However, during a collision, once the bumper  10  becomes stationary upon engagement with an object, the momentum of the vehicle will cause the frame rails  42  to continue to move in a forward direction. After a predetermined amount of advance, the crush surface  54  will engage the crush surface  56  thereby causing movement or displacement of the sensor mounting bracket  52 . This movement is detected by the sensor  50  which can be any conventional collision sensor typically used with vehicle passenger restraint systems, such as air bags. Once this force or displacement is detected by the sensor  50 , the sensor  50  outputs a signal which activates the passenger restraint system, typically causing an air bag or bags in the front of the vehicle to inflate and restrain the forward movement of the front seat vehicle passengers. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5-12, there is depicted a vehicle brush guard  60  mounted above the top wall or surface  12  of the bumper and in front of the grille and headlights of the vehicle. The brush guard  60  is in the form of a generally tubular frame formed of vertical and horizontal interconnected slats and posts. The brush guard  60  may take any suitable form. 
     Thus, for clarity and by way of example only, the brush guard  60  includes a center frame formed of a light bar  62  which is connected at opposite ends to a pair of generally planar vertical straps  64 . The light bar  62  functions as a support for mounting auxiliary headlights on the vehicle. 
     A pair of laterally extending frame assemblies extend from the vertical straps  64  and are formed of upper and lower tubular members  66  and  68  which are interconnected by a plurality of vertical posts  70 . Horizontal slats  72  extend between and are joined to the posts  70 . 
     A frame formed of opposed vertically extending side legs  74  and an upper center cross bar  76  extends from the lower tubular members  68  on either side of the center frame and through the upper tubular members  66  and  68 . 
     According to a unique feature of the present invention, a pair of brush guard mounting brackets  78  and  80  are provided for mounting the brush guard  60  to the vehicle at two locations. Two substantially mirror image brush guard mounting brackets  78  and  80  are provided as shown on FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6 the first brush guard mounting bracket  78 , which will typically be mounted on the driver&#39;s side of the center line of the vehicle, includes a generally planar portion  84  having a pair of apertures  86 , preferably in the form of slots, formed therein for securing the bumper guard mounting bracket  78  to the bumper mounting bracket  26  by the bolts  32 . An extension or tab  88  extends from the planar portion  84  and lies in the same plane as the planar portion  84 . 
     A crush surface  90  is formed on the mounting bracket  78 . For the mounting bracket  78 , the crush surface  90  is unitarily formed as part of the planar portion  84 , but is bent out of the plane of the planar portion  84  by a first bend  92 . The crush surface  90  is formed as a planar surface extending from the bend  92  and is disposed generally parallel to, but offset from the planar portion  84 . 
     The length or extent of the bend  92  places the outer surface of the crush surface  90  at a distance from the outer surface of the planar portion  84  substantially equal to the thickness of the planar portion  84 . This enables the crush surface  90  to be in the same spatial position relative to the crush surface  54  as was the original crush surface  56  on the bumper mounting bracket  26 . 
     A second bend  94  at the other end of the crush surface  90  forms a planer upper surface  96  generally perpendicular to the planar portion  84  and the crush surface  90 . A dart  98  is formed through the second bend  94  for structural rigidity. 
     A flange  100  projects perpendicularly from one side of the upper surface  96 . The flange  100  includes a mounting aperture  102 , a clearance notch  104  and an open ended mounting slot  106 . 
     As shown in FIG. 7, the second brush guard mounting bracket  80  is similarly constructed and like components have been given the same reference number as the components of the first mounting bracket  78  described above and shown in FIG.  6 . 
     Thus, the second brush guard mounting bracket  80  includes the planar portion  84  with an extension or tab  88  projecting therefrom. A pair of mounting slots, not shown in FIG. 7, are formed in the planar portion  84  for receiving the mounting bolts. The first bend  92  is formed in the planar portion  84  and forms an outwardly projecting surface  91  which is offset, but parallel to the planar portion  84 . A second bend  94  forms an upper surface  96  perpendicular to the offset surface  91 . The flange  100  is formed along one side of the upper surface  96  and includes the mounting aperture  102 , the clearance notch  104  and the mounting slot  106 . 
     Due to the particular vehicle engine component configuration, the tab  88 , by example, rather than the surface  91  acts as the mating crush surface for the passenger side collision sensor mounting bracket. 
     As shown in FIGS. 6-9, both mounting brackets  78  or  80  are mountable with the planar portion  84  in registry with the center portion  30  of the bumper mounting bracket  26 . The apertures or slots  86  in each planar portion  84  are alignable with the apertures in the center portion  30  of the bumper mounting bracket  26  to receive the bolts  32  as described hereafter. 
     In this mounting position, the upper surface  96  of each mounting bracket  78  and  80  projects above and is spaced from the upper surface  12  of the vehicle bumper  10 . This places the flange  100  above the upper surface  12  of the bumper  10  as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Mounting bolts  110  extend through aligned apertures formed on the bottom of the vertical strap  64  of the brush guard  60  and the mounting aperture  102  and mounting slot  106  on the flange  100  to fixably secure the brush guard  60  to the first and second mounting brackets  78  and  80  without contact with the bumper  10 . 
     The open-ended mounting slot  106  enables the brush guard  60  to pivot and separate from the end of the flange  100  during a front end collision. 
     As shown in FIG. 9, the crush surface  90  on the first mounting bracket  78 , when the planar portion  84  of the mounting bracket  78  is disposed between and secured to the bumper mounting bracket  26  and the bumper frame rail bracket  34 , is spaced from the opposed crush surface  54  on the sensor mounting bracket  52  at the same position and at the same distance as was the original crush surface  56  which is removed from the bumper mounting bracket  26  so as to function in the same manner as the tab  56  during a front end collision to trigger the sensor  50  to activate the air bag at the proper time in the vehicle crush sequence. 
     Although not shown, the extension or tab  88  on the second mounting bracket  80  forms the crush surface for the mounting bracket  80  which is engagable with the crush surface on a passenger side sensor mounting bracket  52 . The tab  88  is located in the same spacial relationship from the crush surface on one end of the sensor mounting bracket  52  on the passenger side of the vehicle as was crush surface on the bumper mounting bracket  26  on the passenger side of the vehicle. It should be noted that the passenger side bumper mounting bracket  26  does not include the rearward extending tab forming the crush surface  56  on the driver side bumper mounting bracket  26 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, there is depicted one of a pair of outriggers  120  which are used to releasable secure the outer ends of the brush guard  60  to the vehicle bumper  10 . The outriggers  120  are optional, but are preferred when the brush guard  10  extends a considerable length along the vehicle bumper  10 , such as shown in FIG.  5 . Of course, smaller length brush guards, such as those covering only the center grille of a vehicle, would not necessarily require the outriggers  120 . 
     Each outrigger  120 , by example only, is in the form of a bent or formed metallic strap having a first end portion  122 , an intermediate portion  124  extending angularly from the first end portion  122 , and a second end portion  126  extending angularly from the intermediate portion  124 , and generally perpendicular to the first end portion  122 . As shown in FIG. 12, the first end portion  122  of each outrigger  120  is disposed behind the inner edge of the top wall  12  of the vehicle bumper  10  and has a mounting aperture  128  alignable with an aperture in a bumper side stiffener strap  132  and receiving the same fastener  134  used to secure one end of the stiffener strap  132  to the metal frame  18  behind the bumper  10 . 
     The intermediate portion  124  of each outrigger  120  then extends angularly outward from the first end portion  122  to position the second end portion  126  generally parallel to the bottom surface to the bottom tubular member  68  on either side of the brush guard  60 . A fastener, such as a bolt  134  shown in FIG. 10, is mountable through a mounting slot  130  on the second end portion  126  of each outrigger  120  and the bottom tubular member  68  of the brush guard  60 . The mounting slot  130  enables the outrigger  120  to separate from the brush guard  60  during a collision. 
     In summary, the present invention is a unique vehicle attachment, such as a brush guard, mountable on a vehicle in a manner which does not alter the spatial relationship between the vehicle sensor activating crush surfaces.