Abstract:
A safety guard for a vehicle, such as a school or transit bus, tractor trailer or the like-type vehicle, includes a front guard positioned at an angle in front of a wheel of the vehicle that will function to push individuals and other animate objects lying in the path of the vehicle out of the path of the wheels for safety purposes, while being mounted for telescoping movement to protect the safety guard from damage upon abutting an inanimate object during operation of the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application represents a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/457,008 entitled “Telescoping Vehicle Safety Guard” filed Apr. 26, 2012 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/483,819 entitled “Telescoping Vehicle Safety Guard” filed May 9, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention pertains to the art of vehicle safety devices and, more particularly, to a safety device mounted beneath a body of a vehicle and including a guard portion which is supported in front on a wheel set of the vehicle, in a compliant, telescoping manner, for both deflecting animate objects from in front of the vehicle wheels and protecting the guard portion against damage by abutment of the safety guard with certain inanimate objects during operation of the vehicle. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Buses are commonly employed for various transportation purposes. For instance, buses are widely employed in metropolitan mass transit systems. Unfortunately, there are inherent dangers associated with the operation of buses. Many of the most serious of these injuries are a result of individuals being run over by the bus, such as when a person slips and falls in the road adjacent a wheel of the bus and the bus crushes a limb or other body part of the individual. Correspondingly, inanimate objects can also be crushed. 
         [0006]    To address these concerns, it has been proposed in the art to mount a safety guard directly in front of wheels on a bus to establish a safety barrier between the wheels and objects. More specifically, as represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,462,324 and 5,735,560, it is known to mount a safety barrier to undercarriage structure of a vehicle, such as a bus, with the safety barrier including a lower edge extending directly along a ground surface. The safety barrier is fixedly supported at various locations, such as to axle, frame and/or suspension structure. The safety barrier is angled such that, if an object is encountered during movement of the bus, the safety barrier forces the object out from under the vehicle to a position out of the path of the vehicle wheels. 
         [0007]    In addition to mass transit buses, school buses are widely employed in connection with transporting students for educational purposes. Of course, still other types of buses also exist. Certainly, each of these additional types of buses, as well as other types of vehicles such as those used in the trucking industry, can benefit from incorporating safety guards. Regardless of the type of vehicle to which the safety guard is mounted, serious damage can be done to the guard if the guard abuts an inanimate object, such as a curb, pole, mailbox or the like, during operation of the vehicle. Depending on the level of damage, the safety guard may not even be able to perform its desired safety function, thereby requiring replacement. Given the monetary cost and time associated with replacing of these safety guards, this scenario is undesirable. 
         [0008]    Based on the above, there exists the need for a more feasible mounting arrangement for a vehicle underbody safety guard. In particular, there is seen to exist a need for a safety barrier mounting arrangement which will enable safety guards to be readily mounted to a wide range of vehicles in a manner which will protect the safety guard from significant damage when unintentionally abutting an inanimate object during operation of the vehicle, thereby prolonging the useful and effective life of the safety guard. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention is directed to providing a safety guard for a vehicle, such as a school or transit bus, tractor trailer or the like-type vehicle, including a frontal guard positioned at an angle in front of a wheel of the vehicle that will function to push individuals and other animate objects lying in the path of the vehicle out of the path of the wheels for safety purposes, while being mounted for telescoping movement to protect the safety guard from damage upon abutting an inanimate object during operation of the vehicle. That is, the safety guard is positioned close enough to the ground so that, if an animate object is encountered, the safety barrier will force the object out from under the vehicle and out of the wheel path, while also being mounted so as to telescope or shift inwardly of the vehicle in the event the guard engages a relatively immovable inanimate object, such as a curb, pole, mailbox or the like, during operation of the vehicle. The shifting of the frontal guard is controlled such that the guard can only move along a defined axis. In addition, the frontal guard is resiliently mounted so as to be forced to rebound back to its fully operational position after any shifting based on engaging an inanimate object. In this manner, the safety guard can still fully perform its desired safety function, yet is protected from significant, undesirable and unintended damage which could affect its performance. 
         [0010]    Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a transit bus having mounted thereto front and rear safety guard assemblies in accordance with the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of the mounting of the rear safety guard assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a safety guard mounting assembly constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view, similar to  FIG. 2 , but illustrating a permissible telescoping movement for the safety guard in accordance with the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    With initial reference to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  2 , shown as a transit bus, has attached thereto, at both fore and aft regions, a safety guard  5  constructed in accordance with the present invention. In general, vehicle  2  includes a body  7  having a front end section  8  including a windshield  9  and a bumper  10 . Also provided at front end section  8  is a pair of front steerable wheels, one of which is indicated at  12  located within a wheel well  13 . Arranged directly forward of wheel  12  is a forward most side door  15 . Body  7  also includes a middle section  17  and a rear end section  19 . Supporting rear end section  19  is a pair of rear wheels, one of which is indicated at  26  arranged in a wheel well  30  created in a side panel  33  of vehicle body  7 . Also provided alongside panel  33  are various fore-to-aft spaced windows  36  which are vertically arranged below a roof  38 . Shown arranged alongside panel  33 , forward of rear wheel  26 , is a rear door  41 . In connection with describing the invention, it should be noted that safety guard  5  is arranged at a lower region  45  between wheel well  30  and rear door  41 . Safety guard  5  is actually mounted at this location beneath body  7  of vehicle  2  and is supported in front of rear wheel  26  in a compliant, telescoping manner for both deflecting inanimate objects in an operational position from in front of rear wheel  26  and protecting safety guard  5  against damage by abutment with certain inanimate objects during operation of vehicle  2  as will be detailed more fully below. 
         [0016]    At this point, it should be noted that the invention will be described with respect to a preferred mounting of safety guard  5  to vehicle body  7  in connection with rear wheel  26 . However, safety guard  5  can actually be correspondingly mounted at a position in front of front wheel  12  as also shown in  FIG. 1 . As will also become more fully evident below, the particular mounting of safety guard  5  to body  7  can greatly vary in accordance with the present invention while accommodating the compliant, telescoping configuration referenced above. In any case, with reference to the mounting of safety guard  5  in front of rear wheel  26 ,  FIG. 2  presents an enlarged view of lower region  45  while indicating a preferred mounting arrangement utilizing a first mounting component  47  affixed to body  7  and a second mounting component  48  affixed to safety guard  5 , with these two mounting components  47 ,  48  being interconnected by a connection assembly generally indicated at  50  in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0017]    With specific reference to  FIG. 3 , the underside of body  7  is indicated at  52 . First mounting component  47  includes a base  54  from which extend upstanding fore and aft side walls  56  and  57 . Base  54  is formed with a plurality of spaced slots  60 - 63 , each of which includes a first end  66  and a second end  67 . As should be evident from viewing  FIG. 3 , slots  60  and  61  extend along a first axis, while slots  62  and  63  extend a second axis, with these axes being parallel to each other. Base  54  is also provided with a central, elongated slot  70  having a first end  72  and a second end  73 . Projecting from second end  73  is an upstanding flange  75  of base  54 . In the most preferred embodiment, upstanding flange  75  is formed by cutting a portion of base  54  and bending the same upward to establish the configuration shown in  FIG. 3 . However, a separate upstanding flange  75  could also be readily affixed, such as through welding, to base  54  of first mounting component  47 . In any case, as shown, upstanding flange  75  is preferably formed with a through hole  76 . 
         [0018]    As also shown in  FIG. 3 , second mounting component  48  includes a main, upper plate  80  from which depends a side wall  83  that terminates in an in-turned leg  85 . Second mounting component  48  is fixedly retained by an upper body portion  90  of safety guard  5 . That is, safety guard  5  includes upper body portion  90  and a frontal guard piece  92  which is used to deflect animate objects from in front of wheels  12  and/or  26  during operation of vehicle  2  in a manner known in the art and set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,462,324 and 5,735,560, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. As the particular construction of frontal guard piece  92  is known in the art, it will not be further described herein. Instead, at this point, it should simply be realized that second mounting component  48  can be secured to upper body portion  90  in a various ways. In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, second mounting component  48  is encapsulated in the integral molding of upper body portion  90  in a manner directly corresponding to the mounting arrangement disclosed in the &#39;560 patent referenced above. Again, as will be more fully evident below, the particular construction and mounting of second mounting component  48  can greatly vary in accordance with the present invention such that the arrangement shown in  FIG. 3  is only intended to be an exemplary embodiment. 
         [0019]    As depicted, plate  80  of second mounting component  48  includes a plurality of spaced through holes  94 - 97  which are preferably threaded. In addition, plate  80  is also provided with a slot  99 , the formation of which aids in establishing an upstanding tab member  100  having an associated through hole  102 . When second mounting component  48  is encapsulated by safety guard  5  during manufacturing, tab member  100  extends above upper body portion  90 , holes  94 - 97  are accessible through upper body portion  90 , and both side wall  83  and leg  85  provide structural stiffness and integrity to safety guard  5 . 
         [0020]    As indicated above, first mounting component  47  is fixedly secured to the underside  52  of body  7 . Again, the particular manner in which this attachment is performed can greatly vary in accordance with the present invention. In one preferred embodiment, upstanding side walls  56  and  57  are welded to underside  52 . More important to the present invention is the manner in which second mounting component  48  is secured to first mounting component  47  for supporting frontal guard piece  92  yet accommodating compliant, telescoping movement of safety guard  5  relative to body  7 . In particular, second mounting component  48  is positioned such that plate  80  is arranged below base  54 , while upstanding tab member  100  projects into slots  70 . At the same time, threaded holes  94 - 97  become aligned with spaced slots  60 - 63  respectively. Threaded fasteners  108 - 111  are then positioned through slots  60 - 63  and become threadably engaged to plate  80  at threaded holes  94 - 97  respectively. For this purpose, each threaded fastener  108 - 111  has associated therewith an upper washer  114 , which extends about a respective slot  60 - 63 , and a threaded end  116  which is received within a respective hole  94 - 97  of plate  80 . With this arrangement, plate  80  is secured beneath base  54  while enabling relative sliding movement between first and second mounting components  47  and  48 , with threaded fasteners  108 - 111  being movable between first end  66  and second end  67  of respective slots  60 - 63 . 
         [0021]    Connection assembly  50  also includes an elongated threaded fastener  119  having a head  121 , a shaft  122  and a threaded end  123 . Associated with elongated threaded fastener  119  is a nut  125 . In addition, a dampening member  128  is adapted to be interposed in the connection between first mounting component  47  and second mounting component  48 . In general, dampening member  128  takes the form of a spring element, which is employed to bias upstanding tab member  100  toward first end  72  of slot  70 . In the embodiment shown, dampening member  128  takes the form of a cylindrical elastomeric block  130  having a through bore  132 . Elongated threaded fastener  119  extends through hole  76  formed in upstanding flange  75 , into through bore  132  of block  130  and finally out through hole  102  formed in tab member  100 , whereat nut  125  is threaded onto threaded end  123  to secure dampening member  128  between upstanding flange  75  and upstanding tab member  100 . 
         [0022]    With this configuration, second mounting component  48  is permitted to shift relative to first mounting component  47 , while any shifting movement is resisted by the arrangement of dampening member  128 . In a most preferred embodiment disclosed, slot  70  is arranged parallel to slots  60 - 63  so that the relative movement will occur along the axes defined by slots  60 - 63 . In this manner, frontal guard piece  92  will assume the operational position shown in phantom at A in order to effectively deflect animate objects from in front of vehicle wheel  26  during operation of vehicle  2  while also permitting frontal guard piece  92  to be deflected in the direction of arrow C to the position shown at B in  FIG. 4  if frontal guard piece  92  abuts an inanimate object with sufficient force during operation of vehicle  2  so as to prevent damage to frontal guard piece  92 . More specifically, in  FIG. 4 , frontal guard piece  92  is shown to abut a raised curb  140  associated with a sidewalk  142  which has caused frontal guard piece  92  to shift in the direction of arrow C for a range defined by the length of slots  60 - 63 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this length is in the order of 1-½ inches (approximately 2.5-3.8 cm). Shifting of second mounting component  48  relative to first mounting component  47  will result in compression of elastomeric block  130  such that, as soon as frontal guard piece  92  becomes disengaged with curb  140 , frontal guard  92  will automatically shift back to the operational position indicated at A. By manually adjusting nut  125 , the dampening characteristics of dampening member  128  can be readily altered. 
         [0023]    To be most effective, frontal guard piece  92  is preferably arranged extremely close to wheel  26  in its operational position, such as within about an inch or two in front of wheel  26 . To this end, the permitted shifting movement of frontal guard piece  92  upon hitting an inanimate object in accordance with the invention occurs at an angle which extends slightly forward of a transverse direction indicated at D in  FIG. 4 . That is,  FIG. 4  indicates a transverse direction of vehicle  2  by arrow D and a forward direction of vehicle  2  by arrow E. The desired movement between second mounting component  48  and first mounting component  47  is shown to be in a direction which at least accommodates transverse movement but which prevents movement of the second mounting component  48 , from the operational position, relative to the first mounting component  47  in a rearward direction of vehicle  2 . Of course, the farther safety guard  5  is mounted away from wheel  26  and the permitted shifting thereof limited, some rearward movement of frontal guard piece  92  could be possible. However, in accordance with the most preferred embodiments of the invention, slots  60 - 63 , as well as slot  70 , are angled slightly forward of a transverse direction D of vehicle  2  in order to most effectively provide for deflecting animate objects from in front of wheel  26  while also protecting the frontal guard piece  92  against damage by abutment of the safety guard  5  with certain inanimate objects during operation of vehicle  2 . 
         [0024]    In connection with the embodiments disclosed, the overall safety guard is preferably formed as a one-piece unit which is mounted in front of one or more select vehicle wheels and across a portion of the underbody in the order of two feet, while having a minimal gap between the frontal safety guard and both the ground and the related wheel. The frontal guard piece can be formed of plastic, rubber, urethane, aluminum or steel, although other known materials could be used to create a physical barrier strong enough to push a child or adult from in front of the wheel. For instance, it would be possible to manufacture at least a portion of the frontal guard piece from recycled tire rubber or fiberglass. As indicated above, various mounting arrangements can be employed for the safety guard, so long as the mounting arrangements accommodate the compliant, telescoping movement described above so as to enable the safety guard to effectively deflect animate objects from in front of the wheel while also enabling the safety guard to be shifted and then automatically retracted relative to the vehicle body when a force is exerted on the safety guard by an inanimate object engaged during normal operation of the vehicle. In any case, although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from spirit thereof. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.