Patent Publication Number: US-11655602-B2

Title: Crash cushion with improved side panel attachment

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application is a continuation, and claims priority benefit with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/849,183, filed on Apr. 15, 2020, and entitled “CRASH CUSHION WITH IMPROVED SIDE PANEL ATTACHMENT” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Vehicle impact absorbing systems, also called “crash cushions,” are often installed adjacent rigid structures such as pillars, bridge abutments, lighting poles and the like for absorbing vehicle impact energy and minimizing the effects of impact on a vehicle, the vehicle&#39;s occupants, and the structure being protected. 
     One type of crash cushion includes a number of spaced-apart supports or bulkheads, energy-absorbing modules positioned between the supports, overlapping side panels that interconnect the supports and envelop the energy-absorbing modules; and reinforcing cables that are clamped below the supports/bulkheads. This type of crash cushion is designed to collapse upon itself in an accordion or telescoping fashion when subjected to a frontal vehicle impact so as to transfer and absorb vehicle impact energy over a predetermined distance and to redirect a vehicle away from the crash cushion and the rigid structure being protected when subjected to a side vehicle impact. 
     Such crash cushions are often configured in a wedge shape (in plan view), with their narrower ends at the front to present a smaller initial obstacle and their wider ends at the rear to provide the most crash protection near the structures being protected. But configuring a crash cushion this way requires each support to be of a different width, with the narrowest support up front and the widest support at the rear, increasing design, fabrication, and installation costs. The wedge shape also inhibits sliding and stacking of the side panels when the crash cushion collapses after a fontal vehicle impact. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention solves the above-described problems and other related problems by providing a crash cushion with an improved side panel attachment system that reduces the number of unique width supports required and that facilitates the sliding and stacking of the side panels when the crash cushion collapses. 
     An embodiment of the crash cushion broadly comprises a number of spaced-apart supports; hinges mounted to the sides of the supports; energy-absorbing modules positioned between the supports; overlapping side panels attached to the hinges to interconnect the supports and envelop the energy-absorbing modules; a front anchor structure; a rear anchor structure; and reinforcing cables extending between the anchors and through the supports. The crash cushion may also comprise a substantially immovable support frame fixedly anchored in a rearmost position relative to the other spaced supports and a front impact member or nose located at the forward end of the crash cushion. 
     In accordance with one important aspect of the invention, the crash cushion also includes indexing structure that permits each hinge to be selectively mounted in several different positions with respect to its support. One embodiment of the indexing structure permits each hinge to be mounted in three different positions relative to its support: an innermost position closest to its support; an intermediate position; and an outermost position spaced furthest from its support. This reduces the number of unique width supports required. For example, three supports of the same width may each have three different effective widths by mounting hinges to the first support in their innermost positions, mounting hinges to the second support in their intermediate positions, and mounting hinges to the third support in their outermost positions. 
     In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, the crash cushion also includes angle set structure that allows the hinges to pivot relative to the supports up to a defined pivot range. This allows the side panels to more easily flare outwardly from front to back to create a wedge-shape and to accommodate the overlapping edges of the side panels. The angle set structure also facilitates controlled stacking of the side panels when the crash cushion collapses upon itself when subjected to a frontal vehicle impact. 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is a top perspective view of a crash cushion constructed in accordance with embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a bottom perspective view of the crash cushion. 
         FIG.  3    is a plan view of the crash cushion with some of its components removed. 
         FIG.  4    is a side view of the crash cushion with some of its components removed. 
         FIG.  5    is a partial top perspective view of a front portion of the crash cushion with some of its components removed. 
         FIG.  6    is a partial top perspective view of a rear portion of the crash cushion with some of its components removed. 
         FIG.  7    is a top perspective view of the crash cushion in a collapsed state. 
         FIG.  8    is a partial top perspective view of the crash cushion in its collapsed state with some of its components removed. 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of one of the supports of the crash cushion with portions removed to illustrate internal features of the support. 
         FIG.  10    is a partial perspective view of one of the hinges shown mounted to its support. 
         FIG.  11    is a vertical sectional view of one of the hinges shown mounted in an innermost position with respect to its support. 
         FIG.  12    is a vertical sectional view of one of the hinges shown mounted in an intermediate position with respect to its support. 
         FIG.  13    is a vertical sectional view of one of the hinges shown mounted in an outermost position with respect to its support. 
         FIG.  14    is a partial top plan view of one of the supports and an associated hinge with their fasteners in section. 
         FIG.  15    is an exploded view of a portion of one of the supports, its associated hinge, and the indexing structure and angle set structure in the support and the hinge. 
         FIG.  16    is a rear perspective view of one of the hinges. 
         FIG.  17    is a front perspective view of one of the hinges. 
     
    
    
     The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawing figures, a crash cushion  10  constructed in accordance with embodiments of the invention is illustrated. The crash cushion  10  may be installed adjacent a rigid structure such as a pillar, bridge abutment, lighting pole, or the like for absorbing vehicle impact energy and minimizing the effects of impact on a vehicle, the vehicle&#39;s occupants and the structure being protected. 
     As best shown in  FIG.  1   , an embodiment of the crash cushion  10  broadly comprises a number of spaced-apart supports  12 ; hinges  13  mounted to the sides of the supports; energy absorbing modules  14  positioned between the supports  12 ; overlapping side panels  16  mounted to the hinges  13  on the supports  12 ; a front anchor structure  18 ; a rear anchor structure  20 ; and reinforcing cables  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D extending between the anchors  18 ,  20 . The crash cushion  10  also includes a substantially immovable support frame  24  fixedly anchored to the rear anchor structure  20  in a rearmost position relative to the supports  12  and a front impact member or nose  26  located at the forward end of the crash cushion  10 . Embodiments of each of these components will now be described in more detail. 
     The supports  12  are spaced along a longitudinal axis of the crash cushion  10  and, except for the support closest to the immoveable support frame  24 , are configured to telescopically slide and collapse toward the immovable support frame  24  when the front impact member  26  is struck by a vehicle. The supports  12  also cooperate with other components of the crash cushion to redirect a vehicle away from the crash cushion and the structure being protected when either side of the crash cushion is struck by a vehicle. 
     The supports  12  may be of different widths, with the support at the front of the crash cushion being the narrowest and the support at the rear of the crash cushion being the widest. This allows the crash cushion to have a wedge-shape in plan view, widening from front to back, so as to present a relatively smaller obstacle at the front impact member  26  and a larger protected area next to the structure being protected. Aspects of the invention described below minimize the number of unique width supports needed to create this wedge shape. 
     Except for their widths, the supports  12  are identical, so only the one illustrated in  FIG.  9    will be described in detail. As shown, the support  12  includes a central frame  28 , a ground engaging component  32 , and cable guide structures  34 A,  34 B,  34 C,  34 D integrated in the central frame  28 . 
     The central frame  28  may be formed of metal or other suitable materials and stands upright about a generally vertical axis. In one embodiment, the central frame  28  is rectangular, but it may be formed in any shaped. 
     The ground engaging component  32  depends from the central frame  28  and supports the frame above a ground surface such as a road, sidewalk, or area near a pillar, bridge, etc. In one embodiment, the ground engaging component includes a pair of posts, each with a ground-contacting lower foot. 
     The integrated cable guides  34 A,  34 B,  34 C,  34 D guide the cables  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D between the anchors  18 ,  20  and allow relative slidable movement between the cables  22  and the supports  12  upon collapse of the crash cushion. In one embodiment, the support  12  includes four cable guides: a lower left side cable guide  34 A, an upper left side cable guide  34 B, a lower right side cable guide  34 C, and an upper right side cable guide  34 D. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  9  and  15   , each side of the central frame  28  has a pair of spaced-apart upper and lower hinge posts  36 ,  38 . The hinge posts  36 ,  38  provide mounting surfaces for the hinges  13  as described below. The space between each pair of upper and lower hinge posts  36 ,  38  defines a hinge-receiving area for one of the hinges  13 . 
     The hinges  13  provide attachment points for the side panels  16  and permit the ends of the side panels to pivot slightly. The pivoting of the hinges facilitates installation of the side panels and stacking of the side panels during collapse of the crash cushion as described in more detail below. 
     A hinge  13  is pivotally attached to each side of each support  12  as shown in  FIG.  9   . The hinges are identical, so only the hinge  13  illustrated in  FIGS.  10 - 17    will be described in detail. The hinge  13  is positioned between, and pivotally coupled to, one pair of the upper and lower hinge posts  36 ,  38 . In one embodiment, the hinge  13  includes an upper horizontally extending hinge mounting surface  40 , a lower horizontally extending hinge mounting surface  42 , and a vertically extending panel mounting surface  44 . The hinge  13  is pivotally mounted between the upper and lower hinge posts  36 ,  38  of its support by inserting the hinge in the space between the hinge posts, aligning holes in the hinge posts  36 ,  38  with holes in the upper and lower hinge mounting surfaces  40 ,  42  of the hinge, and then inserting bolts, pins, or other fasteners in the aligned holes. Additional details of how the hinge  13  is attached to its support  12  are provided below. 
     The energy absorbing modules  14  are disposed between and supported by the supports  12  and the immovable support frame  24 . In the illustrated embodiment, the modules  14  are aligned between the supports  12  along the longitudinal axis of the crash cushion, but they may be staggered or positioned anywhere between the supports. Any number of supports  12  and energy absorbing modules  14  may be provided to form a crash cushion of any desired length and crash rating. 
     In one embodiment, the energy absorbing modules  14  are formed of molded plastic or other similar materials and are filled with foam, water, or other liquid and/or gaseous materials. Some of the modules  14  may include elongated narrow openings or slots formed therein that define deformable side wall strips which bend responsive to application of opposed forces such as might be caused by a vehicle impacting the crash cushion  10 . Similarly, some of the modules may include holes, which encourages creation of folds in the modules when subjected to vehicle impacts. 
     The side panels  16  are mounted to the hinges  13  on the supports  12 . As best shown in  FIGS.  3  and  6   , the side panels  16  are arranged in an overlapping and telescoping fashion, with the rear edge of each side panel overlapping the front edge of the side panel behind it when viewed from the front of the crash cushion. 
     The front anchor structure  18  and rear anchor structure  20  are fixed in position and essentially immovable. The anchor structures may be bolted to blocks of concrete embedded in the ground. The immoveable support  24  is bolted to or otherwise fixedly secured to the rear anchor structure  20 . 
     The reinforcing cables  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D extend between the front and rear anchor structures  18 ,  22  and through the cable guides  34 A,  34 B,  34 C,  34 D formed in the supports. The cables  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D, anchor structures  18 ,  20 , and cable guides  34 A,  34 B,  34 C,  34 D help maintain the initial, upright, non-crash position of the supports  12  and keep them from rotating about their vertical axes or falling down when moving rearward responsive to a frontal impact on the crash cushion or moving sideways responsive to a side impact so as to facilitate controlled collapse of the supports and/or redirection of a vehicle during vehicle impacts. 
     An embodiment of the crash cushion comprises 4 separate reinforcing cables, with a pair of cables on each side of the crash cushion. As best shown in  FIGS.  2 ,  3 , and  6   , the crash cushion includes a lower left side cable  22 A, an upper left side cable  22 B, a lower right side cable  22 C, and an upper right side cable  22 D. 
     The lower left side cable  22 A is affixed to the front anchor structure  18  and the rear anchor structure  20  and extends through the lower left side cable guides  34 A in the supports  12 . Likewise, the lower right side cable  22 C is also affixed to the front anchor structure  18  and the rear anchor structure  20  and extends through the lower right side cable guides  34 C. 
     The upper left side cable  22 B is affixed to the front anchor structure  18  and the rear anchor structure  20  and extends through the upper left side cable guides  34 B in the supports. Likewise, the upper right side cable  22 D is affixed to the front anchor structure  18  and the rear anchor structure  20  and extends through the upper right side cable guides  34 D. 
       FIGS.  7  and  8    illustrate the crash cushion  10  in a collapsed state after experiencing a frontal impact force, as for example caused by vehicle impact. As shown, the nose  26 , supports  12 , and side panels  16  telescopically collapse toward the immovable support frame  24 , and each of the modules  14  collapses upon itself. The first module to collapse will be the forward most module. The modules disposed behind the front or forward most module will collapse in a generally accordion fashion, providing significantly greater resistance to the impact. As the supports  12  shift rearwardly toward the immovable support frame  24 , they slide relative to, and are supported by, the reinforcing cables  22 A,  22 B,  22 C,  22 D. 
     In accordance with important aspects of the present invention, the crash cushion  10  also includes indexing structure that permits each hinge  13  to be selectively mounted in several different positions with respect to its support  12 . The indexing structure includes strategically positioned holes in the supports  12 , corresponding holes in the hinges  13 , and bolts, pins, or other fasteners for connecting different aligned combination of the holes. 
     An embodiment of the indexing structure for one hinge  13  and one corresponding support  12  is shown in  FIGS.  15 - 17   . The indexing structure includes a pivot hole  46  in the upper hinge post  36  of the support  12  and a vertically aligned pivot hole  48  in the corresponding lower hinge post  38  of the support. The indexing structure further includes several spaced pivot holes  50 ,  52 ,  54  in the upper hinge mounting surface  40  of the hinge  13  and corresponding pivot holes  56 ,  58 ,  60  in the lower hinge mounting surface  42  that are vertically aligned with the pivot holes  50 ,  52 ,  54 . In the illustrated embodiment, the indexing structure includes three aligned pairs of pivot holes in the hinge and one aligned pair of pivot holes in the hinge posts, but the indexing structure may have any number of pivot holes in the supports and hinge. The illustrated indexing structure further comprises a bolt  62 , pin or other mechanism for joining aligned holes in the upper hinge post  36  and the upper hinge mounting surface  40  and a bolt  64 , pin, or other mechanism for joining aligned holes in the lower hinge post  38  and the lower hinge mounting surface  42 . 
     The indexing structure permits the hinge  13  to be mounted in three different positions relative to the support  12 . In a first innermost position shown in  FIGS.  10  and  11   , the hinge  13  is pushed nearly all the way in between the opposed upper and lower hinge posts  36 ,  38 . The pivot hole  46  in the upper hinge post  36  is then aligned with the pivot hole  54  in the upper hinge mounting surface  40 , and the bolt  62 , hinge pin, or other mechanism is inserted through the aligned pivot holes  46 ,  54  and secured with a nut. Likewise, the pivot hole  48  in the lower hinge post  38  is aligned with the pivot hole  60  in the lower hinge mounting surface  42 , and the bolt  64  or other hinge pin is inserted through the aligned pivot holes  48 ,  60  and secured with a nut. In this position, the side panel mounting surface  44  of the hinge  13  is closest to the support for mounting side panels in innermost positions. 
     In a second intermediate position shown in  FIG.  12   , the hinge  13  is pulled out about 1-3″ from the support. The pivot hole  46  in the upper hinge post  36  is then aligned with the pivot hole  52  in the upper hinge mounting surface  40 , and the bolt  62  is inserted through the aligned pivot holes  46 ,  52  and secured with a nut. Likewise, the pivot hole  48  in the lower hinge post  38  is aligned with the pivot hole  58  in the lower hinge mounting surface  42 , and the bolt  64  is inserted through the aligned pivot holes  48 ,  58  and secured with a nut. In this position, the side panel mounting surface  44  of the hinge  13  is spaced about 1-3″ from the support for mounting side panels in intermediate positions. 
     In a third outermost position shown in  FIG.  13   , the hinge  13  is pulled out about 3-6″ from its support. The pivot hole  46  in the upper hinge post  36  is then aligned with the pivot hole  50  in the upper hinge mounting surface  40 , and the bolt  62  is inserted through the aligned pivot holes  46 ,  50  and secured with a nut. Likewise, the pivot hole  48  in the lower hinge post  38  is aligned with the pivot hole  56  in the lower hinge mounting surface  42 , and the bolt  64  is inserted through the aligned pivot holes  48 ,  56  and secured with a nut. In this position, the side panel mounting surface  44  of the hinge  13  is spaced about 3-6″ from the support for mounting side panels in outermost positions. 
     The alternative mounting positions of the hinges  13  provided by the indexing structure reduces the number of unique width supports  12  required. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the three supports closest to the front of the crash cushion may be the same width, with the hinges of the first support mounted in their innermost positions, the hinges of the second support mounted in their intermediate positions, and the hinges on the third support mounted in their outermost positions. Likewise, the next three supports toward the rear of the crash cushion may be the same width, with the hinges of the first support mounted in their innermost positions, the hinges of the second support mounted in their intermediate positions, and the hinges on the third support mounted in their outermost positions. 
     In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, the crash cushion also includes angle set structure that allows the hinges  13  to pivot relative to the supports  12  up to a defined pivot range. The limited pivoting allows the side panels  16  to flare outwardly from the front of the crash cushion to the back to accommodate the overall wedge-shape of the crash cushion and to accommodate the overlapping edges of the side panels. The hinges and their angle set structure also facilitate controlled stacking of the side panels when the crash cushion collapses upon itself when subjected to a frontal vehicle impact. 
     The angle set structure includes strategically positioned holes in the supports, corresponding holes in the hinges, and bolts, pins, or other fasteners for connecting the holes. An embodiment of the angle set structure for one hinge and one corresponding support is shown in  FIGS.  15 - 17   . The illustrated angle set structure includes an oblong angle set hole  66  in the upper hinge post  36 , a vertically aligned oblong angle set hole  68  in the lower hinge post  38 , spaced angle set holes  70 ,  72 ,  74  in the upper hinge mounting surface  40 , corresponding angle set holes  76 ,  78 ,  80  in the lower hinge mounting surface  42 , that are vertically aligned with the angle set holes  70 ,  72 ,  74  and bolts  82 ,  84 , pins, or other for joining aligned holes as described below. 
     When the hinge  13  is in its innermost position described above, the angle set hole  66  in the upper hinge post  36  is aligned with the angle set hole  74  in the hinge. The bolt  82 , pin or other mechanism is then inserted through the aligned angle set holes  66 ,  74  and secured with a nut. Likewise, the angle set hole  68  in the lower hinge post  38  is aligned with the angle set hole  80  in the hinge, and the bolt  84 , pin, or other mechanism is inserted in the aligned holes and secured with a nut. 
     When the hinge  13  is in its intermediate position described above, the angle set hole  66  in the upper hinge post  38  is aligned with the angle set hole  72  in the hinge and the bolt  82 , pin or other mechanism is inserted through the aligned angle set holes and secured with a nut. Likewise, the angle set hole  68  in the lower hinge post  38  is aligned with the angle set hole  78  in the hinge, and the bolt  84 , pin, or other mechanism is inserted in the aligned holes and secured with a nut. 
     When the hinge is in its outermost position, the angle set hole  66  in the upper hinge post  36  is aligned with the angle set hole  70  in the hinge. The bolt  82 , pin or other mechanism is then inserted through the aligned angle set holes  66 ,  70  and secured with a nut. Likewise, the angle set hole  68  in the lower hinge post  38  is aligned with the angle set hole  76  in the hinge, and the bolt  84 , pin, or other mechanism is inserted in the aligned holes  68 ,  76  and secured with a nut. 
     In all three positions, the angle set structure allows the hinge to pivot relative to its support up to the limit of pivot range provided by the angle set holes  66 ,  68  as best depicted in  FIG.  14   . In one embodiment, the angle set structure allows each hinge to pivot up to 15° in both directions. This allows the side panels to flare outwardly from the front of the crash cushion to the back to accommodate the overall wedge-shape of the crash cushion and to accommodate the overlapping edges of the side panels. The hinges also facilitate controlled stacking of the side panels when the crash cushion collapses upon itself when subjected to a frontal vehicle impact. 
     ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 
     In this description, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. 
     Although the present application sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. 
     Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein. 
     As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. 
     The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s). 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.