Patent Description:
While the Applicant has sold many of the attenuators described and claimed in the aforementioned patents under the registered trademark SCORPION®, development has been ongoing on the products to ensure that they meet and exceed always-evolving government crash test standards and are adapted to a wide variety of roadwork applications. The invention described and claimed herein provides improvements designed to make an outstanding product even more useful in metropolitan and urban areas where space and roadway clearance may be at a premium, though, of course, the described systems may be used in any suitable application.

The invention, together with additional features and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying illustrative drawing.

In one aspect of the invention, a crash impact attenuator is provided which adapted for deployment on a vehicle, and comprises a cartridge portion comprising at least one energy absorbing module, as well as a backup system having a backup frame, which is adapted to attach the cartridge portion to the vehicle. The backup system comprises an actuator configured to pivot the cartridge portion between a deployed orientation and a stored orientation about a pivot axis disposed on a lower half of the backup system. The backup system further comprises an innovative lockout frame member having a contact surface on one end thereof, the lockout frame member being actuatable between a deployed orientation wherein the contact surface engages a portion of the backup frame and a stowed orientation wherein the contact surface is not engaged with the backup frame.

In the illustrated embodiments, the cartridge portion is horizontal when in its deployed orientation and vertical when in its stowed orientation. The lockout frame member is horizontal when in its deployed orientation and vertical when in its stowed orientation. The backup frame pivots between a vertical orientation, when the cartridge portion is in its deployed orientation and a horizontal orientation when the cartridge portion is in its stowed orientation.

The portion of the backup frame contacted by the lockout frame member contact surface is located above the pivot axis. This arrangement permits the backup frame to be reinforced in the event of a vehicular impact, so that it does not collapse about the pivot axis under the force of the impact. In the illustrated embodiment, the pivot axis is located below the location of a resolved force created by an impacting vehicle, while the contact engagement between the backup frame and the lockout frame member is located above the location of the resolved impact force.

According to the invention, the lockout frame member contact surface is adjustable in order to optimize engagement with the backup frame. For example, the lockout frame member contact surface may comprise an adjustable bolt head which may be threaded to extend or reduce the length of the lockout frame member.

A second lockout frame member is present in the illustrated embodiment, having a second contact surface adapted to engage a second portion of the backup frame. This provides a more uniform reinforcement across the width of the backup frame. The number of lockout frame members may be optimized to suit different circumstances and operating conditions. As noted above, the portion of the backup frame contacted by the lockout frame member contact surface is located on an upper half of the backup frame.

In another aspect of the invention, there is described a method of deploying a crash impact attenuator disposed on a rear portion of a host vehicle. The method comprises pivoting a backup frame joining a cartridge portion of the crash impact attenuator to the host vehicle from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation and simultaneously pivoting the cartridge portion from a stowed orientation to a deployed orientation, wherein the cartridge portion extends horizontally behind the rear portion of the host vehicle. The pivoting of the backup frame and cartridge portion occurs about a pivot axis disposed along a lower half of the backup frame. A further method step comprises moving a lockout frame member from a stowed orientation to a deployed orientation, so that a contact surface on one end of the lockout frame member engages a portion of the backup frame.

In the described method, the step of pivoting the backup frame is performed prior to the step of moving the lockout frame member. According to the invention, a further step comprises adjusting a position of the contact surface to optimize engagement with the portion of the backup frame, which step may be performed by threading a bolt head to extend or reduce a length of the lockout frame member.

The step of moving the lockout frame member may further comprise moving a second lockout frame member, so that a second contact surface on one end of the second lockout frame member engages a second portion of the backup frame.

The step of moving the lockout frame member may comprise pivoting the lockout frame member from its stowed position, which is vertical, to its deployed position, which is horizontal. As noted above, the portion of the backup frame engaged by the contact surface of the lockout frame member is located above the pivot axis.

Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the figures, there is shown in <FIG> an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle-mounted crash attenuator <NUM>, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, attached to the rear <NUM> of a vehicle or truck <NUM>. In <FIG>, the crash attenuator <NUM> is shown in its horizontal deployed orientation, as is also the case in <FIG>. In <FIG>, the crash attenuator <NUM> is shown in its upright storage or transport orientation.

<FIG> illustrate the constructional details of the exemplary illustrated crash attenuator <NUM>. The crash attenuator <NUM> is similar in many respects to that disclosed in commonly assigned <CIT> (the '<NUM> Patent) except that it is more compactly designed, which is particularly advantageous particularly for applications in congested metropolitan or urban areas, where roadway space is at a premium and tighter turning radii are required or at least preferred. More particularly, while the crash attenuator in the '<NUM> Patent comprises both a strut portion <NUM> and a cartridge portion <NUM>, as shown, for example, in <FIG> of the '<NUM> Patent, the crash attenuator <NUM> of the present invention comprises only a cartridge portion <NUM>, meaning that the length of the attenuator <NUM> is reduced to about <NUM> feet (approximately <NUM>,<NUM> meters), as opposed to about <NUM> feet (approximately <NUM> meters) in other versions of the crash attenuator disclosed, for example, in the '<NUM> Patent. The crash attenuator <NUM> may be utilized with a host vehicle <NUM> of as little as <NUM> - <NUM> lb. (approximately <NUM> - <NUM>), giving up to <NUM> MPH (<NUM> KPH) protection with smaller host vehicles.

<FIG> show the crash attenuator <NUM> in its horizontal, deployed orientation (<FIG>) and in its vertical, stored orientation (<FIG>), wherein the cartridge portion is elevated to an approximately <NUM> degree angle relative to the orientation of the vehicle (a "single <NUM>-degree fold"). Actuators are provided as part of the backup system <NUM> for pivoting the cartridge portion <NUM> and associated components between its deployed and stored orientations.

The cartridge portion <NUM> comprises a pair of vertically spaced curved members <NUM>, which in exemplary embodiments comprise aluminum tubing, such as tubing having a <NUM>½ inch (approximately <NUM> meters) diameter, though other materials, sizes, and configurations having suitable similar properties can be used. Mounted on the cartridge portion <NUM> are energy-absorbing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. These modules, in exemplary embodiments, are constructed to comprise aluminum honeycomb material disposed in environmentally sealed aluminum containers. The aluminum honeycomb material may comprise <NUM> inch cells in modules <NUM> and <NUM>, and ½ inch (approximately <NUM> meters) cells in module <NUM>. Of course, alternative materials and cell sizes may be selected, if desired. The honeycomb material may include spaced holes stamped in the middle of the assembly, for venting air trapped in the honeycomb, which has been found to improve stability when an onset force is applied to the crash attenuator <NUM>.

The crash attenuator <NUM> is adapted for attachment to a backup system <NUM> disposed on the rear end <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>. The backup system <NUM>, in exemplary embodiments, is constructed of a rigid material such as steel, but can be made of other similar materials as well.

In <FIG>, a first type of backup system <NUM> is illustrated for use with the cartridge portion <NUM>. This first type of backup system <NUM> is a "low-pivot" backup system, and will be described further hereinbelow, in conjunction with a description of Figs. <NUM>-<NUM>. The system may also be used with a "high-pivot" backup system, of a type more like those used, for example, in the systems shown in the '<NUM> Patent.

A particular advantage of the inventive low-pivot backup system <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, is that it advantageously permits stored vertical height of the system <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, to be under <NUM> feet (approximately <NUM> meeters), whereas with a high-pivot backup system, the stored vertical height of the system <NUM> is over <NUM> feet (approximately <NUM> meeters) Additionally, Applicant has advantageously found that the inventive low-pivot backup system operates to inhibit underride of an impacting vehicle beneath the crash attenuator <NUM>, which can otherwise be particularly dangerous to occupants of the impacting vehicle.

Now with reference particularly to <FIG>, the low-pivot backup system <NUM> is illustrated in greater detail. The backup system <NUM> comprises a backup frame <NUM>, for attachment to the crash attenuator <NUM>, a truck side frame <NUM>, for attachment to a truck/vehicle <NUM>, and anti-underride lockout frame members <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates the backup system <NUM> in its deployed orientation, while <FIG> illustrates the backup system <NUM> in its stowed orientation.

In operation, when deploying the crash attenuator <NUM> from the stowed position shown in <FIG> to the deployed position shown in <FIG>, the backup frame <NUM> of the backup system <NUM> is moved by actuator system <NUM> from the horizontal orientation shown in <FIG> to the vertical orientation shown in <FIG>, pivoting about the pivot axis <NUM>, as shown by the arrow in <FIG>. Once the backup frame <NUM> is upright, the anti-underride lockout frame members <NUM> are actuated from their stowed vertical orientation shown in <FIG> to the horizontal orientation shown in <FIG>, about the pivot joints <NUM>, as shown by the second arrow in <FIG>. When the lockout frame members <NUM> are in their deployed horizontal orientations, bolt heads <NUM> on the end of each frame member <NUM> engage the backup frame <NUM>, to provide a resisting force against the force of an impacting vehicle, as shown by the arrows in <FIG>. The bolt heads may be adjusted, using the threaded engagement with the bolt, to optimize the engagement. The lockout frame arms <NUM> provide two points of contact with the backup frame directly above the pivot points <NUM>.

The force with which a vehicle strikes the crash attenuator is generally located some distance "D" (<FIG>) above the pivot axis of the mounting system. If the lockout frame were not present, an angular acceleration would be developed about the pivot axis, which would cause the backup frame and system to rotate. This rotation would then allow the impact surface of the attenuator to lift, and thus potentially allow the impacting vehicle to underride. The lockout frame <NUM> provides a resisting force that does not allow this rotation to occur.

Claim 1:
A crash impact attenuator (<NUM>) adapted for deployment on a vehicle (<NUM>), comprising:
a cartridge portion (<NUM>) comprising at least one energy absorbing module;
a backup system (<NUM>) having a backup frame (<NUM>) and being adapted to attach the cartridge portion (<NUM>) to the vehicle (<NUM>), comprising an actuator (<NUM>) configured to pivot the cartridge portion (<NUM>) between a deployed orientation and a stored orientation about a pivot axis (<NUM>) disposed on a lower half of the backup system (<NUM>), the backup system further comprising a lockout frame member (<NUM>) having a contact surface on one end thereof, the lockout frame member (<NUM>) being actuatable between a deployed orientation wherein the contact surface engages a portion of the backup frame (<NUM>) and a stowed orientation wherein the contact surface is not engaged with the backup frame (<NUM>) and characterized in that
the lockout frame member contact (<NUM>) surface is adjustable in order to optimize engagement with the backup frame (<NUM>).