Patent ID: 8601897

Claim:
A force limiting device attachable to a moving object and configured to limit a contact force of the moving object with a contacted object, the device comprising: a first attachable portion defining a first end of the force limiting device and including an interface configured to fixedly attach the first attachable portion to the moving object; a second attachable portion defining a second end of the force limiting device and including an interface connectable to a suspended portion; a parallelogram linkage including two legs; wherein each leg is rotatably connected to the first attachable portion and to the second attachable portion; and a torque limiter including an input shaft in communication with the parallelogram linkage; wherein the torque limiter has an activation torque and is configured to be activated from a non-activated state to an activated state when an input torque transmitted through the parallelogram linkage to the input shaft exceeds the activation torque; wherein the torque limiter in the non-activated state restrains rotation of the legs relative to the first attachable portion and the second attachable portion to define a fixed orientation between the first attachable portion, the second attachable portion and the legs; wherein the torque limiter in the non-activated state prevents movement of the second attachable portion relative to the first attachable portion when the input torque transmitted to the input shaft is less than the activation torque; and wherein the torque limiter in the activated state releases the legs to passively rotate relative to the first and second attachable portions to decrease the contact force between the moving object and the contacted object in response to the input torque defined by the contact force transmitted through the force limiting device.