Patent ID: 7810437

Claim:
An energy absorption device for a railborne vehicle, including a streetcar vehicle, which is operative to absorb or dissipate at least a portion of an impact energy resulting from the vehicle impacting an obstacle, comprising: a bumper bar pivotably connected to a vehicle under-frame by a first bearing, the first bearing defining a pivot axis and being fixedly mounted to the vehicle under-frame such that there is no relative movement between the first bearing, including the pivot axis, and the vehicle under-frame; a pendulum support having a first and a second end section which is connected at the first end section to the bumper bar by a second bearing, and at the second end section with the vehicle under-frame by a third bearing such that the bumper bar and the pendulum support form a tripod; and an energy-absorbing mechanism operative and disposed such that upon the bumper bar pivoting about the pivot axis defined by the first bearing, the resultant moment of force is introduced as linear force into the energy-absorbing mechanism and at least partly absorbed or dissipated there.