This invention relates to a security arrangement for a load carrying, load pulling, load pushing or load stopping assembly connected to a vehicle, comprising an energy absorbing function to reduce the risk of hazard in connection with a vehicle suddenly decelerating, e.g. crashing, that carries a load, e.g. a roof rack with a roof box.
There exist many situations where a load carried by a vehicle may cause damages upon sudden deceleration, e.g. when a vehicle is crashing. Due to the high energy that has been gained by the load due to the speed sudden deceleration may cause attachment members between the vehicle and the assembly carrying the to break, e.g. disrupt, which may cause severe damages. One typical example that may be referred to is a car having a roof box carried on top of a roof rack.
Severe disasters have been caused by heavy loads on roof racks that in connection with sudden deceleration of vehicles, e.g. crash, have loosened from their attachments to the roof rack. For instance, roof boxes have been causing disasters in this manner. As is well known, roof boxes may enclose a very large volume and accordingly it is possible to put a lot of load into a roof box. In connection with a crash, or other sudden deceleration, there is a risk that the attachment members keeping the roof box in place on the roof rack may be over-strained and rupture. In such a situation the roof box will continue to travel at high speeds along an uncontrolled trajectory, thereby risking to destroy and/or injure objects and/or people within that trajectory.
From WO2008/076037 there is known an arrangement intended to minimize the above risk, which is based on a specifically designed attachment between a holder of a roof rack and a bracket attached onto the roof of the vehicle. However, such an arrangement does not eliminate or reduce the risk that at large impact the attachment devices keeping the load e.g. roof box, onto the roof rack may rupture.
From DE4028433 and DE102015113689 it is known to supplement a roof rack assembly with energy absorbing devices in order to reduce hazard upon sudden deceleration. However, these designs present some essential disadvantages. One major disadvantage is that the energy absorbing device is complicated to install and is of need of specifically designed inter-fitting details.
It is an object of the invention to eliminate or at least reduce the above-mentioned problem which is achieved in accordance with a solution as defined in claim 1.
Thanks to the invention there is provided an energy absorbing means for a load carrying, load pulling, load pushing or load stopping assembly that is connected to a vehicle, which may eliminate disastrous consequences in connection with sudden decelerations, e.g. crashes, and which may easily be installed in a flexible manner in various assemblies and easily maintained.
In one application it may relate to a load carrying assembly on a vehicle carrying a load in the form of a roof box, or similar device, which will absorb energy in a controlled manner at impact which in turn will decrease the strain excerpted on, or applied to, the attachment devices between the load and the vehicle. Accordingly, the risk of rupture of the attachment is thereby significantly reduced, which may save lives and eliminate or decrease possible damages.
In another application it may relate to a load pulling assembly connected to a vehicle, wherein the security arrangement according to the invention may eliminate a rupture of the coupling between the load pulling vehicle and the load that is pulled, e.g. in the form of a trailer, wherein e.g. the vehicle is arranged with a tow bar. Preferably the load pulling assembly comprises a bar structure that is securely fixed to the pulling vehicle, wherein the security arrangement is connected in between the bar structure and the actual coupling part, e.g. towing ball.
In another application according to the invention it may relate to a vehicle pushing a load wherein the security arrangement may eliminate rupture between a coupling between the pushing vehicle and the pushed load, e.g. a train pushing a wagon.
In another application it may relate to a vehicle in the form of a moveable device in a machine which is arranged with a load stop assembly, wherein the security arrangement may eliminate rupture of the attachment between the ground and the stop member of the machine.
The basic principle of the solution according to the invention includes the use of two plates guided in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The guidance of the two plates is such that movement preferably is nearly impossible in the longitudinal direction, i.e. a relative movement between the plates in the longitudinal direction. The two plates are interconnected by means of an energy absorbing member, preferably the energy absorbing member is such that it will not allow any substantial relative movement between the plates at a force below a predetermined level, at a force above said predetermined level the energy absorbing member will be deformed, preferably prolonged, and as a consequence of the force acting there upon due to the deceleration force and preferably at least a portion of the energy will be transformed to permanent deformation of said energy absorbing member. In this manner, a predetermined relative movement, such as a maximal prolongation of the energy absorbing member, between the two plates may be achieved. In a preferred embodiment the energy absorbing member is made of a ductile material, e.g. a metal shaped to enable deformation parallelly with the longitudinal direction, i.e. enable prolongation in said longitudinal direction according to some examples.
Even more preferred the energy absorbing member may be replaced by a new member after having been prolonged.
According to further aspects of the invention:
Further aspects and details of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.
In the following the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed figures, wherein;
In
The security arrangements A are adapted to secure e.g. a roof box 6 to e.g. a roof rack, forming a load carrying assembly 5. Generally, a security arrangement A may be seen as an attachment arrangement A for attaching a device for carrying a load by a vehicle 4, preferably attached to the roof or part of the roof of a vehicle 4, e.g. a roof rack attached to roof rails of the vehicle, wherein the security arrangement A is arranged between roof rack and a load 6 carried by the roof rack. However, it may also fulfil the same basic function in other applications.
In
The guiding members 11, 12, 20, 21 are in the form of two pairs of parallelly arranged ribs 11, 20, one pair on each of the plates 1,2 facing each other, thereby providing a gap G (see
Accordingly, the energy absorbing member 3 is in the form of a body, preferably specifically shaped to include curved portions that will be straightened by a force F acting in the longitudinal direction, that may be prolonged, and at least partially permanently deformed/prolonged, in connection with exercise of a force F onto the carrier plate 1 that exceeds a predetermined level. However, the security arrangement A (including a fully extended (or shortened) energy absorbing member 3), will be designed to withstand substantially higher forces, without any rupture, once the security arrangement A has absorbed the intended/predetermined maximal energy, i.e. after having relatively softly decelerated the load on the vehicle roof.
Preferably the shape of the energy absorbing member 3 is such that the relative movement between the plates 1,2 may only reach a maximal prolongation ΔLmax%=100×(Lmax−L0)/L0) of said absorbing member 3 from its nominal length L0, (e.g. 50-150 mm) to a maximum length Lmax, wherein ΔLmax is at least 50%, preferably at least 100%, more preferred at least 150%. In the shown embodiment of
As an alternative to prolongation it is foreseen that the predetermined relative movement may instead comprise of said energy absorbing member 3, e.g. a maximal shortening of said absorbing member 3 from its nominal length L0 to a minimum (Lmin) that is at most 90%, preferably at most 50%. Also, in connection with shortening the energy absorbing member 3 may be designed to have an increasing energy absorbing effect during shortening. For example, such a body may be made of a metallic foam, wherein the foam structure is varied to achieve a progressive effect, or the foam structure is the same, but the shape is varied to achieve a progressive effect.
In the preferred embodiment the main part of the energy absorbing member 3 is positioned between the two pairs of parallelly arranged ribs 11, 20, in a longitudinal channel space formed between the pairs of ribs 11, 20. The height g of said channel space may be smaller than the gap G between said plates (1, 2).
In the preferred embodiment, shown in
Preferably the energy absorbing member 3 is made in a material and dimensions that makes is substantially stiff during normal use, implying that during normal use of an assembly according to the invention there will be no movement within the safety arrangement A. Hence no disturbing oscillations or movements that may cause disadvantages. However, in order to safeguard that no movement occurs during normal use the inventive concept may also comprise the use of a limit rupture device, e.g. break pin. The limit rupture function is such that it can resist forces up to a certain level/limit where after it breaks. One example of such a force limit rupture device may be in the form of a pin that is introduced into a through hole, e.g. a bore passing through both plates, preferably at a side edge, where they overlap. The pin will be of a material and have such a dimension that it breaks at a desired/predetermined level of force, where after the energy absorbing member 3 will start taking over the function to absorb energy.
In
In
It is foreseen that the security arrangement according to the invention may also be used for an assembly having a vehicle pushing a load wherein the security arrangement may eliminate rupture between a coupling between the pushing vehicle and the pushed load, e.g. a train pushing a wagon.
Further it is foreseen that in another application it may relate to a vehicle in the form of a moveable device in a machine which is arranged with a load stop assembly, wherein the security arrangement may eliminate rupture of the attachment between the ground and the stop member of the machine.
It is evident for the skilled person that the invention is not limited to what is described above but may be varied within the scope of the claims. For instance, the skilled person realizes that there are many kinds of energy absorbing members 3, or energy absorbing withholding devices, that may be used to fulfil the basic function of the invention, e.g. foam like bodies, pistons (active or passive), etc and that compression may be used instead of prolongation. The energy absorbing member 3 may be made of a at least partially plastically formable material, such as a metal, a foam or the like. Further, it is evident that the basic function of the invention may also be fulfilled if the energy absorbing members 3 is positioned elsewhere than in between the plates 1,2. Preferably, the plates have a cross-sectional shape that allows using extrusion for production thereof, but of course various shapes are possible to fulfil the basic function of the invention. For instance, it is evident that the plates 1,2, need not be planar but may be curved, in various manners, e.g. to be more or less tubular. Hence, the expression plate must be given a broad interpretation. Moreover, it is foreseen that the carrier plate 1 may be positioned below the attachment plate 2, if using an upwardly extending roof rack where the load is positioned in a space between the roof rack bar and the roof of the vehicle. Moreover, it is evident that the basic principles of the invention may also be used in connection with other loads than on top of the roof of a vehicle and in connection with other vehicles than cars, e.g. load carrying assemblies 5 on a flat bed of a truck or rail wagon, etc.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1950259-0 | Feb 2019 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2020/053919 | 2/14/2020 | WO | 00 |