Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SIDE A>RBAG-SUBSTITUTE OF SEAT FOR ANY VEHICLE
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
S This is related to an international application number PCT/DE 96/01376 (WO
97/06974, DE
19530129 A1, European Patent Doc. EP 0844939 B1) filed July 25, 1996.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to seats of motor vehicle and,
particularly, to a side
airbag-substitute, comprising a rotatable device, with or without safety
airbag, a side imq~act
member and at least one e~~ergy absorber,
- to dissipate lateral energy arid dampen vibration by way ofthe energy
absorber which in
conjunction with the side impact member withstands an intrusion of the totally
deformed
IS vehicle side and/or the broken window pane, thanks thereto the deployment
time of side as
well as safety airbags can be prolonged;
- to increase the reliability of safety devices; and
- to arcuately remove a passenger from an injury-prone area, in which the
passenger is injured
by the intrusion thereof, to a vehicle-centre
in real-world side collisions.
2. Description of the Related Art:
It is known in the prior art to provide a motor vehicle with side airbags to
absorb lateral
energy, structural door-members to withstand it, transverse seat-members to
transmit it from
one vehicle side to the other and/or rotatable devices to raise the outboard
sides of the seats,
loaded by lateral energy. Unfortunately, all these conventional configurations
have not taken
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into account the limitation of the safety devices, the failure in real-world
side collisions as well
as in the crash tests and recall actions, as hereinafter noted.
In order to formulate in single terminology a generalized definition for the
proper term is
presented:
S
Definition: Proper Term:
"Side airbag- substitute for side airbag
substitute"
"Deployment time" deployment time of a side airbag = detection time +
inflation time
"Energy absorber" spring element, compression spring black, shock
absorber or suspension system
"Work of deformation work of deflection and of friction
of an energy
absorber"
"Spring element" leaf, coil, torsion or torsion-bar spring
"Leaf spring" leaf spring with one or several leaves as well as with
arbitrary rate
"Coil spring" cylindrical or non-cylindrical coil spring with
arbitrary rate, for example, barrel-shaped spring
"Compression spring hollow compression spring block, hollow-pointed
block" compression spring block, rubber spring
"Injury-prone area" In a side collision great lateral energy totally deforms
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the vehicle side, which intrudes into an unjury-prone
area, in which the passengers, sitting adjacent
thereto, are injured.
In contrast to the front section of vehicle body the vehicle side has no space
to accommodate
large deformable runners which significantly absorb impact energy. To resolve
this shortcoming
Volvo Corp. has equipped each car with five transverse seat-members, to
indirectly transmit
lateral energy from one seat to the other and into the vehicle floor, shown in
Fig. 3, and with a
pair of 12-litre side airbags, each of which must be inflated within an
extremely short period,
theoretically, less than 10 ms (milliseconds), disclosed in EP 0565501 A1. Due
to the indirect
lateral energy transmission uito the vehicle floor via both seats tl~e
passengers sitting thereon
are subjected to lateral acceleration and oscillations. High accelerations are
measured in the
following crash tests. In the crash test the side airbag, inflated in 15 ms,
decreases the
acceleration of chest about 14% while the acceleration of pelvis increases
about 4%.
The following Table 1 reveals test data of a Volvo 850, equipped with tlae
above-mentioned
embodiment, in the side crash test, according to FMVSS 214, in which the
crasli speed is
increased by 17%, as reported in German Car Magazine AUTO MOTOR and SPORT
issue
IS 5/1995, and of another Volvo 850 in a 40% oi~set front crash against a
deformable barner, as
reported in German Car Magazine ADAC issue 5/1995.
Dummy as driver Test dataTest dataFMVSS Test data
with without 214 with
side airbagside airbag front airbag
acceleration of chest60,9 71,1 85 34,7
(g)
acceleration ofpelvis77,2 74,4 130 33,4
(g)
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Concerning the accelerations of chest and pelvis the test data of the side
airbag two times
higher than those of the front airbag must be considered as very alarming. Of
the same
magnitude, the lateral acceleration of vehicle, laterally crashed by another
vehicle, inflicts
S higher AIS (Abbreviated yjury Severity ranging from 0 for unscathed to 6 for
death) on
passengers than longitudinal acceleration of vehicle, longitudinally crashed
by another vehicle
because head, neck- and vertebrae-muscles are, hypothetically, the weakest
members of the
human being.
Regardless of Research and Development work over five decades conventional
protective
devices fail to ensure survival chance in the following real-world front
crashes or incur
expenditure of millions of dollars for each recall action:
- Despite proper deployment of a 15-litre side airbag and flawless restraint
system of MB
Coupe the couture legend Nicola Trussardi is fatally injured in a side
collision.
- When crashing into a MB E200 DT on a highway, a 42-year old diver of 5-month
old
BMW 5, which is strongly yaw-accelerated, su$'ers quadriplegia.
- In a mufti-crash of a 5-year okl Ford Mondeo into a barrier and, finally,
into a bus near the
city of Idstein a 34-year old female driver mbmarines during which an inflated
front airbag,
fracturing her front face, forces it into her skull. Falsely deployed side
airbags can injure
passengers too!
- In a crash of a 3.5-month old BMW 3281 into another BMW the head of a 34-
year old
driver, thrown forwards, totally deforms the steering wheel.
- The operation of airbags and sensors remains, to a surprising extent,
unreliable, thus
necessitating recall actions of 6,370 SAAB 9000s, 235,000 Volvo S70s, C70s and
C70s,
150,000 MBs, 616,000 Opels, 16,500 VWs, 21,000 VWs, 280,000 BMW 3s, 900,000
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AUDI 80s, A4s, A6s and ABs, 5,400 Porsche 911 Cameras and 91 I Turbos and,
recently,
116,000 Volvo S80s.
- Re~ to pp. 178 in German Magazine "AUTO MOTOR and SPORT" issue 12/2002
researchers of Technical University in the city of Aachen found out that over
10 % of airbag
S systems are defective. Within four years two millions of cars were already
recalled due to
defective airbag systems. Under these circumstances airbag systems pose to
passengers a
risk of injuries!
- Recently, NHSTA ordered BMW Corp. to recall 204,0U0 BMW 3s due to 265 cases,
in
which the side airbags, installed in the doors, are falsely deployed upon
driving over bumpy
l0 roads, as reported in "AUTO MOTOR and SPORT" issue 20/2002.
Re~ to DE-GM 2950093 U 1 a safety device has a long coil spring, transversely
built between
both B-post sections of a motor vehicle, one end portion of which is arranged
on a first
transverse tube, fastened to the B-post section, the other end portion is
arranged on a second
transverse tube, fastened to the other B-post section and the mid-portion is
arranged on a third
15 transverse tube. In a side collision lateral energy deforms,
hypothetically, the B-post section,
which could deflect the seat to the direction of the other B-post section
during which the coil
spring should absorb the energy. In response to the deflection of the B-post
section, the seat,
loosely guided by the first and third transverse tube, can never be moved
sidewards
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of motor vehicle. When the door and/or
A- post section
20 are deformed the safety device fails.
To accommodate in both seats that long coil spring should have a length of car
width and small
outer diameter. It is impossible to manufacture it,
As exemplified in US Pat. N~. 5,328,234, a safety device comprises an
intrusion door-
member, built in the door, s~ rotatable seat, whale rotatable seat pan has a
seat-groove,
25 responsible for the rotation of the seat, and a backrest-groove, in which a
pin of the rotatable
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seat backrest moves, an intrusion seat-member and a lever, pivotally arranged
to the vehicle
floor, whose one end is in contact with the intrusion seat-member and the
other end has a pin
moving in the seat-groove. In a side collision lateral energy deforms,
hypothetically, the
intrusion door-member which deflects the intrusion seat-member moving the
lever whose
S rotation results in rotating the rotatable seat and the rotatable seat
backrest and augmenting the
yaw-acceleration related force. As a result, the belted passenger is maimed!
See quadriplegia,
above-mentioned. When the A- or B-post section is deformed the safety device
is out of
function.
Furthermore, the feature is controversial. Due to the pivotal attachment of
seat pan to the
vehicle floor seats, equipped therewith, can't be adjusted forward and
backward and for height
and tilt.
Ref. to US Pat. No. 5,290,084 a safety device comprises a pair of rotatable
side cheeks, one
of which is arranged between the seat and the door and the other is arranged
between the seat
and the tunnel. In a side collision the door, intruding into the passenger
compartment, rotates
the door-side cheek upwardly and the contact of the deformed seat with the
tunnel resuhs in
upward-rotation of the tunnel-side cheek. In real-world side collisions the
pair of side cheeks
reduces a space therebetween dramatically thereby squeezm,,g the passenger to
sudden death.
Severe/fatal injuries are attributed to the reduction of the space in the
following real-world side
collisions:
- In a crash of a 910-kg heavy Nissan into a 1600-kg heavy, 6-year old MB C200
CDI on a
highway the MB driver is squeezed by the totally deformed vehicle side, whose
intrusion
into the passenger compartment is measured about 480 mm, to severe injury. He
is almost
dead upon the delivery in a hospital.
- In a crash of a 10-month old BMW M3 into an electrical pole iu the city of
Wiesbaden the
41-year old driver is squeezed by the totally deformed door to sudden death.
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As exemplified in US Pat. No. 5,149,165, a safety system comprises a sensor,
to detect the
side collision and activate a trigger mechanism, and a rotatable device which
is activated by
springs or an airbag to raise and rotate the outboard side of the seat about
an axis adjacent to
the tunnel in a side collision.
S The inventor has forgotten to calculate large force needed to raise the
passenger, sitting on the
seat, within the deployment time of side airbag and strong acceleration,
resulting therefrom, in
addition to impact acceleration, all of which will jolt and oscillate the
passenger to sudden
death.
In the side crash test the 12-litre side airbag of Volvo is iu~.$ated by gas
pellets with a flame
velocity of ?,200 km/h in a deployment time of 15 ms. Given, the displacement
is 0.45 m for
the entire deployment of side airbag, we obtain a mean impact velocity vm =
w/t = 30 m/s and a
mean vertical impact acceleration bm = 2,000 m/s2 which is 1.55 times the
threshold value of
pelvis acceleration according to the FMVSS 2 l4, listed in Table 1. The
acceleration is far
higher when the ratio of approx. 80 times between the total mass of a
passenger and a seat and
IS the mass of side airbag is considered.
A front spring of AUDI car, having a rod diameter d = 11.20 mm, mean coil
diameter Dm =
131 mm, free length H = 481 nun and compressed length Hf, = 166 mm performs a
work A =
F*s/2 = 4,500 Nm at F = 3.000 N and displacement s = 300 mm. Assuming the
total weight of
a passenger and a seat is 120 kg equivalent to 1,200 N and v", is 30 m/s, the
formula of lateral
energy E = m*vm2/2 yields 4 104 Nm, equivalent to 89 AUDI springs, all of
which can never be
accommodated in a narrow space, defined by the seat frame and vehicle floor.
As exemplified in German Pate~it Doc. DE 195493?9 C2, a rotatable device,
similar to the
device, shown in Fig. 1?, comprises a side impact shaft and two pairs of
levers, one ends of
which are rotatably connected to each other, the other ends of lower levers
are rotatably
connected to a pair of outboard seat legs, facing the vehicle side, and the
other ends of upper
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levers are rotatably connected to the side impact shaft. A pair of blocking
mechanisms, having a
threshold value, is fastened to transverse members, connecting both seat rails
to each other.
Each blocking mechanism has a blocking member, which, connected to each lower
lever, in
operation transforms each outboard seat-rail leg with open profile into one
with closed profile
to engage with the outboard floor rail. In excess of the threshold value,
resulting from a
rotation of the respective pair r>f lower levers in real-world side
collisions, the pair of blocking
members retract thus releasing an engagement ofthe respective pair of outboard
seat-rail legs
with open profile therewith. Upon large intrusion of the vehicle side, totally
deformed by great
lateral energy, the sites of predetermined fracture are broken and large
deflection of the impact
l0 shaft causes the rotation of the seat frame associated with the pair of
first and second levers
about an inboard round floor rail, adjacent to the tunnel. As a result, the
passenger, sitting on
the seat, is removed from the vijury area to the vehicle-centre and the
lateral acceleration b and
rotatory acceleration O, shown in Figs. l, la and 2, are lowered because
lateral energy is partly
converted into work of removal "A~' of passe~iger and seat according to Eq. 1.
This feature
l5 solves the above-mentioned shortcomings of US Pat. No. 5,149,165.
Unfortunately, lack of
energy absorbers and shock absorbers passengers are exposed to high
accelerations, strong
oscillations and large intrusion of vehicle side totally deformed by the
remaining of great lateral
energy.
Blocking mechanisms ref. to German Patent Doc. DE 19549379 C2 are incorporated
in
20 respective side airbag-substitutes. shown in Figs. 13 to 17, 20, 21 and 23.
A rail assembly, consisting of a floor rail with round, closed profile and a
seat rail, which slides
along the floor rail, has the highest stiffness and the lowest manufacturing
cost. The stiffness of
the floor rail can be increased by longitudinal inner members located therein.
Floor rail with
longitudinal inner members can be made of extrusion, depth extrusion, die
casting, casting etc.
25 Members of rail assemblies, made of extrusion components, are the cheapest.
Owing to these
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features inboard floor rail assists or both floor rails assist the process of
passenger-removal
from the injury-prone area to flue vehicle-centre in excess of the respective
threshold
values ofblockug mechanisms in side collisions.
As exemplified in DE 4342038 A1, a leaf spring, arranged between the inner
panel and outer
S panel, spans between the A- and B-post section or the B- and C-post section
to absorb lateral
energy.
In view of foregoing shoacomings and deficiencies, there is a need to remove
the passengers
from the injury-prone area to the vehicle-centre, substantially reduce injury-
related
accelerations and dampen vibration in the event of any side collision.
SUMMARY OF T'HE INVENTION
Accordingly, the principle object of the present invention is provide for a
motor vehicle a
rotatable device, which, comprising at least one pair of levers and a side
impact shaft, rotatably
connected to the levers, longiW dually arranged between the vehicle side and
the seat, is
movable with the seat, when adjusted forward or backward.
In surmounting the foregoing shortcomings of conventional sensors, US Pat. No.
5,149,165,
US Pat. No. 5,328,234 and high accelerations and strong oscillations linked to
the indirect
lateral energy transmission uito the vehicle floor via both Volvo seats,
in the event of any side collision the rotatable device rotates about the
outboard and/or inboard
floor rail during which the side impact shaft, acting as a far reliable
sensor,
- detects (senses) lateral impact energy, deforming the vehicle side, releases
the blocking
mechanisms in excess of threshold values and
- in conjunction with the rotatable device raises and removes the passenger,
sitting on the seat,
from the injury-prone area to the vehicle-centre.
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Alternatively, a seat-side leatgthwise back portion 11.2 of torsion sprvig,
for example, l 1b,
shown in Fig. 5, serves as the side impact shaft. This cost cutting feature
needs no rotatable
device.
A second object of the present invention resides in side airbag-substitutes,
consisting of the
S rotat~able devices and energy absorbers, which are highly reliable spring
elements of motor
vehicle,
- to cut costs and increase the reliability of safety devices;
- to directly or indirectly tran,mit impact energy into the vehicle floor 6
and
- to lower lateral and rotatory accelerations, avoid whiplash associated with
dampening
vibration and withstand intrusion of a deformed vehicle side, thanks thereto
the deployment
time of side as well as safety airbags can be prolonged, in the event of any
side collision
As reported in IIHS Status Etehoo, Vol. 35, No 4, April 15, 2000, a false
deployment of both
front airbags of Volvo S80 in a 5 mph flat-bonier test results in a total cost
of $ 4,500. A repair
bill related to false deployments of all lateral airbags is issued when a car,
equipped with them,
l5 crashes, for example, at low speed into a pole. In contrary, the energy
absorbers, being
deflected, store energy, which, deforming the door into mere dents, will be
released to bulge
out them, if it is lucky, properly when the car is driven out from the
accident site.
Recently, each door is equipped with at least two lateral airbags such as a 12-
to 15-litre side
(head) airbag, pelvis airbag, tube airbag and/or curtain airbag. The total
retail price ranges
2o between $ 350 to 1,000. At the average price of about $ 600 the average
total manufacturing
cost is about $ 75. When airbags are falsely deployed, the broken inner covers
of door andlor
roof must be replaced at a repair bill of $ 300 to 500 in addition to $ 350 to
1,000.
The manufacturing cost for coil spring, leaf spring and torsion spring
consisting of flat strips is
just $ 5, $ 1.5 and $ 0.5. For safety reasons in the automotive industry
suspension systems are
25 designed to meet strict requrements for service life of 1 to 2 10~ cycles
on fatigue test, high
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graded alloy-steel, material tests as well as manufacturing tolerances. All of
them are not
needed for the energy absorbers which can be made of low-graded steel.
Therefore, the
manufacturing costs are much lower. Costs to manufacture the fracture and the
rotatable device
have to be added thereto. The manufacturing cost can be estimated at up to $
12, which is just
S a fraction of the total costs for av~bag-protective device ph~s expenditure
for recall action.
For several decades motor vehicles have been driven over bumpy roads, thereby
triggering high
accelerations and strong vibrations, which are lowered and dampened by members
of
suspension systems. No recall actions are registered.
A third object of the present invention resides in safety airbags u~ co-
operation with the side
airbag-substitutes to enhance survival chance.
A crash of a Fiat Puma into the vehicle side of co-driver of an 8-year old
Opel Astra (Pontiac)
results in a sudden death of a 20-year old female driver, whose head strikes
into the B-pillar due
to strong lateral oscillation, illustrated in Figs. 1 and la, and great impact
energy. She was
instantly dead at the accident site. When struck by the Fiat Puma, her upper
body under the
IS load ofmass inertia force oscillates first to the direction ofvehicle side
of co-driver, then to the
opposite direction which is augmented by a reaction moment, which, exerted by
a reaction
force FA, acting on her lower part, about the rotating axis of "D", is bigger
than the rotating
moment, exerted by her weight about that axis. That reaction force depends on
the mass inertia
force itself which is a function of the mass of the passenger and magnitude of
the impact
acceleration in dependence on impact energy which will be lowered when
absorbed by energy
absorbers, in this case, installed vi the co-driver compartment section, shown
in Figs. 17 and
23. The smaller the impact acceleration, the greater the survival chance.
Front airbags of vehicle, which is totally deformed in real-world side
collisions and destined for
scrap, remain, usually, intact. To exploit them each, converted into a safety
airbag 80 or 80,
2S stored in a hub portion 19.1 of steering wheel or in a box 85 imserted into
a dashboard, shown
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in Fig, la, is subdivided into two hulls 80A, 808. The window hull 80A,
adjacent to a window
pane, is inflated to cushion the head in any side collision. At best, the
safety airbag 80 is
enlarged with a side hull 80C (not shown), which, preferably, with the window-
hull 80A, both
are inflated to cushion the head iii any side collision. The prime function of
the safety airbags to
cushion the heads of front-seated passengers iii any front collision is
preserved.
Spring elements, serving as energy absorbers, when deformed, withstand the
intrusion of the
deformed vehicle side and consuane tiuae. Hence, the deployment time of safety
airbags can be
prolonged. As a result, false deployments and recall actions are avoided to a
great extent.
A fourth object of the present vivention resides in the side airbag-
substitutes in co-operation
with the energy absorbers to protect all passengers in the event of a two-side
collision, in
which, for example, a car, crasliing at high speed into one vehicle side of
another car, pushes it
at the other vehicle side into a a~tiff bridge column.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAi~INC:S
IS A number of embodiments, other advantages and features of the present
invention will be
described in the accompanying drawings with reference to the xyz global
coordinate system:
Fig. 1 is a schematic rear view of a 9th embodiment of the (side airbag-)
substitute and of an
embodiment ofthe safety airbag 80, stored in a hub portion 19.1 of steering
wheel, where a
driver, sitting on a seat with conventional rail assemblies la, 2a, 81a, 82a,
is subjected to mass
inertia force FB and rotating incyrtia force FD, resulting from impact force
F, which deforms a
vehicle door 8, defined by an outer panel 8.8 and an inner panel 8.7, at
impact velocity v.
Eig, la is a schematic view of a deformed leaf spring 11c3 of the 9tli
embodiment of the
substitute at displacement "w~", the safety airbag 80, deployed to cushion the
upper part of the
body, and an airbag 80 of co-driver, stored in a box 85 of a dashboard.
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Fig. 2 depicts a function of time-dependent impact velocity v and acceleration
b.
Fig. 3 is a schematic rear view of a driver-seat of Volvo's SIPS (Side Impact
Protection
Safety), which with conve~~tional rail assemblies is provided with two
transverse seat-members
101 to transmit impact force to a transverse tunnel-member, which further
transmits to a tunnel
S (floor) and to two transverse seat-members of co-driver seat, as exemplified
in EP 0565501 A1.
Figs. 4 to 7 are schematic views of a 1st to 4th embodiment ofthe respective
substitutes Bl
to B4, where only the seat of the substitute BI is equipped with conventional
rail assemblies.
Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a Sth embodiment of the substitute B5, generally
representing
substitutes BSa to BSd.
Fig. 9 is a schematic view of a Gth embodiment of the substitute B6, generally
representing
substitutes B6a to Bbb.
Fig. 10 is a schematic view of a 7th embodiment of the substitute B7, havnng a
leaf spring 11,
generally representing a spring 11a to I lc, in co-operation with a rear seat.
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the modified Sth embodiment of the substitute
B56 of a seat
IS having two pairs of conventional rail assemblies.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the 3rd embodiment of the substitute B3 of a
seat having two
pairs of round rail assemblies l, 2, 81, 82.
Fig. 13 is a schematic front view of a seat rail equipped with at least one
ball bearing.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the modified 5th embodiment of the substitute
BSa or B5c of
a seat having two pairs of round rail assemblies.
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a lever of a torsion spring of the substitute
BSc.
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the 4th embodiment of the substitute B4 of a
seat having two
pairs of round rail assemblies.
Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the 9th embodiment of the substitute B6a of a
seat having
two pairs of round rail assemblies.
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Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the leaf spring of the substitute Bba,
clamped by a spring
holder having holes through which screws are protruded and bolted to the
floor.
Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the leaf spring of the substitute Bba,
clamped by two spring
holders having holes through which screws are protruded and bolted to the
floor.
Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a modified 5th embodiment of the substitute
BSd, having a
leaf spring with an open receptacle in free contact with a lever, of a seat
having two pairs of
round rail assemblies.
Fig. 21 illustrates a kinematics of the lever, loaded by impact force, and the
seat
Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a torsion spring bolted to the leaf
spring.
Fig. 23 is a schematic view of the 7th embodiment of the substitute B7 in co-
operation with
the rear seat consisting of two seat members C1, C2.
Fig. 24 illustrates a progressive work of deflection "AF' of a spring element
or compression
spring block.
Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a non-cylindrical coil spring (barrel-
shaped spring) with
IS progressive spring rate.
Fig. 26 is a schematic view of a leaf spring consisting of a main leaf "Zo"
and several
supplementary leaves "Z1, %,...Z"" in dependence on the corresponduig radii of
curvature "K,,
Kz,
...Kn".
Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a compression spring block made oftwo
materials.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF
THE INVENTION
'The method of the present invention capitalizes an the premise that, in
dependence on the
magnitude of energy, the mass inertia force Fa and the rotating inertia force
Fn, shown in Fig.
1, are lessened, at the best diminished, by large energy-absorption, resulting
from work of
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deflection, friction, fracture of sites of predetermined fracture and removal
of the passenger
sitting on the seat. This will be apparent when formulating an equation of all
forces in
equilibrium wherefor the following assumptions and idealization must be
specified:
- let the impact force F replace the uniform load of the lateral energy.
- let the upper part of the body be one mass with the pendulum length of "L"
about the
rotating axis "D" by ignoring the head as a 2nd mass about the joint of neck
serving as
rotating axis.
- let the passenger solely be subjected to the accelerations O- and b-
dependent forces Fn and
F$.
- let the lateral section of vehicle body, similar to front section thereof,
be subdivided into
crumpling zones.
With regard to the work-dependent forces, principle of D'A,lembert, external
impact force F and
tune-dependent equation of motion let the equilibrium of all forces be
expressed in the
following Eq. (equation) 1:
F = (ks+kf,)*X + k~*~ + kp*,9 + o*v + (m+m,)*b + Ji*b 11- + F, + F2 + F3 + ~4
where lcs = sti$ness of vehicle :dde, kF, = rate of 1st crumpling zone, k~2 =
rate of 2nd
crumpling zone, ko = specific rate of torsion spring, c = damping factor or
factor of
shock/friction absorber, m = mass of vehicle, m, = mass of passenger, J, =
jr2*8m = moment of
inertia ofpassenger about the rotating axis "D", shown in Fig. 1, x =
displacement by intrusion,
shown in all Figs., in the opposite direction of x, xF = deflection of spring,
v = impact velocity,
9 = angular displacement by torsional moment, shown in Figs. 11 and 14, b =
impact
acceleration, L = pendulum length as distance between the centre of gravity of
the upper part of
the body "S" and the rotating axis "D", shown in Fig. 1, O = rotating angle,
shown in Fig. 1, O
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= rotating acceleration as 2nd-order differential angle ~, rotating inertia
force Fo = JI*O /I,,
mass inertia force FB = m1*b, F1 ~ force responsible for the deformation of
seat, F2 = force
responsible for the deformation of the structural door-member of seat, F3 =
force responsible
for the work of fracture "A,~" to release the blocking mechanisms and/or to
fracture the site of
predetermined fracture, F4 == force responsible for the work of passenger's
removal "Av'".
According to the equilibrium vi Eq. 1 the reduction of the accelerations
depends on the
extension ofthe deployment tune, work ofpassenger's removal "Av", work
offracture "AB"
and work of deformation consi sting of work of deflection "AF = lkf.2*xF*bxF",
work of
deflection "AT = jMo*89", work of friction "AR = f c*v*8xF".
Work of friction is performed by the shock/friction absorber in order to damp
oscillation
(vibration) and to reduce the oscillation period. Oscillation is progressively
damped by a shock
absorber characterized by progressively damping factor in dependence on
velocity. The work of
friction "AR', for example, of the torsion spring, assembled from flat strips,
is empirically
determined by the difference between work of deflection "AT", when loaded and
unloaded.
Like any vehicle suspension system, spring elements, shown in Figs. 5 to 10,
11, 12, 14, 16,
17, 22, 23, 25, 26, and/or compression spring blocks, shown in Figs. 4, 6, 12,
27, are
characterized by deformation under load of impact energy (force) in order to
lessen the impact
acceleration and to convert the energy into work of deflection "AF" of a
spring element and/or
work of deflection "AT' of a torsion spri~~g at the time of indirect or direct
energy transmission
into the vehicle floor. In comparison to spring elements with linear rate, a
spring element with
progressive spring rate "k~~2" yields larger worknug area "AF" or "AT", shown
in Fig. 24, related
to progressive work of deflection and needs a smaller assembling space.
Progressive spring rate
is achieved by
- geometrically non-linear deflection due to large deformation; or
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-T 7-
- increasingly rolling one- or two-sided coils ofbarrel-shaped spring, shown
in Fig. 25, or
non-cylindrical coil spring 1 l, shown in Figs. 6, 12, on one spring seat
11.15 or two spring
seats. With regard to the characteristics of rolling and the large deformation
the variable rod-
diameters "dl, d3,...d"" in dependence on the corresponding coil radii "R1,
R3,...R"" can be
calculated and stress-optimized by means of a FEM tool of the inventor, or
- increasingly rolling the coils of cylindrical coil spring on each other; or
- increasingly compressing the compression spring block such as
* hollow compression spring block l lal having several chambers, two shown in
Fig. 6, or
several chambers 11a, shown in Fig. 4; or
* hollow-pointed compres:~ion sprung block 11.a2 made oftwo materials "M1" and
"M2",
shown in Fig. 27, or several materials characterized by di~'erent Young's
modulus and
shear modulus. The member of the block with material "M l" has two chambers
"R1" and
Material such as rubber, rubber-similar plastics such as Cell Polyurethane is
recommended
IS for use; or
- increasingly rolling one or several supplementary leaves "Z,, ZZ,...Z"",
having the
corresponding radii of ciuvature "K,, K2,...K"", on the main leaf "Zo" of leaf
spring l Ic3 or
l lc, shown in Fig. 26. With regard to the characteristics of rolling and the
large deformation
the variable thickness of the leaf "ti, t~,...tn" in dependence on the
corresponding lever-
lengths "hl, h3,...h~" can be calculated and stress-optimized by means of the
FEM tool. Due
to the simple tools manufactw-ing costs far leaf springs are much lower than
for coil springs.
Furthermore, other materials with the property of high-energy absorption and
light mass, for
example, carbon or glass $bre-reinforced plastics for skis, are recommended
for use.
The lateral section ofvehicle body is idealized by its own structure in
conjunction with at least
one spring element with progressive spring rate, having members provided with
sites of
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-18-
predetermined fracture, where impact force is reduced in following three
steps. At the
beginning, the spring element with low spring rate absorbs little energy in
order to greatly
lessen the impact acceleration, then, the spring rate progressively increases
in order to absorb
much energy and, finally, sites of predetermined fracture are fractured in
excess of the
S respective threshold values to l;radually release the stored energy.
As noted hereinabove, the operation of the seat, equipped with the side impact
shaft 11.2 in
co-operation with the pair of respective rotatable levers 1.70,1.71; 1.70a,
1.71a, remains
unaffected. When the seat is positioned furthest forward the length of side
impact shaft extends
longitudinally beyond the seat aide, possibly, to the adjacent post section (B-
post section for the
front seat, C-post section far the rear seat) in order to sense the
deformation thereof. However,
at the normal seat position the length may not obstruct passengers stepping in
or out of the rear
section of passenger compartment of a two-door car. To prevent injury when
unintentionally
striking the ends of the shaft 11.2, the rear end portion is surrounded with
impact pad 11.1,
shown in Fig. 12, or both end portions are surrounded with impact pads 11.1,
ll.la, shown in
IS Fig. 20. Alternatively, the rear end portion, accommodated in a receptacle
of the rear rotatable
lever 1.70a, shown in Figs. l 1. 14, 16 and 17, is surrounded with an impact
pad. Cushioning
material such as rubber of plastic (synthetic or artificial product) is
recommended for impact
pads.
The end portions, accommodated in the rotatable levers, are secured thereto by
securing parts
such as split pins, screws, outs or retaining rings 11.24, shown in Fig. 12,
or by bolting,
welding, riveting or glueing.
The side impact shaft 11.2 of the rotatable device is rotatably attached about
the y13-axis to
one ends ofthe pair of the following rotatable levers 1.70, 1.71x,
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
_19_
- whose other ends are rotatable about the yl-axis, guided by the floor rail
81 along the yl-
axis and moved therealong when the seat is adjusted longitudinally, shown in
Figs. 12, 20;
or
- whose other ends are rotatably connected to the seat frame 3 by bolts 1.72,
shown in Fig. 6.
S Alternatively, the rotatable device is provided with several pairs of
rotatable levers, for
example, two shown in Figs. 1. 7 to 1 I, 14, 16, 17 and 23. The side impact
shaft 11.2 is
rotatably attached about the yl3-axis to one ends ofthe pair ofthe rotatable
levers 1.70a,
whose other ends are rotatably connected to one ends of the pair of rotatable
lever 1.71a,
whose other ends are rotatably connected to the seat frame 3 or the veliicle
floor 6.
In order to directly or indirectly transmit impact energy into the floor 6 the
side impact shaft
11.2 extends through a receptacle of shock absorber 11.10, down in Figs. 6,
12, or of leaf
spring, shown in Figs. 7 to I 1, 14 to 17, 23, or of lever 20, rigidly mounted
to a torsion spring,
shown in Fig. 15, or of tube 5.3 of impact lever 5, where the tube 5.3 is in
free contact with an
open receptacle of leaf spring 1 1e to allow unconstrained deformation, shown
in Figs. 20, 21.
The other end of energy absorber is fastened to the seat frame, shown in Figs.
4 to 7, 12, 16, to
indirectly transnnit impact enerlry into the floor via the seat frame. To
directly transmit impact
energy into the floor, the other e'id of energy absorber is fastened to the
vehicle floor, shown in
Figs. 8 to 11, 14, 17, 20, 23.
Figs. 1, 4 to 10 illustrate conceptual embodiments ofthe present invention Bl
to B7 for seats
either with the conventional floor, seat rails la, 2a, 81a, 82a or with round
floor, seat rails 1, 2,
81, 82.
Fig. 9 shows an exemplary s<ibstitute BG, consisting of a member B61 with
conventional
floor, seat rails and another member B62 with round floor, seat rails to
demonstrate the
interchangeability of different pairs of assembly rails. Usually, the same
type of pairs of
ZS assembly rails is put into use.
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-ZU-
Due to non-round, open profile conventional floor rails of seat, provided for
such as BSb, are
incapable of rotating the seat atoout one or both axes, thereby restricting
the energy absorption.
Moreover, the intrusion of the deformed door, loaded by the remaining impact
force, endanger
the life of passenger. In contra;;t, there is no restriction of energy
absorption as well as of
removal of passenger upon the use of round rail assemblies, for example, of
BSa. The feature
regarding rail assemblies gives Car Gorps. the possibility to make tlieir own
decision.
The substitute Bl comprises a pair of compression spring blocks 11a, which,
each having
several chambers, three drawn in Fig. 4, improve Volvo's SIPS, shown in Fig.
3, and a pair of
structural door-member 10a to reinforce the seat frame and improve the energy
transmission
into the vehicle floor via the floor rail i1i a side collision, during which
progressive work of
deflection is performed due to several chambers when compressing the pair of
compression
spring blocks. The structural door-member 10a can be provided with sites of
predetermined
fracture to release the stored energy in excess of threshold values. Each
compression spring
block lla is circumferentially clamped by a steel ring 11.23, wherefrom a
protruding screw
11.21, passing through the seat leg, has a threaded end projection onto which
a nut 11.22 is
screwed to secure the sprv~g block. As the most economical, technically
reliable solution,
compression spring block is designed to limit the movement of a suspension
system, when
loaded, and as supplementary spring 11 a l, used in association with another
spring element such
as coil spring 11, shown in Figs. 6 and 12. This embodiment is equipped with
the pair of round
rail assemblies 1, 81, 2, 82 or conventional rail assemblies la, 81a, 2a, 82a.
The compression spring blocks can be incorporated in other costlier substitute
such as B2 to
B6a to substantially enhance mrvival chance.
The substitute B2, embodying the indirect energy transmission into the vehicle
floor via
both floor rails, shown in Fig. S, is provided with torsion spring 11 b, whose
back portion 11.2,
serving as a rigid side impact shafir, extends along the seat side and whose
tvvo leg portions 11.7
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-21-
are surrounded with rubber tubular sleeves 11.30, 11.35, on which U-shaped
screws 11.31,
11.36 are clamped and protrude through the respective holes of stiff
structural door-member
10b, fastened to the pair of seat rails 1 or 2, and have threaded end
projections onto which nuts
11.32,11.37 are screwed to secure the torsion spring. It is apparent that the
distance of both
S attachment points of the tubular sleeves 11.31,11.36 to each other takes
influence on the
magnitude of the work of deflection when the back portion, loaded by lateral
energy, and both
leg portions deflect.
The substitute B3, embodying the i~idirect energy transmission into the
vehicle floor via the
rail assembly 82, 2, shown in Figs. 6 and 12, or 82a, 2a, is provided with a
Mc-Pherson spring
strut, which, known as suspension system, for example, of BMW cars, consists
of a coil spring
11, shock absorber 11.10 and hollow compression spring block 11a1 having two
chambers.
The assembly process, above-mentioned, is completed when the end portion of
spring strut,
passing through the reinforced mount l Oc of seat rail 2, has a threaded end
projection onto
which a nut 11.8 is screwed to secure the spring strut. In reference to this
end portion the
position of the receptacle of M c-Pherson spring strut is adjusted by way of
distance washers
1.31 and two spacer rings 1.30. Ia similarity to the pivotal attachment of Mc-
Pherson spring
strut to the vehicle subframe, the resilience of rubber bush 11.12 has to
compensate the large
angle, resulting from the rotati~m ofthe sliaft 11.2, when loaded by lateral
energy, in pivotal
attachment with the spring strut.
Ref. to Fig. 12 the outboard seat rail 1 consists of a pair of outboard
blocking mechanisms S2
and a pair of seat-rail members with open profile to facilitate the detachment
from the outboard
floor rail 81 in real-world side collisions. To engage each seat-rail member
to that floor rail 81 a
plate 1.10, projected beneath tl~e floor rail 81 through apertures of a pair
of legs of the seat-rail
member, has an end projection with a retaining hole, into which a retaining
pin 1.2 with site of
predetermined fracture is inserted. To ensure the plate in the seat-rail
member the other end
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-22-
portion has a securing hole, into which, adjacent to the rear leg, a bolt (not
shown) is inserted,
and a connecting hole, connected with a clearance to spring seat 11.13 by
release cable 12. A
threshold value "F3" is determined by the farce of spring elements 11, llal
when side impact
shaft 11.2 is deflected in order to overcorae the clearance and fracture the
retaining pins 1.2. As
a result, the plates fall downwards owing to the shape allowing to move
downwards through
the openings of both legs.
Large lateral energy, imposed on the side impact shaft 11.2, is transmitted to
the spring 11,
block 11a1 and shock absorber i 1.10 and absorbed, thereby lowering impact
acceleration and
dampening vibration. Larger work of deflection and friction is achieved by a
coil spring, for
example, barrel-shaped spring with progressive spring rate, shown in Fig. 25,
and by a stop
bush 11.9, moving into the hallow compression spring block l lal and expanding
it.
The substitute 84, equipped with two leaf springs 11c4, l 1c1, embodies the
indirect and
direct energy transmission into the vehicle floor via the rail assembly 82, 2,
and the longitudinal
(longitudinally-built) leaf springs llcl, shown in Figs. 7 and 16. The
receptacle oftransversal
leaf spring 11c4, guided by the floor rail 82, is provided with a
soundproofing slide bearing (not
shown) or with a ball bearing 1.411, shown in Fig. 13. The other receptacle is
pivotally
connected about the y13-antis to the side impact shaft 11.2 associated with
the rotatable levers
1.?tla, 1.?la: By removing or adding distance washers 1.31 and spacer rings
1.30 in each axis
both receptacles are appropriately positioned to each other. The receptacle of
the longitudinal
leaf spring llcl is pivotally attached to a coupling assembly, comprising
screw 11.74 and nut
11.75, and guided sideways by retaining plates 11.73, fastened to the floor 6.
To prevent passengers, when stepping in or out of the rear section of
passenger compartment
of two-door car, from stumbling aver the receptacle of longitudinal leaf
spring l lcla, the
section of the floor, housing that receptacle, is countersunk. In order to
freely displace along
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-23-
the y-direction the other ettd ofthe longitudinal leaf spring llci or llcla,
when deformed,
slides on a sliding shoe 11.71, Hastened to a U-shaped clamp 11.70 by rivet
11.76.
Lateral energy, imposed on the side impact shaft 11.2 and receptacle of
transversal leaf spring
11c4, is transmitted to both leaf springs 11e~, l lc and absorbed thereby,
thus lowering impact
acceleration. The bending monoent along the transversal leaf spring 11 c4 is
sustained by a pair
of forces, one of which acts on the floor rail S2 and the other exerts bending
moment along the
longitudinal leaf spring 11 c l .
The substitute BSa, equipped with leaf spring 11e2 and torsion spring 11d,
embodies the
direct energy transmission into the vehicle floor, shown in Figs. 8 and 14. In
order to fasten the
leaf spring 11c2 and torsion spring 11d together, a stiffholder 11.50,
arranged on the leaf
spring 11c2 and on the upper side oftorsion spring 11d, and a stiffretaining
plate 11.53,
arranged on the lower side of torsion spring 11d, are provided with attachment
holes, where
two U-shaped screws 11.52, ps~ssing through the corresponding attachment
holes, have
threaded end projections onto which nuts 11.62 are screwed to secure the stiff
spring holder
IS and retaining plate.
The torsion spring consists of several flat strips, for example, four, shown
in Fig. 14. Flat strips,
for example, four, shown in Fil;. 14, provided with elongated apertures
(oblong holes) at both
end portions are integrated into a torsion spring by screws 11.54 with big
washers 11.55,
passing therethrough and tlmough big washers 11.55, having threaded end
projections onto
which nuts 11.56 are screwed to secure the flat strips, This assembling
operation can be done
outside ofthe assembly line. Two Irshaped fixing plates 11.58, fastened to the
floor 6, help car
assemblers locate the longitudinal position for the torsion spring in the y-
direction. Both end
portions of torsion spring between the clamped elongated apertures are freely
clamped by
means of two stifffree-clanging fixtures 11.51, bolted to the floor 6 by
screws 11.57. This free
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-24-
clamping with a tolerably small clearance permits free displacement (movement)
of the torsion
spring along the y3-axis.
Ref. to Figs. 14 to 17 the outboard seat rail 1 consisfis of a pair of
outboard blocking
mechanisms Sl and a pair of seat-rail members with open profile to facilitate
the detachment
from the outboard floor rail 81 in real-world side collisions. To engage each
seat-rail member to
that floor rail 81 a shaft 1, t 1, biased by spring 1.25, of each
prefabricated blocking mechanism,
fastened to transverse member lQb, is projected beneath the floor rail 81
through holes of a pair
of legs of the seat-rail member, acrd has an end projection with a retaining
hole, into which a
retaining pin 1.2 of release cable 12x, whose other end is connected with a
clearance to lever
1.72x, is inserted. A threshold value "F;" is determined by the force of
spring element 11c2,
11c3 or spring elements llcl, llc4 when side impact shaft 11.2 is deflected in
order to
overcome the clearance and detach the retaining pins 1.2 from the respective
retaining holes in
association with withdrawing the preloaded shafts from the holes of the pair
of legs and
releasing the blocking of the pair of outboard blocking mechanisms S1.
Lateral energy, imposed on the receptacle ofleaf spring 11c2 freely guided by
side impact shaft
11.2, is transmitted to both springs l 1c2, l 1d and absorbed thereby, thus
lower7ng impact
acceleration.
The substitute B56, equipped with leaf spring 11e2 and torsion spring lldl to
11d4,
embodies the direct energy transmission into the vehicle floor, shown in Figs.
8 and l 1. The
torsion spring lldl to 11d4 differs from that torsion spring of substitute B5a
in the tube-
shaped portion and both errd portions, which are freely clamped by means oftwo
stifffree-
clamping fixtures 11.51x, bolted to the floor 6 by screws 11.57. This free
clamping with a
tolerably small clearance permits free displacement of the torsion spring
along the y3-axis.
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
_25.
Lateral energy, imposed on the receptacle of leaf spring l 1c2 freely guided
by side impact shaft
11.2, is transmitted to leaf spri~ig 11c2 and torsion spring 11d1 to tld4 and
absorbed thereby,
thus lowering impact acceleration.
Both end portions of torsion spri~ig l Idl to l Id4 differ from each other in
rectangular shape,
square head, hexagon head or arbitrarily-edged head, serration, for exannple,
ref. to SAE J4986,
and square heads, which facilitate the integration of the same torsion sub-
springs with similar
head into a torsion spring 11 d4.
The substitute BSc, equipped with torsion spring l id, embodies the direct
energy
transmission into the vehicle floor. The leaf spring l 1c2 of the substitute
BSa, shown in Figs. 8,
1~, is replaced by a low-cost stiff lever 20, shown in Fig. 15, which is
easily fastened to the leaf
spring by screw 20.1.
Lateral energy, imposed on the lever 20 freely guided by side impact shaft
11.2, is transmitted
to torsion spring lld and absorbed thereby, thus lowering impact acceleration.
The substitute BSd, equipped with leaf spring llc and torsion spring l 1d,
embodies the
IS direct energy transmission into the vehicle floor, shown in Figs. 8 and 20
to 22. Fig. 22 shows
the assembling operation, similar to that of substitute BSa, in which six flat
strips of another
torsion spring of substitute BSd are clamped by a holder 11.50c and the
stiffretaining plate
11.53 in place of the holder 11.50 of substitute BSa.
A impact lever 5, guided by guide rail 5.10, is bolted to floor rail 81 by
fastener 5.1. The shaft
11.2 moves through the lever 5 when the seat is adjusted forward about "m" or
backward about
«n~~.
Impact force F on the lever 5. exerts a torsional moment along the rail. In
excess of threshold
values sites ofpredetermined fi~acture "b" ofthe rail at the distances of
"1"," and "1"', are broken,
shown in Fig. 20. In order to prevent the passenger from oscillating iui the
direction of the
totally deformed vehicle side arid smashing therein before the seat is
rotated, the broken both
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-zb-
end portions of the floor rail and a pair of the edges of lever 5 must rest on
the respective floor-
rail casings 81.5a and the guide rail 5.x0. Upon the increase of impact force
the edges of lever
with increasing height are guided and sustained by guide rail 5.10, until the
leaf spring llc in
association with lever 5 comes into contact with contact rail 14, raises it
and rotates the seat
S about the inboard floor rail, shown in Fig. 21.
The substitute B6a, equipped with transversal (transversally-built) leaf
spring 11c3 mounted
underneath the seats of driver and co-driver, embodies the direct energy
transmission into the
vehicle floor, shown in Figs. 9 and 17. For purpose to avoid peak edge stress,
when edges
come into contact with the deformed spring 11 c3, tightly clamped by the
corresponding spring
holder 11.50b, shown in Fig. 18, or spring holders 11.50a, shown in Fig. 19,
each edge of the
holder is of curved shape. All the spring holders are bolted to the floor 6 by
screws 11.59.
Two soundproofing slide sleeves are pressed into bath receptacles of leaf
spring l 1c3. The
seats of driver and co-driver can move independently no y direction during
which the side
impact shafts 11.2,11.2 slide iii the corresponding sleeves. Costs are saved
upon the use of a
single transversal leaf spring for protection the passenger in a side
collision or both passengers
in a two-side collision.
The substitute B6b, embodyi~ig the direct energy transmission into the vehicle
floor,
equipped with two independent leaf springs 11c3 mounted underneath the seat of
driver and
co-driver, is designed for a rear-driven car, shown in Figs. 1, 9 and 17. Each
leaf spring 11c3 is
tightly clamped by stiff spring holder 11.50a,11.50b, which is bolted to the
floor 6 by screws
11.59.
The substitute B?, equipped with transversal leaf spring ilea to protect the
back-seated
passengers on the rear seat, consisting of two seat members Cl, C2, in side
collisions,
embodies the direct energy tra~ismission into the vehicle floor, shown in Fig.
23. Costs are
saved upon the use of a single transversal leaf spring. In compliance with the
safety requirement
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-27-
for fuel tank, which must be accommodated beneath the rear seat, to prevent
fire in the event of
a rear collision, each seat member C1, C2 of rear seat is equipped with the
rotatable outboard-
device, above-mentioned, and with a rotatable inboard-device, adjacent to the
tunnel, rotating
about y2-axis and provided with a pair of inboard blocking mechanisms S4.
S Each seat member Cl, C2 consists of a seat frame 3, 3 with cushion,
pivotally connected to a
stiff subframe 3.10, 3.10 by two hinges 40, 4~0, and the subframe 3.10, 3.10,
which is pivotally
attached to floor 6 by a pair of round head rivets 3.5e about the yl-axis and
to the rotatable
inboard-device by a pair of bolts 3.5 about the y21-axis. When released these
seat frames 3, 3
can independently be folded about the axes of the corresponding hinges to
enlarge the freight
space. The transversal leaf spring 11e3 is tightly clamped by at least one
stiff spring holder
11.50b,11.50a, shown in Figs. 18 and 19, bolted to the floor 6 by screws
11.59.
The assembly and operation of the rotatable inboard-device, equipped with a
pair of inboard
blocking mechanisms S4, are e~cplained hereinafter. Serving as lever 2.1 a
stiffhinge strip has
two end portions rolled into receptacles, one of which about the y21-axis is
pivotally attached
to the pivot bolt 3.5, projecting tluough a pair of retaining plates, fastened
to the subframe
3.10, 3.10, and the other is pivotally attached to pivot bolt 2.8 of lever
2.2. After inserting a
spring-loaded shaft 1.11a of each prefabricated blocking mechanism S4 through
holes of spacer
plate 2.12 and of both levers 2.1, 2.2 a casing 1.20a of the mechanism S4 is
bolted to the back
face of lever 2.1 by screws 1.21 (similar to 1.21 drawn). The other end of
spacer plate 2.12 is
fastened to the subframe. A cv~cular segment of retaining piece 2.4, rotatably
attached to the
lever 2.2, is inserted into a circuniferential groove on the end projection of
the shaft 1.11a and
one hook-shaped end of torsion spring 2.5, whose eye rests on the end
projection, is hooked in
the first hole of L-shaped retavung piece 2.4 and the other U-shaped end is
hooked on the edge
ofthe lever 2.2 to bias the piece 2.4, secure the shaft l.lla and interlock
both levers 2.1, 2..2
and spacer plate 2.12. After anchoring one end of a release cable 12c in the
second retaining
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
_2$_
hole of piece 2.4 the cable is passed through a hole the subframe, threaded
spacer sleeve 1.16 is
located therein and the other end is anchored to the rotatable lever 1.70x. A
permissible
clearance for the blocking is determined when the threaded spacer sleeve 1.16
to the hole ofthe
subframe 3.10, 3.10 is properly positioned and two nuts 1.17 on the thread
thereof are
S tightened. The half of the rotatable inboard-device, equipped with the
inboard blocking
mechanism S4, is wholly assembled. The process of assembling the other half is
similar thereto.
After projecting through holes of stiffmounting plates 14.3 of subframe 3.10
both ends of
release rod 14a are secured by two retaining rings (not shown). The
aforementioned clearance
and the size of the circular segment of retaining piece 2.4 govern the
engagement of the circular
segment with the groove of shaft l.lla. A threshold value "F3" is determined
by the force of
spring element 11e3 when side impact shaft 11.2,11.2 is deflected in order to
overcome the
clearance and release the blocking of the pair of inboard blocking mechanisms
S4.
Under load of great impact force F~ and in excess of the threshold value the
leaf spring 11 c3,
the side impact shaft 11.2, t 1.2 and the pair of rotatable levers 1.70a,
1.71a are being deflected
IS during which
- the pair of release cables 12e releases both retaining pieces 2.4, being
pulled by the
respective torsion springs 2.5, thereby allowing the spring-loaded shafts
1.11a of the
respective inboard blocking mechanisms S4 to retract and cancel the engagement
of two
pairs of levers 2.1, 2.2;
- which assume the function of rotatable movement about their own axes thus
resulting in
downward movement of the inboard side of seat member C1, C2 and rotation
thereof about
the yl-,~1 and y2-,~r2 axis;
- the impact shaft 11.2,1 t.2 in contact with the release rod 14a, 14a results
in upward
movement of the outboard side of seat member Cl, C2 and rotation thereof about
the y1-,
x1 and y2-,~r2 axis; and
CA 02230721 2002-11-13
-29-
- energy, directly transmitted into the vehicle floor, is absorbed by work of
deformation of the
leaf spring l lc3 and of removal of the passenger and seat member, thus
reducing the
accelerations.
In a two-side side collision both seat members C1, CZ experience the above-
mentioned
movement and rotation.
However, the result of the passenger's removal regarding the head's deflection
is impaired by
too small gap "C1-C2" (not shown) between both independent seat members C1 and
C2
- during the independent rotation about the yl-axis and/or Xl_-axis or
- during the independent folding about the axes of the corresponding hinges.
to To prevent those members from hooking together the gap in sufficient
magnitude must be
designed.
The substitute B7 of seat framca 3, 3 with or without hinges 40, 40 is suited
for vehicle seat or
single vehicle seat without rail assemblies.
Regarding tandem substitutes (substitutes in series) for front seat and
successive seats the
embodiment meets the goal of cutting costs by mounting those substitutes on a
single pair of
rail assemblies. By definition "front seat and successive seats" this term
denotes the
configuration of "n"-rows of seats comprising one, two,..."n"- seat-rows, far
example, two
seat-rows in cars and a number of seat-rows in space vans, big limousines and
buses.
2o Although the present inve~ition has been described and illustrated in
detail, it is clearly
understood that the terminology used is intended to describe rather than
limit. Many more
objects, embodiments, features arid variations of the present invention are
possible in light of
the above-mentioned teachings. Therefore, within the spirit and scope of the
appended claims,
the present invention may be practised otherwise than as specifically
described and illustrated.
