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US 12,397,729 B1Granted
Side underride guard
AssigneeHcew IP Leasing, LLC
InventorJeffrey J. Bennett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A side underride guard for vehicles, including trailers for tractor-trailer rigs, having a series of triangular shaped stabilizers made from a vertical section extending downwardly from the structural siderail of the trailer, a horizontal section extending from the top of the vertical section, and a diagonal section extending from the bottom of the vertical section to an inboard side of the horizontal section. A series of these stabilizers are mounted along two horizontal beams to form a triangular prism, but do not attach to crossmembers of the trailer. A pair of side underride guards are positioned on opposite sides of the trailer bed in which the two side underride guards act independently of each other.
Claims25
A side impact guard for a trailer, the side impact guard comprising a first side underride guard for mounting to a first side of the trailer, the first underride guard comprising:
- a) a pair of beams comprising a first beam and a second beam parallel to the first beam;
- b) a series of repeating stabilizers mounted on the pair of beams, wherein each stabilizer is intermittently spaced apart along the first beam and the second beam;
- c) a longitudinal brace operatively connected to the first beam in between two stabilizers to resist in-plane shear forces on the first side underride guard longitudinal to a length of the trailer;
- d) a plurality of mounting brackets operatively connected to each stabilizer, each mounting bracket configured to connect to a structural side rail of the trailer, wherein each mounting bracket comprises a first elongated flange having a flat surface and a second elongated flange having a flat surface that is perpendicular to the flat surface of the first elongated flange;
- e) wherein each stabilizer in the series of repeating stabilizers is triangular in shape, each stabilizer comprising three sections, wherein when installed on the trailer, a vertical section is approximately in a vertical orientation, a horizontal section is approximately in a horizontal orientation, and a diagonal section is in a diagonal orientation, wherein the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal sections form a triangle;
- wherein the vertical section comprises an upper end terminating at a top surface, and a lower end terminating at a bottom surface opposite the upper end, the horizontal section comprises an outboard end and an inboard end opposite the outboard end, and the diagonal section comprises a lower-outboard end and an upper-inboard end opposite the lower-outboard end;
- f) wherein the outboard end of the horizontal section is operatively connected to the upper end of the vertical section, the lower-outboard end of the diagonal section is operatively connected to the lower end of the vertical section, and the inboard end of the horizontal section is operatively connected to the upper-inboard end of the diagonal section,
- g) wherein a top side of the horizontal section at the outboard end is offset from the top surface of the vertical section by about 1 inch to about 5 inches,
- h) wherein the lower end of the vertical section is operatively connected to the first beam, and the lower-outboard end of the diagonal section is operatively connected to the first beam, thereby positioning the first beam on an outboard side of the first side underride guard;
- i) wherein the inboard end of the horizontal section is operatively connected to the second beam, and the upper-inboard end of the diagonal section is operatively connected to the second beam, thereby positioning the second beam on an inboard side of the first side underride guard;
- j) wherein the longitudinal brace comprises a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end of the cross brace is operatively connected to the upper end of the vertical section of a first stabilizer, and the second end is operatively connected to the first beam adjacent at the lower end of the vertical section of a second stabilizer;
- and wherein each vertical section is connected to a respective mounting bracket at the flat surface of the second elongated flange, non-parallel to the flat surface of the first elongated flange of the respective mounting bracket.
9 more elements
An underride guard for mounting to a side of a trailer, the underride guard comprising:
- a) a first beam;
- b) a second beam parallel to the first beam;
- c) a series of repeating stabilizers mounted on the first beam and the second beam, wherein each stabilizer is intermittently spaced apart along the first beam and the second beam;
- and
- d) a plurality of mounting brackets operatively connected to each stabilizer;
- e) wherein each stabilizer in the series of repeating stabilizers comprises three sections forming a triangular shape, wherein the three sections comprise a vertical section having an upper end and a lower end, a horizontal section having an outboard end and an inboard end, the outboard end connected to the upper end of the vertical section, and a diagonal section connected to the lower end of the vertical section, and the diagonal section connected to the inboard end of the horizontal section, wherein the first beam is adjacent to where the vertical section connects to the diagonal section, and the second beam is adjacent to where the horizontal section connects to the diagonal section;
- f) wherein a top side of the diagonal section at the outboard end is offset from a top surface of the vertical section;
- and
- g) wherein each mounting bracket is configured for connecting one of the stabilizers to the side of the trailer, wherein each mounting bracket comprises a first elongated flange having a flat surface, and a second elongated flange having a flat surface that is perpendicular to the flat surface of the first elongated flange, wherein the flat surface of the second elongated flange is connected to the top surface of the vertical section of the respective mounting bracket, and wherein each vertical section is non-parallel to the flat surface of the first elongated flange of the respective mounting bracket, thereby forming an angle of inward displacement.
6 more elements
A method of configuring a trailer with a side impact guard, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a first side underride guard, comprising a first beam, a second beam parallel to the first beam, and a series of repeating stabilizers mounted on the first beam and the second beam, wherein each stabilizer is intermittently spaced apart along the first beam and the second beam, wherein each stabilizer in the series of repeating stabilizers comprises three sections forming a triangular shape, wherein the three sections comprise a vertical section, a horizontal section having an outboard end and an inboard end, the outboard end connected to the vertical section, and a diagonal section connected to the vertical section and the horizontal section, wherein the first beam is adjacent to where the vertical section connects to the diagonal section, and the second beam is adjacent to where the horizontal section connects to the diagonal section, wherein a top side of the horizontal section at the outboard end is offset from a top surface of the vertical section;
- and
- b) connecting the first side underride guard to a first side of the trailer, the trailer having a longitudinal centerline such that the first side underride guard is configured to move medially toward the longitudinal centerline of the trailer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.