System and Method for Restraining a Vehicle with a Collision Release Mechanism

A method for restraining a vehicle comprising:

• positioning a strap assembly on a portion of a tire of a vehicle to secure the vehicle to a deck of a transport;
• coupling the strap assembly to the deck of the transport on a first side of the tire of the vehicle;
• receiving the strap assembly with a mandrel assembly on a second side of the tire of the vehicle, opposite the first side;
• coupling the mandrel assembly to the strap assembly on the second side of the tire of the vehicle;
• coupling a winch assembly to the deck of the transport and the mandrel assembly on the second side of the tire of the vehicle;
• rotating the mandrel assembly with the winch assembly to produce a tightening force to tighten the strap assembly around the portion of the tire;
• and
• creating a coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly with a release mechanism disposed between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly in a manner that transmits the tightening force from the winch assembly to the mandrel assembly, wherein the release mechanism is configured to release when a force greater than or equal to a predetermined force is produced against the release mechanism.

A vehicle restraint system, comprising:

• a mandrel assembly operable to be coupled to a strap assembly on a first side of a tire of a vehicle;
• a winch assembly configured to be coupled to a deck of a transport and the mandrel assembly on the first side of the tire, the winch assembly configured to rotate the mandrel assembly to produce a tightening force to tighten the strap assembly around a portion of the tire of the vehicle;
• and
• a release mechanism disposed between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly and configured to create a coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly in a manner that transmits the tightening force from the winch assembly to the mandrel assembly, wherein the release mechanism is configured to release the coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly when a force greater than or equal to a predetermined force is produced against the release mechanism.

A vehicle restraint system, comprising:

• a strap assembly configured to be positioned on a portion of a tire of a vehicle to secure the vehicle to a deck of a transport, and configured to be coupled to the deck of the transport on a first side of the tire of the vehicle, wherein the strap assembly comprises a first chock positioned on the deck of the transport on the first side of the tire of the vehicle, the first chock configured to secure the vehicle to the deck of the transport;
• a mandrel assembly operable to be coupled to the strap assembly on a second side of the tire of the vehicle, opposite the first side;
• a winch assembly configured to:
• be operated by hand to tighten the strap assembly around the portion of the tire;
• be coupled to the deck of the transport and the mandrel assembly on the second side of the tire of the vehicle outside an envelope defined by the vehicle;
• and
• rotate the mandrel assembly to produce a tightening force to tighten the strap assembly around the portion of the tire, the winch assembly comprising a second chock positioned on the deck of the transport on the second side of the tire of the vehicle, the second chock configured to secure the vehicle to the deck of the transport;
• and
• a release mechanism disposed between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly and configured to create a coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly in a manner that transmits the tightening force from the winch assembly to the mandrel assembly, wherein the release mechanism is configured to release the coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly when a force greater than or equal to a predetermined force is produced against the release mechanism and wherein the release mechanism comprises a shear pin.

A vehicle restraint system, comprising:

• a mandrel assembly operable to be coupled to a strap assembly on a first side of a tire of a vehicle;
• a winch assembly configured to:
• be operated by hand to tighten the strap assembly around a portion of the tire;
• be coupled to a deck of a transport and the mandrel assembly on the first side of the tire of the vehicle outside an envelope defined by the vehicle;
• and
• rotate the mandrel assembly to produce a tightening force to tighten the strap assembly around the portion of the tire, the winch assembly comprising a chock positioned on the deck of the transport on the first side of the tire of the vehicle, the chock configured to secure the vehicle to the deck of the transport;
• and
• a release mechanism disposed between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly and configured to create a coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly in a manner that transmits the tightening force from the winch assembly to the mandrel assembly, wherein the release mechanism is configured to release the coupling between the winch assembly and the mandrel assembly when a force greater than or equal to a predetermined force is produced against the release mechanism and wherein the release mechanism comprises a shear pin.