Highway crash cushion
AssigneeEnergy Absorption Systems, Inc.
InventorDavid L. June
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A support frame attaches a truck mounted attenuator to a backup vehicle. The support frame includes a rear section connected to a front section by a linkage which includes two spaced side frames. The side frames each include three hinges, with the intermediate hinge arranged to fold outwardly in an impact. The hinges pivot about vertical hinge axes such that the front section is supported during pivoting of the hinges. The support frame is held in an initial configuration by restraining cables connected between the linkage and the front section. The cables are releasably secured to the front section by a trigger mechanism which is activated by the position of a probe mounted to the TMA.
Claims15
In a highway crash cushion comprising a rear section adapted for mounting to a high-resistance object, and a front section facing an anticipated direction of impact along an impact axis, the improvement comprising:
- a linkage mounted to the front and rear sections to support the front section in use, said linkage comprising two side frames, each side frame comprising first and second end portions and at least one hinge, each hinge pivotable about a respective hinge axis, said hinge axes oriented when the crash cushion is in a use orientation such that said front section is supported by the linkage as the hinges pivot, said side frames remaining connected at the first end portion to the front section and at the second end portion to the rear section as the hinges pivot;
- and
- an energy-absorbing, deformable element mounted between the side frames and interposed between the front and rear sections, said energy-absorbing element compressed between the front and rear sections as the hinges pivot in a high-energy impact to decelerate the front section.
In a highway crash cushion comprising a rear section adapted for mounting to a high-resistance object, and a front section facing an anticipated direction of impact along an impact axis, the improvement comprising:
- a linkage mounted between the front and rear sections, said linkage collapsible from an initial configuration to allow the front section to approach the rear section in an impact;
- a restraint device coupled to the linkage to hold the linkage in the initial configuration, said restraint device comprising a trigger mechanism and a probe, said trigger mechanism responsive to position of the probe to release the linkage from the initial configuration in response to movement of the probe in the impact, said probe included as a part of the highway crash cushion prior to the impact.
In a highway crash cushion comprising a rear section adapted for mounting to a high-resistance object, and a front section facing an anticipated direction of impact along an impact axis, the improvement comprising:
- a linkage mounted between the front and rear sections, said linkage collapsible from an initial configuration to allow the front section to approach the rear section in an impact;
- a restraint device coupled to the linkage to hold the linkage in the initial configuration, said restraint device comprising a trigger mechanism responsive to position of a probe to release the linkage from the initial configuration in response to movement of the probe in the impact;
- said trigger mechanism comprising:
- a cable anchor rotatably mounted to one of the front and rear sections;
- a sear movable between a restraint position, in which the sear resists rotation of the cable anchor, and a release position, in which the sear allows rotation of the cable anchor;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the sear to move the sear in response to movement of the probe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.