Automatically deployable vehicle safety guard

Abstract

A vehicle safety guard system (58) is provided to protect against direct engagement by an individual with a front steerable wheel (12) located just rearward of a side door (15) of a vehicle (2), such as a commuter bus. More specifically, a frontal side mount safety guard (58) is shiftable from a retracted position about a portion of a wheel well (13) for the steerable wheel (12) to a deployed position wherein the safety guard (58) fans out so as to project progressively farther away from a side body portion (33) of the vehicle (2) from an upper portion of the safety guard (58) to a more frontal, lower portion of the safety guard (58). With this deployment, even when the vehicle (2) is being turned to the right, the frontal side mount safety guard (58) will extend across the front steerable wheel (12) to establish a barrier between the wheel (12) and any individual situated in front of the side door (15).

Description

AUTOMATICALLY DEPLOYABLE VEHICLE SAFETY GUARDFIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention pertains to the art of vehicle safety devices and, more particularly, to a safety guard system including one or more safety guards mounted to and extending about or within wheel well portions of a vehicle for preventing animate and inanimate objects from engaging a wheel of the vehicle, specifically a front steerable wheel of the vehicle. Overall, the safety guard system includes a guard portion which is normally arranged in a retracted position, but which will be automatically deployed based on sensed conditions to an actuated position wherein the guard portion fans out or otherwise extends about a section of a wheel well and establishes a directional barrier to a respective steerable wheel of the vehicle, thereby effectively preventing an animate and inanimate object from inadvertently engaging the wheel of the vehicle.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] For a range of reasons, various transportation vehicles are designed with rather high ground clearances. For instance, school and commuter buses can have associated high ground clearances. Unfortunately, there are inherent dangers associated with the operation of vehicles with high ground clearances that are not found in other vehicles which have low ground clearances. The most serious of these injuries is a result of an individual slipping and falling in the road in front of the vehicle, resulting in the vehicle running over the individual. In addition, certain inanimate objects can undesirably be run over and crushed by such a vehicle.

[0003] To address these concerns, it has been proposed in the art to mount a safety guard directly in front of wheels on a bus to establish a safety barrier between the wheels and objects. More specifically, as represented by U.S. Patent Nos. 5,462,324, 5,735,560 and9,573,558 (each of which is incorporated herein by reference), it is known to mount a safety barrier toundercarriage structure of a vehicle, such as a bus, with the safety barrier including a lower edge extending directly along a ground surface. The safety barrier is fixedly supported at various locations, such as to axle, frame and / or suspension structure. The safety barrier is angled such that, if an object is encountered during movement of the bus, the safety barrier forces the object out from under the vehicle to a position out of the path of the vehicle wheels.

[0004] Known safety guards are generally fixed in place, while others are resiliently mounted. In either case, the safety guards extend from just below a vehicle body to above a road surface by no more than a few inches during normal operation of the vehicle. While these guards can be quite effective in preventing individuals and the like from falling under the vehicle, unique problems arise in connection with a front steerable wheel being turned to expose a greater portion of a tire. If the vehicle is in motion and this tire portion is exposed, an individual can directly engage the rotating tire and be seriously injured. This problem is exacerbated in vehicles, like most school and commuter buses, including a forwardmost side door positioned directly in front of a steerable wheel. By way of example, an individual chasing to catch a bus will tend to head to the door and, if the bus is moving, can easily come into contact with the rotating from wheel, particularly if the bus is turning to the right. With this in mind, there is seen to exist a need for a safety guard system which is configured to address this particular concern.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention is directed to providing a vehicle safety guard system to protect against direct engagement with a front steerable wheel located just rearward of a side door of a vehicle, such as a school or commuter bus. More specifically, the safety guard system of the invention includes a frontal side mounted safety guard configured to be shiftable to a deployed position extending laterally outward of the vehicle body, at least when the vehicle is turning, in order to prevent direct engagement with the steerable wheel by someone looking to access the adjacent door. In particular, the frontal side mount safety guard is automatically movable between a retracted position during normal operation of the vehicle and a deployedposition wherein the safety guard functions to prevent direct wheel engagement from someone located in front of the steerable wheel at the side door, specifically when the wheel is turned.

[0006] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the frontal side mount safety guard is shiftable from a retracted position about a portion of a wheel well for a steerable vehicle wheel to a deployed or extended position wherein the frontal side mount safety guard fans out so as to project progressively farther away from a side body portion of the vehicle from an upper portion of the safety guard to a more frontal, lower portion of the safety guard. With this deployment, even when the vehicle is being turned to the right, the frontal side mount safety guard will extend across the front of the steerable wheel to establish a barrier between the wheel and any individual situated in front of the side door just in front of the steerable wheel. Certainly, the frontal side mount safety guard can be constructed in various ways to achieve the specified movement. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the safety guard is structured to operate like an accordion in shifting between the retracted and deployed positions. In another embodiment, the safety guard includes a series of pivotally interconnected panels which can correspondingly fan out when deployed. In addition, the overall safety guard can be built directly into the side body panel of the vehicle, such as during vehicle manufacturing, or disposed in a housing attached about a portion of the wheel well in a retrofit arrangement.

[0007] As indicated above, the frontal side mount safety guard is automatically controlled to shift between the retracted and deployed positions. A wide range of actuation arrangements can be employed, including electrical, such as using solenoids, fluid (pneumatic or hydraulic) or even mechanical actuation devices, such as mechanically interconnecting the frontal side mount safety guard for movement in unison to a tie rod or other steering component of the vehicle. In a preferred form, a computerized monitoring system is employed to evaluate operational conditions of the vehicle, and preferably also existing environmental conditions directly adjacent the vehicle. That is, various sensors are employed to detect certain vehicle operational parameters, such as vehicle speed, door opening / closing operations and / or steering operations, with signals from the sensors being sent to a controller for analysis on activating the guard. In a very simple form of the invention, the safety guard can be deployed whenever the steerable vehicle wheels are turned, or when the wheels are turned while the vehicle is moving atbelow a certain speed, e.g., 15-20 mph or stopped. In more elaborate embodiments, environment conditions can also be sensed through cameras, radar, sonar, laser and / or other known sensing units, with signals from the sensors being analyzed to identify situations where the safety guard system should be deployed for safety purposes. In a still further embodiment, Al is employed to compare signal data, such as camera images, with stored data images to indicate the proximity of an animate object to the front steerable wheel and the need to temporarily deploy the safety guard. In certain forms of the invention, the vehicle operator could also independently deploy the side safety guard.

[0008] With this overall construction, an individual who could slip and fall near a side door of a vehicle adjacent a steerable wheel or otherwise engage the steerable wheel will be protected as the frontal side mount safety guard will establish an effective barrier to such an engagement. Also advantageous in connection with the invention is, since the safety guard will more often be in the retracted position, the safety guard will be far less likely to engage any inanimate object, fixed or otherwise, which could cause damage to the safety guard during movement of the vehicle.

[0009] Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a commuter bus-type vehicle having mounted thereto a safety guard system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention shown in a retracted or undeployed position;

[0011] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle of Figure 1 with the safety guard system in an extended or deployed position; and

[0012] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a system for controlling the deployment of the safety guard.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] With initial reference to Figure 1, an exemplary vehicle 2, shown as a commuter bus, including a body 7 having a front end 8 having a windshield 9, front steerable wheels spaced in a transverse direction of body 7 with one of the front steerable wheels being shown at 12 within a wheel well 13, and a front bumper 14. Arranged directly forward of front wheel 12 is shown a forwardmost side door 15. Body 7 also includes a middle section 17 and a rear end section 19. Supporting rear end section 19 is a pair of rear wheel assemblies spaced in a transverse direction of body 12, one set of which is shown at 22 to include dual wheels 26 and 27 arranged in a wheel well 30 created in a side panel 33 of vehicle body 7. Just in front of rear wheel assembly 22, along side panel 33, is a rearmost side door 35. Also provided in side panel 33 are various fore-to-aft spaced windows 36 and 37 which are vertically arranged below a roof 38. Although other types of drive systems could be employed, vehicle 2 preferably constitutes an electric commuter bus.

[0014] In accordance with this exemplary embodiment of the invention, vehicle 2 actually incorporates a plurality of safety guards. For the sake of completeness, as shown in Figure 1, a lower front side safety guard 52 is fixed to a frame of vehicle 2 and extends just behind door 15 and directly in front of front wheel 12, while a lower rear side safety guard 55 extends below side panel 33 behind rearmost side door 35 and directly in front of rear wheels 26 and 27. Each of the safety guards 52 and 55 extends down from a respective body portion of the vehicle to slightly above the vehicle support surface, e.g., in the range of about 3 inches or less from the support surface. With this configuration, safety guards 52 and 55 establish reduced spacings below body parts of vehicle and can thereby effectively engage animate an inanimate objects at different portions of vehicle 2 in order to prevent the objects from going under vehicle 2, particularly directly in front of wheels 12, 26 or 27. In a manner known in the art, safety guards 52 and 55 are preferably formed of a highly durable, impact resistant urethane material that is abrasion resistant, corrosion proof, smooth to the touch and color fast, although other known materials, including plastic, rubber and the like, could be used to create a physical barrierstrong enough to deflect or otherwise prevent a child or adult from going under body 7 at front wheel 12 or rear wheels 26 and 27.

[0015] Although guards 52 and 55 are also preferably provided on vehicle 2, the present invention is actually directed to the incorporation of a deployable frontal side mount safety guard system generally indicated at 58. In the preferred embodiment shown, frontal side mount safety guard system 58 extends arcuately along side panel 33 about a portion of wheel well 13, between front wheel 12 and forwardmost side door 15. As will be detailed more fully below, frontal side mount safety guard system 58 is shiftable between a retracted position shown in Figure 1 and an extended, deployed position as will be detailed fully below. At this point, it should be noted that frontal side mount safety guard system 58 can be built into side panel 33, such as during the manufacturing of vehicle 2, so as to be substantially flush with side panel 33 when in the retracted position, or mounted to side panel 33 in a retrofit manner as presented in the embodiment depicted in this figure wherein frontal side mount safety guard system 58 only projects from side panel 33 a minimum amount, e.g., less than 2 inches, when retracted.

[0016] Reference will now be made to Figure 2 wherein the frontal side mount safety guard system 58 has been actuated and shifted from the retracted position of Figure 1 to an extended or deployed position wherein the safety guard fans out from side panel 33. More specifically, as shown, frontal side mount safety guard system 58 includes an inner housing plate 60 mounted to side panel 33 and hinged to an outer housing plate 61 through a housing connector 62. Interconnected between inner housing plate 60 and outer housing plate 61 is a guard body 62 which is sandwiched between inner and outer housing plates 60 and 61 when frontal side mount safety guard system 58 is in its retracted position but fans out so as to project progressively farther away from side panel 33 of vehicle 2 from directly adjacent housing connector 62 to a more frontal, lower portion 63 of frontal side mount safety guard 58. As will be detailed more fully below, this deployment occurs in connection with the invention when vehicle 2 is being turned to the right such that frontal side mount safety guard system 58 will extend across front steerable wheel 12, generally in the order of 4-6 inches from side panel 33, to establish a barrier between front steerable wheel 12 and any individual situated in front of frontal side door 15. At this point, it should be realized that frontal side mount safety guard system 58can be constructed in various ways to achieve the specified movement. In accordance with the depicted embodiment of the invention, guard body 62 is made from a flexible material, such as being integrally formed from strong rubber having various hinged portions enabling the guard body 62 to expand like an accordion in shifting between the retracted and deployed positions. In another exemplary embodiment, guard body 62 includes a series of pivotally interconnected, arcuate flaring panels which can correspondingly fan out when deployed. In a still further embodiment, the guard can be a unitary panel which slides out from either within well 13 or a recessed region provided in side panel 33 adjacent well 13.

[0017] As indicated above, frontal side mount safety guard 58 is deployed when front steerable wheel 12 is turned, with the deployment being preferably, automatically performed to establish a barrier between exposed portions of front steerable wheel 12 during turning and the area forward of front steerable wheel 12, particularly at forwardmost side door 15, for safety reasons. A wide range of actuation arrangements can be employed, including electrical, such as using solenoids, fluid (pneumatic or hydraulic) or even mechanical actuation devices. Although actuation can be, in a simple form, directly mechanically controlled, such as by interconnecting frontal side mount safety guard 58 for movement in unison to a tie rod or other steering component of the vehicle, most preferably, the actuation is performed in connection with sensed operation of vehicle 2, along with sensed environmental conditions. Reference will now be made to Figure 3 in describing a control system 65 for the activation of frontal side mount safety guard system 58. As illustrated, control system 65 includes a controller or CPU 68, i.e., control unit, mounted on vehicle 2. The features performed by controller 68 can be combined into a main vehicle controller or linked to the same either through wiring or wirelessly. In any case, controller 68 receives signals from one or more sensors and utilizes these signals to determine when frontal side mount safety guard 58 should be deployed or can be retracted. Although the number and type of sensors employed can vary, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, signals are received from a steering sensor 75, as well as one or more vehicle operation sensors 80, such as a vehicle speed sensor and a door opening sensor for side door 15. Furthermore, signals can also be received from one or more cameras 90 provided for imaging passenger side areas near door 15 of vehicle 2.

[0018] CPU 68 also includes an analysis sector 95 for performing assessments in accordance with the signals received and, based on the results, CPU 68 controls a guard activation system 100. By way of example wherein vehicle 2 is a commuter bus, it is preferred to deploy frontal side mount safety guard 58 of the invention at least whenever vehicle 2 is entering, at or leaving a bus stop. That is, steering sensor 75 and vehicle operation sensors 80 will when signal vehicle 2 is turning, has stopped, ready for loading / unloading of passengers and later taking off again. This information can be confirmed by or at least inferred from signals received from the vehicle speed and door opening / closing sensors. The same conclusion can be reached using signals from cameras 90. Therefore, these sensing arrangements can be provided and used in combination to clearly establish when vehicle 2 has started to slow down and is turning into a bus stop, as well as to distinguish between stopping at a bus stop versus stopping for a stop sign, a stop light or some other reason. Obviously, when initially stopped at a bus stop, the vehicle speed will be zero and the doors will open. When vehicle 2 is ready to leave the bus stop, the doors will close, the brake will be released and the vehicle’s speed will increase. Signals from side cameras 90 can also distinguish when the bus has stopped, individuals are entering or exiting the doors, and when the vehicle starts moving again.

[0019] Again, frontal side mount safety guard 58 is particularly deployed when steerable front wheel 12 is turned out such that an individual standing at or near door 15 could be directly exposed to a tread portion of the tire. However, with frontal side mount safety guard 58 deployed and fanned out, at least a majority of this potentially exposed region will be blocked. With this in mind, one particular scenario addressed by the invention concerns an individual approaching the bus just as the doors close and the bus starts leaving a stop location while wheel 12 is turned. Certainly, if that individual runs to try to catch the bus (typically looking to reach and pound on a door), there is the possibility that the individual will trip or otherwise fall just in front of wheel 12 or otherwise engage rotating wheel 12. This dangerous situation is avoided in accordance with the invention as the barrier established by frontal side mount safety guard 58 being deployed can be effectively established and maintained until vehicle 2 has completely left the bus shop, whereupon wheel 12 will have straightened and vehicle 2 would have reached a predetermined speed, say 15-20 mph. Of course, the additional inclusion of guards 52 and 55add to the overall level of protection provided. Again, analysis sector 95 can differentiate between a regular loading / unloading situation, as well as when vehicle has left a bus stop, versus a situation in which an individual is dangerously attempting to run down the bus, based solely on the sensed data received and / or using Al or machine learning, in order to establish the appropriate type of deployment state.

[0020] Based on the above, it should be readily apparent that the invention establishes a higher level safety system for a vehicle, particularly a commuter bus, wherein the overall system can effectively respond to a given sensed situation and also be proactive based on signals indicative of a potentially dangerous situation. With this overall construction, an individual who may slip and fall near a side door of a vehicle adjacent a steerable wheel or otherwise positioned to engage the steerable wheel will be prevented from doing so as the safety guard will establish an effective barrier to such an engagement. Also advantageous in connection with the invention is, since the safety guard will more often be in the retracted position, the safety guard will be far less likely to engage any inanimate object, fixed or otherwise, which could cause damage to the safety guard during operation of the vehicle. Although the invention is described in connection with the front steerable wheel on the door side of the vehicle only, one can be employed on any steerable wheel, even the rear wheel if the vehicle includes a rear steerable wheel. In addition, although only the frontal side mount safety guard is described and depicted as extending laterally outwardly of the vehicle body during turning of a wheel, it is also possible to laterally shift the lower front side safety guard in unison for further protection and / or integrate the two guards. In any case, although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and / or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A vehicle comprising: a body having a front end and a side panel; a pair of steerable wheels spaced in a transverse direction of the body of the vehicle, each of the pair of steerable wheels being located in a wheel well; a forwardmost side door provided along the side panel in front of one of the steerable wheels; and a safety guard extending along a portion of the side panel between the one of the steerable wheels and the side door, with the safety guard being movable between a retracted position and a deployed position wherein, in the deployed position, the safety establishes a barrier between the one of the steerable wheels and the side door.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to repositioning of the safety guard between the retracted and deployed positions.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a detection system including a plurality of sensors configured to sense for a potentially dangerous situation which could result in an animate object engaging the one of the steerable wheels, wherein the controller is configured to cause automatic repositioning of the safety guard based on signals received from the detection system.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the plurality of sensors include a steering sensor employed in repositioning the safety guard from the retracted position to the deployed position when the steerable wheels are turned.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sensors signal an opening / closing state of the side door.

6. The vehicle of any one of claims 3-5, wherein the plurality of sensors include a camera.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the safety guard extends arcuately about a portion of the wheel well.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the safety guard includes a guard body sandwiched between inner and outer housing plates.

9. The vehicle of one of claims 7 and 8, wherein the guard body is made from a flexible material.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the inner housing plate is mounted directly to the side panel about the portion of the wheel well.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the safety guard fans out from the retracted position to the deployed position.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the safety guard extends farther from the side panel at a lower portion of the safety guard than at an upper portion of the safety guard.

13. The vehicle of one of claims 11 and 12, wherein the safety guard has an accordion-style construction.

14. A method of automatically deploying a safety guard normally maintained in a retracted position during normal operation of a vehicle and configured to be shifted to a deployed position in establishing a physical barrier between a steerable wheel and a side door of the vehicle, said method comprising repositioning the safety guard from the retracted position to the deployed position when the steerable wheel is turned.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the safety guard is deployed from a mounted position extending arcuately about a portion of a wheel well for the steerable wheel.

16. The method of one of claims 14 and 15, wherein the safety guard includes a guard body which fans out when deployed such that the guard body extends farther from the side panel at a lower portion of the safety guard than at an upper portion of the safety guard.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the guard body is flexible and deploys accordion-style.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the safety guard fans out in the order of 4-6 inches at the lower portion when deployed.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising automatically repositioning the safety guard based on signals received from a plurality of sensors provided on the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of sensors send signals from one or more of vehicle steering, vehicle operation and camera sensors.

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