BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,337, entitled Vehicular Crash Attenuator, and to U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,829, entitled Trailer Mounted Crash Attenuator. Both of these prior patents are commonly assigned herewith and are expressly incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to attenuators which are particularly adapted for the absorption of energy in the event of an impact between an errant vehicle and a second, typically stationary or slow-moving vehicle, in the hope of minimizing injury to the occupants of both vehicles, and, more specifically, to truck-mounted or trailer-mounted crash attenuators. Such crash attenuators are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,337, entitled Vehicular Crash Attenuator, and to U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,829, entitled Trailer Mounted Crash Attenuator, both of which are herein expressly incorporated by reference, in their entirety.

While the Assignee has sold many of the attenuators described and claimed in the aforementioned patents under the registered trademark SCORPION, development has been ongoing on the product to ensure it meets and exceeds always-evolving government crash test standards. The invention described and claimed herein provides improvements designed to make an outstanding product even safer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides significant safety improvements for crash attenuators of the type discussed above, particularly in the form of structural improvements which helps to prevent underride of an impacting vehicle, meaning that the impacting vehicle is less likely to release drop under the attenuator. When an impacting vehicle slides under the crash attenuator, there is an inability to take full advantage of the ride-down afforded by elements of the attenuator as they are crushed by the impact, thus potentially increasing damage to the impacting vehicle and injuries to its occupants. Successfully addressing the potential problem of underride thus affords a marked improvement in safety.

More particularly, in one aspect of the invention, there is provided a crash impact attenuator for attachment to a host vehicle, which comprises a frame, a first impact attenuator module disposed on the frame, a second impact attenuator module disposed rearwardly of the first impact attenuator module on the frame, and a support flange disposed on a lower portion of the frame for supporting the second impact attenuator module. The support flange comprises a generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion which has an axial length sufficient to underlie at least one-third of an axial length of the second impact attenuator module.

Significantly, the axial length of the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange is sufficient to underlie at least one-half of the axial length of the second impact attenuator module.

The axial length of the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange is greater than four (4) inches, and typically about six (6) inches or more, in some exemplary embodiments. In exemplary embodiments, the frame comprises a strut portion and a cartridge portion disposed rearwardly of the strut portion, wherein each of the strut portion and the cartridge portion comprises structural tubes, the first impact attenuator module being disposed in the strut portion and the second impact attenuator being disposed in the cartridge portion. In some embodiments, the second impact attenuator module is disposed at a rear end of the cartridge portion, and the system further comprises a third impact attenuator module disposed forwardly of the second impact attenuator module on the cartridge portion. The support flange comprises the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion and a generally vertically upwardly extending portion, each of the portions being joined together by an angled portion. The generally vertically upwardly extending portion comprises one or more apertures for securing the support flange to the frame.

In exemplary embodiments, the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange is longer than the generally vertically upwardly extending portion of the support flange. The second impact attenuator module comprises an angled panel, a rear panel, an angled joint transitioning the angled panel to the rear panel, and a second angled joint transitioning the angled panel to a side panel, the angled panel, the rear panel, and the side panel defining, in part, a hollow interior in which honeycomb material or other suitable crash attenuating material is disposed, wherein the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange extends rearwardly of the second angled joint of the second impact attenuator module.

The second impact attenuator module comprises an enclosed container having a hollow interior filled with a crash attenuating material, the crash attenuating material being crushable during a vehicular impact to a minimum effective axial length, wherein the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange extends rearwardly to a point beyond the minimum effective axial length of the second impact attenuator module, thereby creating a catch shelf on an upper surface of the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange behind a rearmost portion of the fully crushed second impact attenuator module.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a crash impact attenuator for attachment to a host vehicle, which comprises a frame, a first impact attenuator module disposed on the frame, a second impact attenuator module disposed rearwardly of the first impact attenuator module on the frame, and a support flange disposed on a lower portion of the frame for supporting the second impact attenuator module. The support flange comprises a generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion and a generally vertically upwardly extending portion, each of the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion and the generally vertically upwardly extending portion being joined together by an angled portion. Significantly, the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange is longer than the generally vertically upwardly extending portion of the support flange.

Also significantly, the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion has an axial length sufficient to underlie at least one-third of an axial length of the second impact attenuator module. In exemplary embodiments, the generally vertically upwardly extending portion has a length of about four inches and the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion has a length of about six inches.

In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a crash impact attenuator for attachment to a host vehicle, which comprises a frame, a first impact attenuator module disposed on the frame, and a second impact attenuator module disposed rearwardly of the first impact attenuator module on the frame, wherein the second impact attenuator module comprises an enclosed container having a hollow interior filled with a crash attenuating material, the crash attenuating material being crushable during a vehicular impact to a minimum effective axial length. A support flange is disposed on a lower portion of the frame for supporting the second impact attenuator module, the support flange having a generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion. Importantly, the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange extends rearwardly to a point beyond the minimum effective axial length of the second impact attenuator module when it has been fully crushed by an impact, thereby creating a catch shelf on an upper surface of the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange behind a rearmost portion of the fully crushed second impact attenuator module.

In some embodiments, the second impact attenuator module comprises an angled panel, a rear panel, an angled joint transitioning the angled panel to the rear panel, and a second angled joint transitioning the angled panel to a side panel, the angled panel, the rear panel, and the side panel defining, in part, the hollow interior in which honeycomb material or other suitable crash attenuating material is disposed, wherein the generally horizontally rearwardly extending portion of the support flange extends rearwardly of the second angled joint of the second impact attenuator module.

It should be noted, however, that the unique and patentable aspects of the present invention are applicable to and beneficial for any vehicular mounted or attached crash attenuation system wherein there is a rearmost impact attenuation element comprising crushable material, which is disposed on an underlying support flange, in whole or in part.

The invention, together with additional features and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying illustrative drawing.

