Description

CAR ACCIDENT PREVENTION APPARATUS

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a safety apparatus for a car, and more particularly to an accident prevention apparatus capable of preventing chain rear-end collision by following cars and other sequential accidents as well as protecting a hit pedestrian, without necessity of a sudden stop of the car, by shocklessly capturing the hit pedestrian by a safety cover upon occurrence of a car accident against a pedestrian, thereby slowly driving the pedestrian down. Background Art

[2] Generally, when a car accident against a pedestrian occurs, what actually brings the hit pedestrian to a more serious injury or even to the death is a second impact rather than the collision itself, the second impact caused when the hit pedestrian, which is an elastic body, is bounced out onto the roadway by the collision or thrust into the car, breaking a car window.

[3] Especially, upon occurrence of the collision against the pedestrian, the driver would instinctively stop the car very suddenly. In this case, the car would be collided by a following car or crash into a road construction, thereby usually worsening the accident situation.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[4] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an accident prevention apparatus for a car, capable of not only protecting a hit pedestrian when a car collides with the pedestrian, but also preventing chain rear-end collision by following cars or other sequential accidents. Technical Solution

[5] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of an accident prevention apparatus for a car, being provided at a front of a car to capture a hit pedestrian by deploying a safety cover upon collision with the pedestrian , comprising a sensing unit which detects a collision impact, and a driving unit which deploys the safety cover according to the operation of the sensing unit, wherein the sensing unit comprises a receiver, and a connection bar connecting the receiver to the driving unit, and the driving unit

comprises a bursting part operated by the connection bar, and a deploying part deploying the safety cover according to the operation of the bursting part.

[6] The bursting part may comprise a rail connected to the connection bar through a trigger, a movable rail extendable from the rail, a pinion meshed with a rack formed at a movable rail, and a wire mounted to the pinion, having elasticity to extend the movable rail when the trigger is released.

[7] The movable rail may comprise a stopper which is trampled by car wheels when the movable rail is extended, thereby operating the connection bar to deploy the safety cover.

[8] T he stopper may be bendable to be moved between front and back of the car wheels upon a resetting operation.

[9] The deploying part may comprise a main body, a safety cover built in the main body, a column pivotably mounted to both sides of the main body to deploy the safety cover, and a fifth wire connected to the connection bar to raise the column.

[10] The fifth wire may be fixed to the connection bar through a spacer part.

[11] T he safety cover may be deployed slantingly by 45 degrees.

[12] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an

[13] accident prevention apparatus for a car, being provided at a front of a car to protect a hit

[14] pedestrian by deploying a safety cover upon collision with the pedestrian, comprising a column built in a main body when not in use and raised upon a car accident, thereby deploying the safety cover; and a connection bar maintaining the raised state of the column, wherein the connection bar is fixed by car wheels to stably support the deployed safety cover. Description of Drawings

[15] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[16] FIG. 1 shows a car equipped with an accident prevention apparatus for a car according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[17] FIG. 2 shows a state where a safety cover of the accident prevention apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed;

[18] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sensing unit and a driving unit of the accident prevention apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[19] FIG. 4 is a side view of the sensing unit and the driving unit of the accident

prevention apparatus;

[20] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a rail and a driving rail of the accident prevention apparatus;

[21] FIG. 6 shows a bursting part of the accident prevention apparatus;

[22] FIG. 7 shows a deploying part of the accident prevention apparatus;

[23] FIG. 8 shows a state where the safety cover of the accident prevention apparatus;

[24] FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the safety cover, taken along a line IX-IX of FIG. 8;

[25] FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are views illustrating the operation of the accident prevention apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[26] FIG. 12 is a view illustrating the operation of a stopper of the accident prevention apparatus; and

[27] FIG. 13 shows a conventional sudden-stop prevention apparatus for a lifesaving device for a car. Mode for Invention

[28] Reference will now be made in detail to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[29] An accident prevention apparatus for a car according to the present invention aims at protection of a pedestrian being hit and felling down, by promptly deploying a safety cover in accordance with speed of the car upon occurrence of a car accident, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. For this purpose, the accident prevention apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a sensing unit 100 detecting an impact upon a collision with a pedestrian, and a driving unit 200 deploying a safety cover 10 depending on the operation of the sensing unit 100.

[30] As shown in FIG. 3, the sensing unit 100 comprises a receiver 110 protruded on a front of the car to contact the pedestrian when the collision occurs, and connection bars 120 and 122 connecting the receiver 110 to the driving unit 200 mounted to the car.

[31] The receiver 110 is made of a coated styrofoam and mounted parallel with a car width. The receiver 110 includes a cushion member 112 therein in order to minimize the impact generated from the car accident and applied to the person's body.

[32] The connection bars 120 and 122 to connect the receiver 110 to the driving unit 200 comprise a main connection bar 120 disposed in the middle of the receiver 110 and sub connection bars 122 formed on both sides of the main connection bar 120. The impact applied to the receiver 110 as the pedestrian collides with the car is transmitted to the driving unit 200 through the main connection bar 120.

[33] The sub connection bars 122 guide the movement of the main connection bar 120 while supporting a lower end of the safety cover 10 being deployed such that the deployment can be stably performed. For this, a lateral roller 124 to wind the safety cover 10 thereon is mounted across an inside of a main body 202 of the driving unit 200 between the sub connection bars 122 formed at the both sides. More specifically, the sub connection bar 122 and the lateral roller 124 are meshed with each other through a rack and pinion connection and therefore, the lateral roller 124 rotates according to movement of the sub connection bar 122. At an end of the sub connection bar 122 contacting the receiver 110, a spacer part 126 is provided in order for a prompt and smooth initial reaction of the receiver 110. The spacer part 126 comprises an elastic member and a slit and projection structure.

[34] When the main connection bar 120 is transmitted with the external impact applied through the sensing unit 100, the driving unit 200 operates to promptly deploy the safety cover 10 built in the main body 202 thereof as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, so that the hit pedestrian can be safely captured by the safety cover 10. For this, the driving unit 200 comprises a bursting part 210 operated by the connection bar 120, and a deploying part 240 mounted in the main body 202 to deploy the safety cover 10 by the bursting part 210.

[35] The bursting part 210 includes a rail 220 formed at an end of the main connection bar

120. The main connection bar 120 is slidably supported by a guide 20 provided to the car. The rail 220 is mounted to be slant with respect to the car, in the vicinity of a lateral side of the main connection bar 120. The main connection bar 120 and the rail 220 include a trigger bar 121 and a trigger 221, respectively, on sides thereof lacing each other. When the trigger bar 121 releases the trigger 221 of the rail 220 as the main connection bar 120 moves, a movable rail 225 formed in the rail 220 is separated from the rail 220.

[36] The rail 220 is connected to the car to be pivotable through a pivoting shaft 222, and equipped with the movable rail 225 to be adjustable in length. The movable rail 225 comprises a rack 226 which is meshed with a pinion 223 formed at an upper part of the rail 220. As shown in FIG. 3, a first wire Sl fixed to a body of the rail 220 by one end thereof and wound to have elasticity is connected to a rotational shaft 223a of the pinion 223 by the other end. Also, the rotational shaft 223a is in connection with a second wire S2 connected to a body of the main connection bar 120 in the opposite direction to the first wire Sl. When the trigger 221 is released, the pinion 223 meshed with the movable rail 225 through a rack and pinion connection is rotated by elasticity

of the first wire Sl, thereby promptly extending the movable rail 225 from the rail 220. Additionally, upon movement of the main connection bar 120, the second wire S2 fixed to the end of the main connection bar 120 promptly extends the movable rail 225 in accordance with speed of the car.

[37] The movable rail 225 has a stopper 230 of a shaft form, thereby forming a T-shape together with the stopper 230. When the movable rail 225 is extended from the rail 220 disposed in the middle width of the car and thereby brought into contact with a ground surface (refer to FIG. IQ), both ends of the stopper 230 are trampled by wheels of the car, thereby having the safety cover 10 promptly deploy. Rough surface parts are formed at the both ends of the stopper 230.

[38] In addition, the stopper 230 is divided into first and second stoppers 231 and 232 to be bendable at the middle part toward rear parts. Through such a structure of the stopper 230, the stopper 230 moved to behind the car wheels as the safety cover 10 deploys can be restored to an initial position.

[39] As shown in FIG. 6, the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232 each have a hollow part in which a wedge bar 234 is movably mounted, as being elastically biased by an elastic member 233 provided to any one of the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232. In a state where the stopper 230 is in front of the car wheels, the wedge bar 234 is interposed between the two stoppers 231 and 232 by the elastic member 233. However, when the stopper 230 is further moved after being disposed behind the car wheels, that is, after the safety cover 10 is deployed, the wedge bar 234 escapes from between the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232 by a link wire Wl connected to the rail 220 and the wedge bar 234 by both ends thereof. This will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

[40] One ends of the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232 near the movable rail 225 are equipped with supporters 235 and 236, respectively, which are intercrossing in an X-shape. The supporters 235 and 236 respectively extended from the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232 collide with a rail projection 224 when the movable rail 225 is returned into the rail 220 so that the stopper 230 can be unbent again. Here, a torsion spring 237 is mounted at a pivoting center between the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232.

[41] Meanwhile, the movable rail 225 and the main connection bar 120 are connected to each other through a third wire S3 passing through a roller R mounted to the car and a fourth wire S4 directly interconnecting the movable rail 225 and the main connection bar 120. The third wire S3 helps the movable rail 225 return to its initial position in the

rail 220. The third wire S3 will be described later in detail. In addition, when the movable rail 225 is extended, the fourth wire S4 quickly pulls the main connection bar 120 so that the safety cover 10 can be promptly deployed.

[42] The deploying part 240 is formed at the main body 202 of the driving unit 200. When the safety cover 10 stored in the main body 202 is deployed, the safety cover 10 is slanted by about 45 degrees in order to securely capture the hit pedestrian as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 11.

[43] The safety cover 10 of the deploying part 240 is deployed by a fifth wire S5 connected with the movable rail 225. One end of the fifth wire S 5 is connected to the main connection bar 120 through the spacer part 126 comprising the slit and projection structure as shown in FIG. 6 in order to facilitate an initial driving of the receiver 110. Whereas, the other end of the fifth wire S5 is extended into the main body 202, diverged into two strands of wire and respectively connected to a pair of columns 241 supporting the safety cover 10 at both sides so as to simultaneously raise the columns 241. The two strands of wire are converged by a middle roller R of the main body 202 and connected to the main connection bar 120. Hereinafter, the operation of one of the columns 241 will be explained.

[44] The columns 241 are pivotably mounted to each end of the main body 202. The fifth wire S5 is connected to a rotational shaft 243 of a sub column 242 which is slidably mounted to the column 241. Therefore, when the one end of the fifth wire S5 is pulled by the movement of the main connection bar 120, the sub column 242 is rotated by a driving pin 244 formed at the rotational shaft 243 of the sub column 242 by as much as the pulled length. Accordingly, the sub column 242 slides along the column 241, thereby raising the column 241. In addition, a torsion spring (not shown) is mounted to the rotational shaft 243 to restore the sub column 242 and the safety cover 10 to their initial positions.

[45] The length of the column 241 is restricted by the main body 202 having a corresponding width to the car. Since the car width varies according to types of the car, an extension column 245 is added to be hinged on an end of the column 241 so as to maintain a predetermined length of the column 241 corresponding to human height. Upon rising of the column 241, the extension column 245, being folded to the column 241 when not in use , is raised along with the column 241 by an extension sub column 246 having the same structure as the sub column 242. A wire W2 operating the extension sub column 246 is connected to a ring clip 12 used to fix the safety cover 10 to the column 241. Outs ides of the column 241 and the extension column 245 are

coated by stylofoam.

[46] The safety cover 10 is made of weaving fiber and mounted to the column 241 through a plurality of the ring clips 12 formed on both sides thereof at predetermined intervals. A lower end of the safety cover 10 is supported by the lateral roller 124 as described above. A mesh part 14 is provided in the center of the safety cover 10. The mesh part 14 is gradually enlarged from a lower part toward an upper part so as to dis- crininatively capture a child, an adolescent and an adult according to the human height. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the safety cover 10 has a double structure. A front layer of the safety cover 10 lets the hit pedestrian's head penetrate but catches the pedestrian's shoulders using the varied size of the mesh part 14 as described above. Being formed of weaving fiber or a compact mesh, a rear layer of the safety cover 10 prevents the hit pedestrian from passing through the front layer. Each layer of the safety cover 10 is formed to be tight at the periphery and loose at the center part.

[47] Now, the operation of the above- structured accident prevention apparatus for a car according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10 through FIG. 12.

[48] Upon contact between a pedestrian and the car, the receiver 110 of the sensing unit

100 transmits the impact of contact to the driving unit 200 through the main connection bar 120. At this time, the receiver 110 and the main connection bar 120 can be gently operated by the spacer part 126.

[49] As the main connection bar 120 operates, the trigger bar 121 releases the trigger 221 in the rail 220 of the driving unit 200, as shown in FIG. 10, thereby extending the movable rail 225.

[50] According to this, the movable rail 225 is promptly extended by the first and the second wires Sl and S2. Therefore, as the slant angle of the rail 220 with respect to the pivoting shaft 222 is changed, the movable rail 225 approaches the car wheels.

[51] When the stopper 230 is brought into contact with the ground surface by extension of the movable rail 225 and passed by the car wheels as shown in FIG. 11, the third and the fourth wires S3 and S4 are extended by as much as the extended length of the movable rail 225. The main connection bar 120 is further progressed by as much as the extended lengths of the third and the fourth wires S3 and S4, accordingly pulling the fifth wire S5 and deploying the safety cover 10.

[52] The stopper 230 passed by the car wheels is dragged on the ground surface by a progressive force of the car. Accordingly, as the wedge pin 234 escapes toward the opposite side to the elastic member 233 by the link wire Wl, the first and the second

stoppers 231 and 232 are bent toward each other as shown in FIG. 12A and then passed by the car wheels due to recovery force of the third and the fourth wires S3 and S4. Since the third and the fourth wires S3 and S4 are further pulled by the progressed main connection bar 120, the movable rail 225 is completely returned into the rail 220. When the movable rail 225 gets near the rail 220, the supporters 235 and 236 of the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232 are collided with the rail projection 224, thereby unbending the first and the second stoppers 231 and 232. The movable rail 225 returned into the rail 220 is fixed by the trigger 221.

[53] In FIG. 12, a section I refers to a section of about 5 cm in which the stopper 230 exerts a force by being trampled by the car wheels and the safety cover 10 is not yet deployed. A section II is about 10 cm in which the stopper 230 is passed by the car wheels and the safety cover 10 is completely deployed. A section III is about 5 cm in which the stopper 230 comes out from under the car wheels and the wedge pin 234 starts escaping.

[54] In FIG. 12, a reference numeral 300 denotes a reset unit to restore the safety cover 10 to the initial position. The reset unit 300 is provided to be conveniently operated by a driver of the car at a driver's seat. For example, when the driver presses a button (not shown) at the driver's seat, the reset unit 300 releases a force fixing the main connection bar 120 through a driving member such as a solenoid, such that the main connection bar 120 and the safety cover 10 can be restored to their initial positions.

[55] FIG. 13 shows a sudden-stop prevention apparatus for a lifesaving device for a car, applied on April 29, 1983 by the present applicant. By mounting the sudden-stop prevention apparatus to the car together with the accident prevention apparatus according to the present invention, secondary accidents caused by a sudden stop can be prevented by capturing the hit pedestrian with the safety cover. Since the sudden-stop prevention apparatus is described in the above application document, explanation of the apparatus will be omitted. Also, the apparatus has been advanced in recent days. Industrial Applicability

[56] An accident prevention apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted in a main body of a driving unit when not in use and promptly deploys a safety cover upon a collision accident in accordance with the car speed. More specifically, as the car speed is higher, the safety cover is deployed more promptly and efficiently captures the hit pedestrian. Therefore, safety of the hit pedestrian is greatly improved while preventing chain collision by following cars and other sequential accidents. Especially, since a collision impact is transmitted to the

driving unit through a connection bar and the driving unit operates a stopper of a movable rail to be trampled by car wheels, the connection bar can quickly operate and deployment of the safety cover can be promptly performed.

[57] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.