Gating Impact Attenuator

Abstract

The present invention relates primarily to highway safety devices, secondarily to on-board vehicle mounted safety devices and more particularly to enhancing the performance of such devices when occupants of vehicles are subjected to severe deceleration forces.

1 . A gating impact attenuator for the deceleration of vehicles and their occupants consisting of one or more decelerating structures providing specific, predictable, structural resistance. 
     
     
         2 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles. 
     
     
         3 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s). 
     
     
         4 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) has/have higher lateral service load capacity with structure(s) embedment material than with impacting vehicle decelerating lateral service load capacity. 
     
     
         5 . as in  claim 1 , wherein that portion of said decelerating structure(s) which provide deceleration(s) is/are tethered to its embedment material. 
     
     
         6 . as in  claim 1 , wherein that portion of said decelerating structure(s) has/have a center of mass higher in elevation than the height of the impacting vehicle's elevation of initial contact. 
     
     
         7 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s), upon impact triggers the impacting vehicle's on-board safety equipment in advance of said impacting vehicle engaging objects or other roadway safety equipment screened by said decelerating structure(s). 
     
     
         8 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s). 
     
     
         9 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles and is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s) and has/have higher lateral service load capacity with structure(s) embedment material than with impacting vehicle decelerating lateral service load capacity. 
     
     
         10 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles and is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s) and has/have higher lateral service load capacity with structure(s) embedment material than with impacting vehicle decelerating lateral service load capacity and portion of said decelerating structure(s) which provide deceleration(s) is/are tethered to its embedment material. 
     
     
         11 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles and is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s) and has/have higher lateral service load capacity with structure(s) embedment material than with impacting vehicle decelerating lateral service load capacity and portion of said decelerating structure(s) which provide deceleration(s) is/are tethered to its embedment material and portion of said decelerating structure(s) has/have a center of mass higher in elevation than the height of the impacting vehicle's elevation of initial contact. 
     
     
         12 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles and is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s) and has/have higher lateral service load capacity with structure(s) embedment material than with impacting vehicle decelerating lateral service load capacity and portion of said decelerating structure(s) which provide deceleration(s) is/are tethered to its embedment material and portion of said decelerating structure(s) has/have a center of mass higher in elevation than the height of the impacting vehicle's elevation of initial contact and upon impact triggers the impacting vehicle's on-board safety equipment in advance of said impacting vehicle engaging objects or other roadway safety equipment screened by said decelerating structure(s). 
     
     
         13 . as in  claim 1 , wherein the center-of-mass of the portion of the device, above ground-line, is above the intended contact-point-elevation on the device of an impacting vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) is/are tilted in the direction of impacting vehicles and is/are affixed with friction reducing surface material(s) and has/have higher lateral service load capacity with structure(s) embedment material than with impacting vehicle decelerating lateral service load capacity and portion of said decelerating structure(s) which provide deceleration(s) and the center-of-mass of the portion of the device, above ground-line, is above the intended contact-point-elevation on the device of an impacting vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s), upon impact by vehicles at lower speeds, slows the vehicle down to acceptable speeds before vehicle impacts highway safety devices that would cause much damage to vehicle and occupant if impacted at speeds less than what the devices involved were crash tested. 
     
     
         16 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) encountered after initial contact with a decelerating structure absorbs less kinetic energy via impact with said vehicle. 
     
     
         17 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure(s) provide greater deflection of the decelerating structure(s) at higher initial impact elevations while also providing greater kinetic energy absorption when impacted at said higher initial impact elevations. 
     
     
         18 . as in  claim 1 , wherein said decelerating structure, in a vehicle deceleration, has pre-calculated mechanism of sequentially operable forces to be applied periodically to a vehicle to decelerate without undue force in a destructive manner. 
     
     
         19 . as in  claim 1 , wherein structural failure results in the separated portion of the decelerating structure, above the physical point(s) of separation elevation having a center-of-mass above the elevation of the imposed lateral load(s) regime. 
     
     
         20 . as in  claim 1 , wherein decelerating structure allows greater dynamic deflection upon the imposition of said lateral load(s) regimes thereby allowing greater rotation before the onset of said load regime.