Rear impact guard

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10836335-B2
Application number	US-201816050293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Sep 16, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A rear impact guard configured to be coupled to a rear end of a vehicle comprises a bumper support member, a support base, and a horizontal bumper. The bumper support member is configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle. The support base is configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle, configured to be positioned adjacent to a sidewall of the vehicle and below a floor assembly of the vehicle, and is in contact with the bumper support member and extends further forward toward a front of the vehicle than the bumper support member. The horizontal bumper is mounted at a lower end of the bumper support member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rear impact guard configured to be coupled to a rear end of a vehicle, comprising:
a bumper support member configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle;
a support base configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle and configured to be positioned adjacent to a sidewall of the vehicle and below a floor assembly of the vehicle, wherein the support base is in contact with the bumper support member and extends further forward toward a front of the vehicle than the bumper support member; and
a horizontal bumper mounted at a lower end of the bumper support member.

2. The rear impact guard of claim 1 , wherein the support base is configured to be coupled to at least one cross-member forming a portion of the floor assembly of the vehicle, the cross-member being perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

3. The rear impact guard of claim 2 , wherein the support base is configured to extend further forward than the at least one cross-member.

4. The rear impact guard of claim 1 , wherein an arm of the support base extends forward toward the front of the vehicle at an upward angle.

5. The rear impact guard of claim 4 , wherein the bumper support member includes a side plate that is generally triangular in shape and a center member adjacent the side plate, wherein an angle of the center member with respect to a vertical axis is different than the upward angle of the arm of the support base.

6. The rear impact guard of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the bumper support member is configured to be coupled to a fantail of the vehicle.

7. The rear impact guard of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the bumper support member is in contact with a lower surface of the support base.

8. The rear impact guard of claim 7 , wherein the bumper support member is in contact with the support base without a direct connection formed therebetween.

9. The rear impact guard of claim 1 , wherein the horizontal bumper is coupled to the lower end of the bumper support member via a bumper mount.

10. A rear impact guard configured to be coupled to a rear end of a vehicle, comprising:
first and second support bases configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle and configured to be positioned below a floor assembly of the vehicle, wherein the first and second support bases are spaced from one another on one side of a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the first support base being spaced further from the longitudinal axis than the second support base;
first and second bumper support members configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle adjacent to the first and second support bases, respectively, wherein at least a portion of an upper surface of the first bumper support member is in contact with at least a portion of a lower surface of the first support base; and
a horizontal bumper mounted to lower ends of the first and second bumper support members.

11. The rear impact guard of claim 10 , wherein the first bumper support member is indirectly connected to the first support base.

12. The rear impact guard of claim 11 , further comprising:
third and fourth support bases configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle and configured to be positioned below the floor assembly of the vehicle, wherein the third and fourth support bases are spaced from one another on another side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the fourth support base being spaced further from the longitudinal axis than the third support base;
third and fourth bumper support members configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle adjacent to the third and fourth support bases, respectively, wherein at least a portion of an upper surface of the fourth bumper support member is in contact with at least a portion of a lower surface of the fourth support base, wherein the fourth bumper support member is indirectly connected to the fourth support base; and
wherein lower ends of the third and fourth bumper support members are mounted to the horizontal bumper.

13. The rear impact guard of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and fourth support bases is configured to be coupled to at least one cross-member of the floor assembly of the vehicle, the at least one cross-member being perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

14. The rear impact guard of claim 12 , wherein each of the second and third support bases is configured to be coupled to a slide rail of the floor assembly.

15. The rear impact guard of claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of an upper surface of the second bumper support member is in contact with at least a portion of a lower surface of the second support base without a direct connection between the second bumper support member and the second support base; and at least a portion of an upper surface of the third bumper support member is in contact with at least a portion of a lower surface of the third support base without a direct connection between the third bumper support member and the third support base.

16. The rear impact guard of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth support bases further comprises:
a front arm configured to be coupled to a fantail of the vehicle;
a lower surface perpendicular to the front arm and extending forward from the front arm; and
a rear arm extending forward from the lower surface at an angle relative to the lower surface.

17. The rear impact guard of claim 16 , wherein the at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth support bases further comprises a top plate perpendicular to the front arm and extending from the front arm to the rear arm, wherein the lower surface has a length that is less than a length of the top plate.

18. The rear impact guard of claim 12 , wherein the first and fourth bumper support members are the same and have a first configuration, the second and third bumper support members are the same and have a second configuration, and the first configuration is different than the second configuration.

19. A rear impact guard configured to be coupled to a rear end of a vehicle, comprising:
first and second support bases configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle and configured to be positioned below a floor assembly of the vehicle;
first and second bumper support members configured to be coupled to the rear end of the vehicle adjacent to the first and second support bases, respectively, wherein at least a portion of the first bumper support member is in contact with at least a portion of the first support base without a direct connection between the first bumper support member and the first support base; and
a horizontal bumper mounted to lower ends of the first and second bumper support members.

20. The rear impact guard of claim 19 , wherein the first and second support bases extend further forward toward a front of the vehicle than the first and second bumper support members.

Assignees

• Wabash National Lp

Inventors

• Wylezinski Andrzej
• Belcher Brian C
• Kunkel David P

Classifications

• B60R19/56 Primary

  {Fittings damping bouncing force in truck collisions, e.g. bumpers;} Arrangements on high-riding vehicles, e.g. lorries, for preventing vehicles or objects from running thereunder · CPC title