Daimler-Benz Ag

Daimler-Benz Aktiengsellschaft

Herbert Mehren

Helmut Wulf

Dieter Braun

Matthias Nohr

Hubertus Christ

Klaus Niemann

Horst Fleischer

Bernd Riemer

Ferdinand Panik

Willi Martin

Peter Janker

Klaus Nieman

Bernhard Kluge

Hans Sack

A commercial vehicle having a driver's cab, a chassis and a transport container. The transport container holds cargo, which is movably disposed therein. The transport container is fastened at a distance behind the driver's cab in the driving direction via impact-energy-absorbing bearings mounted on the chassis. The bearings are constructed and arranged to absorb impact energy particularly in the driving direction. The impact-energy-absorbing bearings prevent an uncontrolled impact of the transport container onto the driver's cab in the case of a collision.

Commercial vehicle having a driver's cab and a transport container

An impact absorbing outer body structure of a motor vehicle including an outer panel with a deformable impact region. For the protection of a person or object making impact on the outer-panel, the deformable impact region can be displaced outwardly toward said person or object. The outer panel is provided with at least one plastically deformable impact region which is weakened in relation to the rest of the outer panel, and a supporting shell is firmly connected to the outer panel on an inner side. The supporting shell has at least the stability of the rest of the outer panel, enclosing the impact region and forming, along with the outer panel, a closed cavity. In the event of an impact load, the plastically deformable impact region can be expanded rapidly outward by means of a high-pressure charge, such as a pyrotechnical propellant charge, to provide a deformation area to absorb the energy of the impact. The impact absorbing structure is particularly used in hoods and doors of motor vehicles.

Impact absorbing outer body structure of a motor vehicle

An ergonomically shaped exterior contour of a vehicle interior handle area, support area, or resting area is provided. The contour is formed by a flexible shaped element filled with an electro-rheologic fluid to which an electrical circuit operable from the interior is connected to reduce or increase the internal friction of the fluid to accommodate changes in shape of the contour.

Adjustable shape part for an interior of a motor vehicle

A motor vehicle impact protection arrangement protects persons and has an impact protection device which is rendered operative in a defined protection area only when the danger of an impact is signalled. An energy-absorbing material is provided so that, when a danger of an impact has not yet been signalled, the material is situated in a closed space below the impact protection area and emerges only when the danger of an impact is signalled as an energy-absorbing impact protection device in the defined impact protection area.

Motor vehicle impact passenger protection arrangement

The invention relates to a safety device for selectively track-guided or road-travelling vehicles, which safety device exhibits on the road side an optical indicator device switched by a control device and normally set to 'stop' signalling. In order to permit a change of the vehicle from track-guided to non-track-guided operation only when the sensing rollers are fully retracted, the invention provides that both a monitoring device monitoring the assumed rest position of the sensing rollers and signal transmission device coupled therewith are provided on the vehicle side. The signal transmission device transmits a signal indirectly switching the optical indicator device temporarily to 'go' only in the case of the sensing rollers occupying the rest position.

Safety device for selectivity track-guided or road travelling vehicles

The invention relates to a safety system on track guidance lines for optionally track-guidable or road-going vehicles with pivotable feeler rollers. To avoid accidents which may be caused by travelling on track guidance lines with feeler rollers not extended or only incompletely extended, the invention provides for there to be a switch, which can be operated by the feeler rollers, to be arranged on each of the two transverse guide barriers, approximately opposite each other on the same level as the feeler rollers of the vehicle, at the beginning of the track guidance line. These switches, if operated together, switch via a control unit an optical display device, located downstream of the switches in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and normally indicating a block signal, to 'clear line'.

Safety system on track guidance lines

The invention relates to a roadway for dual-mode vehicles with a transition region from non-trackbound to trackbound traffic. On the roadway used as an entering roadway, the transverse guide bar on the driver's side, in the area of the transition region, is extended further into the area of the roadway, which can be used non-trackbound, than the oppositely located transverse guide bar, which is widened slightly funnel-like. The two transverse guide bars of the opposite roadway, which can be used for exiting, end at a mutually equal level. To create an adequately large transverse distance between the roadways in the area where the vehicles filter in, the roadway which can be used as an entering roadway runs with a slight bulge in the area of the transition region; moreover, this provides the possibility of a further adjoining roadway.

Roadway for dual-mode vehicles

A towing apparatus for a rail bound vehicle is described. The towing apparatus includes both a lifting device for lifting the wheel load off of a defective wheel, tire or axle and a mobile support which supports the load, normally supported by the defective wheel, during a towing operation. The lifting device occupies a minimum of space and is supported by the road surface rather than by the rail. The mobile support may be conveniently and positively engaged with a defective wheel hub under conditions wherein a minimum of maneuvering space is available.

Towing aid for vehicles

The present invention concerns a hydraulic power-assisted steering gear for vehicles. A servo-cylinder is controlled by means of a control valve whose control spool can be deflected, independently of the position of the driven link, by actuation of the steering wheel from a neutral position corresponding to a steady driving condition. In addition, the control position of the control spool can also be adjusted automatically by means of a return device and under the action of a displacement force in such a way that when the steering wheel is released, the wheels of the vehicle are caused to return automatically from a deflected position into the straight position. A corresponding displacement of the control spool is achieved by subjecting its end surfaces to hydraulic pressure. The control of the corresponding pressure head is controlled as a function of the deflection angle by means of a further control valve. The return device is a particularly simple and robust device of small installation dimensions which also has the capability of achieving any given variation of return force with deflection angle.

Hydraulic power-assisted steering gear for vehicles

A hydraulic support system has a first expandable chamber which is subjected to a constant pressure sufficient for compensating the static load. Two further chambers assigned to equally larger effective surface areas of pistons can be subjected to different pressures by means of a regulating and change-over device to cause active compression and rebound and a return to a middle position.

Active suspension system

An exhaust-gas offtake for a track-guided vehicle propelled by combustion-energy, the exhaust gas being led into a force-ventilated waste gas duct located above the vehicle, which is anchored to the roof of a tunnel along the route followed. The exhaust pipe of the vehicle extends vertically through the vehicle interior, up to a point above the roof, and is surrounded by a protective tube. A collecting funnel is located on the vehicle roof, which funnel overlaps the end of the exhaust pipe, possesses a transfer pipe with a boat-shaped cross-section and, pivotably mounted on suspension elements, is resiliently directed into an upwards-pointed position. This arrangement enables small horizontal and vertical movements of the vehicle body to be compensated in relation to the tunnel waste gas duct.

Exhaust-gas offtake for a track-guided vehicle propelled by

An externally mechanically track-guided vehicle, especially for the public local passenger traffic, which is equipped with a vehicle axle having steerable wheels and with support arms arranged at the wheel hubs of the steerable wheels and extending forwardly in the driving direction on one side of a respective hub. Cross-guide rollers for automatically influencing the deflection angle of the steerable wheels are provided at the forward end of each support arm which are located in front of the steerable wheels, as viewed in the driving direction. The support arms are constructed as bending-rigid as possible under elimination of elasticities or yieldingnesses while the metallic cross-guide rollers are provided with a solid rubber tread.

Externally track-guided vehicle, especially for the local public

A vehicle adapted to be externally guided mechanically along guide tracks, especially for public local passenger service, which includes a steerable vehicle axle provided with steerable wheels and with maximally bending resistance supporting arms arranged at wheel hubs of the steerable wheels and extending unilaterally forwardly in the driving direction of the vehicle. A transverse guide arrangement is disposed at the forward ends of the supporting arms so as to provide for an automatic track-side influencing of the turning angle of the steerable wheels. A motor is fixedly mounted in a zone of a hub of a steering wheel so as to be capable of operatively acting upon the steering wheel. The motor, when an output part thereof is at a quasi-stand still, is capable of exerting a torque on the steering wheel which torque can be freely selected in its effective direction.

Vehicle adapted to be externally mechanically guided, especially for the

A vehicle adapted to be selectively operated with or without guide rails or tracks, the vehicle including a steerable vehicle axle means having steerable wheels mounted thereon and at least one non-steerable vehicle axle having non-steerable wheels mounted thereon. The non-steerable vehicle axle is mounted so as to be pivotable in its entirety about a centrally positioned vertically extending pivot axis. Springs are provided for suspending a superstructure of the vehicle with a spring bracket fixedly mounted to an axle body of the non-steerable vehicle axle for supporting the springs at the vehicle. A ring mount segment is provided for mounting the springs at outer ends of the spring bracket so as to be horizontally movable with at least two supporting rollers, each having an axis of rotation disposed approximately toward a pivot center of the non-steerable axis, being attached to an underside of the springs. The supporting rollers are adapted to roll along a flat top side of the ring mount segments and at least one of a shape-mating lateral guide or a safety device is arranged on both sides of the supporting rollers adjacent a mounting arrangement for the supporting rollers. The guide is adapted to engage lateral edges of the ring mount segments and to be inserted, on a freely projecting underside of the ring mount segments, in a lateral groove provided in a shoulder formed at the supporting roller mounting device.

Vehicle adapted to be guided on tracks for the public local passenger

A vehicle adapted to be selectively operated with or without guide rails with the vehicle including a steerable vehicle axle and at least one nonsteerable vehicle axle. The nonsteerable vehicle axle is mounted so as to be entirely pivotable to a limited extent about a centrally positioned vertically extending pivot axis. At least two longitudinally extending control arms are provided for determining a transverse position of the nonsteerable vehicle axle with the longitudinally extending control arms being constructed so as to be variable in length and at least one of selectively lockable in or releasable from a predetermined length required for an exact transverse positioning of the nonsteerable vehicle axle when the vehicle is operated without guide rails. Each of the longitudinally extending control arms includes at least two doubleacting hydraulic cylinder piston units which are disposed in parallel to a bending resistant guide rod slidably received in a guide bore of a guide housing. An arrangement is provided for selectively locking and releasing the longitudinal control arms in and from the various length extended positions with working chambers of each of the piston-cylinder units being in communication with each other by way of pressure equalizing conduits.

Growing community of inventors

Stuttgart, Germany

Herbert Mehren