Specialty Manufacturing Company

James H Wicker

An actuating device for use in moving a school bus safety unit, such as a stop sign or crossing arm, between a retracted position adjacent the school bus, and an extended position projecting outwardly from the bus. The actuating device includes a drive motor and a friction-type slip clutch which permits the safety unit to be manually moved from its extended or retracted positions without damage to the drive arrangement for moving the safety unit, and several alternative control circuits may be utilized to automatically or semi-automatically return the safety unit to its retracted and/or extended positions if manually moved therefrom.

Safety unit actuating device

An improved actuating device for school bus safety unit, such as crossing arms and the like, which includes an arrangement for driving and controlling the crossing arm in a continuous predetermined arcuate path of movement, with the safety device being moved continuously back and forth in a sweeping motion that provides a moving barrier in areas adjacent the school bus where children may be placed in an unsafe situation, such as immediately adjacent the front bumper of the bus which is outside of the normal line of vision of the school bus operator. In one embodiment, an extendable line is anchored to the bus at one or both ends, and an intermediate portion of the line is engaged by the moving safety unit, whereby the line itself creates a changing barrier as the safety unit sweeps through its path of movement. A warning arrangement may also be provided to generate a warning signal to the school bus operator whenever the sweeping movement of the crossing arm is stopped or slowed, such as when a child is positioned in the path of movement of the crossing arm.

A crossing arm unit for use on the front of school buses and the like to protect children walking in front of the school bus, the crossing arm unit including a frame attached to the front bumper of the school bus, and a movable arm pivotally mounted in the frame for movement between a retracted position along side the bumper and an extended position projecting outwardly from the bumper. The movable arm includes a pivot plate having a relatively small extending length and being formed of relatively heavy, strong metal, a support plate connected to the pivot plate to extend therefrom, the support plate being formed of a lighter material and having an extending length substantially greater than that of the pivot plate, and a U-shaped metal rod having a closed end portion and leg portions extending along the length of the support plate and being joined thereto at spaced locations, the rod having an extending length from the support plate that is substantially greater than the extending length of the support plate. A conventional drive is provided to move the arm member between its extended and retracted positions.

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Charlotte, NC, United States of America

James H Wicker