U.S. patent application number 14/453484 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-18 for articulating vehicle bellows.
This patent application is currently assigned to A & A MANUFACTURING CO., INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Dynatect Manufacturing, Inc.. Invention is credited to Steven Piacsek.
Application Number | 20160046161 14/453484 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52471932 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160046161 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Piacsek; Steven |
February 18, 2016 |
ARTICULATING VEHICLE BELLOWS
Abstract
A bellows for an articulating vehicle has improved performance
by using fewer discrete pieces of flexible material, and a
multi-piece frame. By using fewer pieces of flexible material, less
stitching is required, which results in improved performance and
ease of manufacture.
Inventors: |
Piacsek; Steven; (Waukesha,
WI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dynatect Manufacturing, Inc. |
New Berlin |
WI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
A & A MANUFACTURING CO.,
INC.
New Berlin
WI
|
Family ID: |
52471932 |
Appl. No.: |
14/453484 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61862887 |
Aug 6, 2013 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/403 ;
29/454 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60D 5/00 20130101; B61D
17/22 20130101; B61F 15/22 20130101; B60D 5/003 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60D 5/00 20060101
B60D005/00 |
Claims
1. A bellows for an articulating vehicle comprising: an assembled
flexible material layout comprising: a left bottom corner flexible
portion having an internal and an external side; a left side
flexible portion having an internal and an external side; a left
top corner flexible portion having an internal and an external
side; a top flexible portion having an internal and an external
side; a right top corner flexible portion having an internal and an
external side; a right side flexible portion having an internal and
an external side; and a right bottom corner flexible portion having
an internal and an external side; wherein the portions of the
assembled flexible material layout are attached as follows: one end
of the left bottom corner flexible portion is attached to a first
end of the left side flexible portion; a second end of the left
side flexible portion is attached to a first end of the left top
corner flexible portion; a second end of the left top corner
flexible portion is attached to a first end of the top flexible
portion; a second end of the top flexible portion is attached to a
first end of the right top corner flexible portion; a second end of
the right top corner portion is attached to a first end of the
right side flexible portion; a second end of the right side
flexible portion is attached to a first end of the right bottom
corner flexible portion; and wherein a plurality of support frames
are attached to the portions of the flexible material layout as
follows: a plurality of external side support frames are attached
to the external sides of the right and left side flexible portions;
a plurality of internal side support frames having a top connecting
plate and a bottom connecting plate are attached to the internal
sides of the right and left side flexible portions; a plurality of
top support frames are attached to the external side of the top
flexible portion and further attached to the top connecting plates;
and a plurality of bottom support frames are attached to the
external sides of the left bottom corner and right bottom corner
flexible portions and further attached to the bottom connecting
plates.
2. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the external side support frames
are attached to the right and left side flexible portions by
crimping.
3. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the internal side support frames
are attached to the right and left side flexible portions by
crimping.
4. The bellows of claim 1, wherein top and bottom connecting plates
are attached to the top and bottom support frames by rivets.
5. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the internal side support,
external side support, top, and bottom support frames are crimped
to alternating folds of the assembled flexible material layout.
6. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the assembled flexible material
layout is made of fabric.
7. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the side flexible portions are
made of plastic.
8. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the internal side support,
external side support, top, and bottom support frames are made of
aluminum.
9. The bellows of claim 1, wherein the flexible portions are sewn
together.
10. A method of assembling a bellows for an articulating vehicle
comprising the steps of; cutting flexible material into a left
bottom corner flexible portion having an internal and an external
side, a left side flexible portion having an internal and an
external side, a left top corner flexible portion having an
internal and an external side, a top flexible portion having an
internal and an external side, a right top corner flexible portion
having an internal and an external side, a right side flexible
portion having an internal and an external side, and a right bottom
corner flexible portion having an internal and an external side;
assembling an assembled flexible material layout by attaching one
end of the left bottom corner flexible portion to a first end of
the left side flexible portion, attaching a second end of the left
side flexible portion to a first end of the left top corner
flexible portion, attaching a second end of the left top corner
flexible portion to a first end of the top flexible portion,
attaching a second end of the top flexible portion to a first end
of the right top flexible portion, attaching a second end of the
right top flexible portion to a first end of the right side
flexible portion, and attaching a second end of the right side
flexible portion to a first end of the right bottom corner flexible
portion; folding the assembled flexible material layout into a
pleated shape having a plurality of internal and external pleats;
attaching a plurality of external side support frames to the
external pleats; attaching a plurality of internal side support
frames including top and bottom connecting plates to the internal
pleats; attaching a plurality of lower external support frames to
the external side of the left and right bottom corner flexible
portions; attaching the lower external support frames to the bottom
connecting plates; attaching a plurality of top external support
frames to the external side of the top flexible portion; and
attaching the top external support frames to the top connecting
plates.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/862,887 filed on Aug. 6,
2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for
all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
protective coverings which extend and retract. More particularly,
the present invention relates to a bellows which can be used on an
articulating vehicle such as, but not limited to, an articulating
bus.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Large bellows that are used to protect a moveable connection
such as on an articulating vehicle typically have a pleated type
construction manufactured from many pieces of coated fabric that
are sewn together and supported by perimeter frames. In some
constructions the perimeter frames may be located at the outer
perimeter of the fabric pleats. In other constructions, the
perimeter frames may be located along the inner perimeter of the
fabric pleats. In constructions where the frames are located at the
outer perimeter, the fabric pleats are typically made of separate
fabric pieces that are stitched together to form the folds of the
pleat, resulting in a "V" shaped cross-section, referred to as a
folding construction. In another construction having the frames
located at the outer perimeter, the fabric is allowed to remain as
a flat piece, which results in a "U" shaped cross-section. This
alternate method of construction is often referred to as a
corrugated construction. Due to the "U" shape of these bellows,
separate fabric pieces are used to create the pleated shape. Like
the previously described construction, the fabric pieces are joined
together on the edges by the perimeter frames or by stitching.
[0004] Assembly of typical articulating vehicle bellows is a labor
intensive process that requires the handling of numerous individual
fabric panels, alignment of inner and outer edges of each of the
fabric panels, and then stitching the panels together or crimping
the aluminum support frames to the fabric panels to create the
final configuration. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, typical folding type
bus bellows 10 require fourteen individual panels per section, with
ten sections, or 140 individual panels per assembled bellows.
Typical corrugated bellows will require seventeen individual panels
per section, with ten sections, or 170 individual panels per
assembled bellows.
[0005] Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, perimeter frames 20 used
in typical articulating vehicle bellows 10 must be very large
because they are formed to the entire perimeter shape. Such large
perimeter frames 20 require that the bellows 10 be assembled one
folding, or corrugated section, at a time with each section having
a perimeter frame 20 and a fabric section 22 made from the many
individual panels.
[0006] An additional drawback to traditional articulating vehicle
bellows is that a significant amount of stitching is required to
join the individual fabric pieces together as well as to join the
assembled fabric pieces to one another in creating individual
folding sections. A typical bellows having the multitude of fabric
panels described above requires over 2,500 inches of stitching to
create the folding sections. Every inch of the stitching also
requires manual sealing in order to prevent liquid or air from
penetrating the seams. The sealing of the seams is commonly
accomplished by using an adhesive or caulk type sealer, and is
typically a manual process.
[0007] As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, typical folding bellows 10 also
require that the corner fabric pieces 24, 26 be individual panels
with rounded shaped corners to transition from a horizontal side to
a vertical side. The individual corner fabric pieces 24, 26 which
are used to create the radius corner result in a large amount of
material scrap due to their shape and inability to be nested
closely in a CNC fabric cutting program. Additionally, the radius
corners are subject to a large amount of stress because they must
be tight enough to provide support to the bellows 10 in the
standard mounted position and to prevent excessive sagging of the
bellows, but also allow the folds to open enough so that the
bellows can make a large extension when an articulating vehicle
turns. This requires the corner pieces and corner stitching to be
stretched tightly during the turn.
[0008] There have been efforts to use a folding corner in some
cases to replace the rounded corners of the bus bellows. In one
case, a tongue-in-groove type folding arrangement is used to
transition the pleats from a horizontal side to a vertical side.
This folding arrangement has drawbacks due to the significant
flexing stress placed on the fabric material which leads to
premature flex fatigue failure of the fabric which results in a
hole in the fabric, and thus, an inability of the bellows to
prevent air and liquid from intrusion into the area to be
protected.
[0009] Another common folding arrangement has a chamfered or
mitered corner. This folding arrangement allows the fabric material
to roll, rather than crease which results in less flex fatigue
placed on the fabric. Both of the folding arrangements previously
described have been common to the manufacture of standard folding
bellows for a very long time. Both folding arrangements can also
allow for a larger opening of a corner than the rounded shaped
corner allows for and thus make it possible to reduce the number of
folds.
[0010] Accordingly, there is a need for a bellows design that
allows for a less complex and expensive method of manufacture by
using fewer fabric panels, less material, and requiring less, and
easier, handling of the fabric and support frames. There is also a
need for a bellows that does not require manual sealing of the
stitching holes that are created in a typical folding type
articulating vehicle bellows.
SUMMARY
[0011] The present invention is a bellows for an articulating
vehicle having an assembled flexible material layout including a
left bottom corner flexible portion, a left side flexible portion,
a left top corner flexible portion, a top flexible portion, a right
top corner flexible portion, a right side flexible portion, and a
right bottom corner flexible portion. One end of the left bottom
corner flexible portion is attached to a first end of the left side
flexible portion, and a second end of the left side flexible
portion is attached to a first end of the left top corner flexible
portion. A second end of the left top corner flexible portion is
attached to a first end of the top flexible portion, and a second
end of the top flexible portion is attached to a first end of the
right top corner flexible portion. A second end of the right top
corner portion is attached to a first end of the right side
flexible portion, and a second end of the right side flexible
portion is attached to a first end of the right bottom corner
flexible portion.
[0012] A plurality of external side support frames are attached to
the right and left side flexible portions, and a plurality of
internal side support frames are attached to the right and left
side flexible portions. Each of the internal side support frames
has a top and bottom connecting plate for connecting the internal
side support frames to the external support frames. A plurality of
top support frames are attached to the top flexible portion and
further attached to the top connecting plates, and a plurality of
bottom support frames are attached to the left bottom corner and
right bottom corner flexible portions and further attached to the
bottom connecting plates.
[0013] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one
or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives,
while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other
objectives. Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions
of the disclosed embodiment, and will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages
will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the
accompanying figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn
therefrom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1A is a schematic view of the material requirements for
the top section of a typical prior art folding type bus
bellows;
[0015] FIG. 1B is a schematic view of the material requirements for
the top radius corners of a typical prior art folding type bus
bellows;
[0016] FIG. 1C is a schematic view of the material requirements for
the bottom radius corners of a typical prior art folding type bus
bellows;
[0017] FIG. 1D is a schematic view of the material requirements for
the side sections of a typical prior art folding type bus
bellows;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an assembled folding section
for a typical prior art folding type bus bellows;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a support frame arrangement
for a typical prior art folding type bus bellows;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a bellows
in accordance with the invention;
[0021] FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic view of the bellows in of
FIG. 4, showing each of the flexible panels;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a slit and
tab arrangement of a flexible piece in accordance with the
invention;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the bellows of FIG. 4, showing
the flexible panels assembled together;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the bellows of FIG. 4 showing
the flexible material pleated with internal side frames, external
side frames, and external lower frames mounted in a pleated strip
configuration;
[0025] FIG. 8A is a section view of the bellows of FIG. 7 taken
generally along the line 8A-8A in FIG. 8;
[0026] FIG. 9 is a front view of the bellows of FIG. 4 showing
outer top frames joining the internal side frames together to form
the bellows shape;
[0027] FIG. 10 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the pleated flexible pieces prior to mounting support
frames;
[0028] FIG. 11 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the side and lower folding parts of the flexible material
with internal and external support frames;
[0029] FIG. 12 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the side and lower portion of the bellows with connecting
frames fastened in place and opened to show the folding corner;
[0030] FIG. 13 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the external side support frames as well as the upper and
lower folding corners;
[0031] FIG. 14 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the external side support frames, the upper folding
corner, and the top support frames;
[0032] FIG. 15 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the lower support frames;
[0033] FIG. 16 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing the internal side support frame;
[0034] FIG. 17 is a detail perspective view of the bellows of FIG.
4 showing an internal side support frame and an upper connecting
plate to which the external top support frame is attached; and
[0035] FIG. 18 is a detail schematic view the bellows of FIG. 4
showing an internal side support frame, connecting plates, and
lower connecting channel forming a continuous hoop when
assembled.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] A bellows 12 for an articulating vehicle in accordance with
the invention has a reduced number of flexible pieces and support
frames. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-18, only seven flexible
pieces 100 are required to form the entire bellows, compared to
over one hundred pieces for a conventional articulating vehicle
bellows described previously. Referring to FIG. 5, the flexible
pieces 100 are left bottom corner 102, left side section 104, left
top corner 106, top portion 108, right top corner 110, right side
section 112, and right bottom corner 114. The flexible pieces 100
are typically made of a fabric substrate based material that has a
coating of elastomer or thermoplastic. It is also possible to use a
plastic sheet in some parts of the bellows 12 which are not subject
to folding stresses, the sides for example. Of course, any other
suitable material may alternatively be used for the flexible pieces
100 without departing from the invention. Additionally, the
flexible pieces 100 need not all be made of the same material. The
flexible pieces 100 are configured such that each can be a single
piece, two pieces, or any other number as necessitated by the bulk
size of the flexible material. The flexible pieces 100 are then cut
with a series of slits and connecting tabs, as well as other
necessary cutouts which, when folded, will produce the desired
shape of the assembled bellows. The shapes and sizes of the slits,
connecting tabs, and cutouts can be any shape and size depending on
the desired size and shape of the finished bellows 12. A CNC
programmed cutting machine may be used to cut the flexible pieces
100, but the patterns could also be hand marked and hand cut to
achieve the same result. FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of the left
top corner 106, which includes a plurality of slits 116 and
connecting tabs 118 that combine to form the folds of the completed
bellows 12.
[0037] In the embodiment shown, there are no slits to define the
top folds. Rather, the flexible material is allowed to take on a
rolled shape as in a corrugated bellows. This method of
construction serves two purposes. First, there is no need for an
inside top support frame and as such it would be desirable to not
have any valley type seam as in a conventional bellows. The second
purpose is to allow for ease of movement when the articulation area
is extended as when a vehicle travels through a turn.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 7, once the required flexible pieces 100
have been cut to size and shape, they are assembled into an
assembled flexible material layout 122 using overlapping type seams
120. In the embodiment shown, only six seams are needed to form the
assembled flexible material layout 122 for the bellows 12. These
seams 120 can be stitched, bonded, taped, or sealed to provide the
proper connection required for the use of the bellows 12 on a
transit bus, rail vehicle, or similar duty use. The resultant
assembled flexible material layout 122 will be a large pattern with
the slits 116, tabs 118 and cutouts located such that when folded
into a pleated configuration and then formed into a circumferential
shape, the assembled flexible material layout 122 will locate
itself into the required dimensional locations. The slits 116 and
tabs 118 that are cut into the flexible pieces 100 allow the
assembled flexible material layout 122 to be folded in an accordion
manner with alternating fold directions.
[0039] FIGS. 8-9 show the bellows 12 in a folded configuration with
support frames 200 attached. As shown, there are side internal
support frames 202 and side external support frames 204 that
replace the stitching of traditional articulating vehicle bellows
with a seamless, gutter shaped channel. Additionally, the support
frames 202, 204 provide barriers that prevent liquid or gas
penetration into or out of the bellows 12. It may also be desirable
to use an adhesive, tape, or alternate material joining method
prior to folding the fabric in an accordion manner to provide an
additional barrier and also help maintain the folded accordion
shape. Alternatively, staples or similar fastening methods may be
used to hold the folded shape. In the embodiment shown, the support
frames 202, 204 are made of aluminum, but any suitable material may
be used without departing from the invention.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 9, the support frames 202, 204 are smaller
and use less material than typical articulating vehicle bellows
support frames (see FIG. 3). A plurality of side internal support
frames 202 are used on each inside side surface of the bellows 12,
a plurality of side external support frames 204 are used on an
external side surface of the bellows, top external support frames
206 at the top of the bellows 12, and lower external frames 208 at
the bottom of the bellows. Connecting plates 210 are mounted at
each end of the side external support frames 202. The connecting
plates 210 allow the top external support frames 206 and the lower
external support frames 208 to be mechanically connected to the
side internal frames 202. In the embodiment shown, the support
frames 206, 208 are riveted to the connecting plates 210, but any
suitable attachment may be used without departing from the
invention.
[0041] The chamfered corner arrangement shown in FIGS. 10-12, in
which an outer fold on one side transitions to an inner fold on an
adjacent side, and vice versa, allows for this to occur.
Alternatively, the side external support frames 204 may be
installed with a slight offset and the connecting plates 210
configured such that they attach to the offset and allow the side
internal support frame 202 to connect to the top external support
frame 206. Such a configuration negates the need to bend a radial
arc into the support frame. As shown in FIG. 18, a lower connecting
channel 212 will then mount to the lower external support frames
208 so that when completely assembled, a fully connected, solid
support frame exists for each fold.
[0042] FIGS. 13-18 are various detail views of a fully assembled
bellows 12. FIG. 13 shows a fully assembled bellows 12, with the
folds partially extended, showing the seamless folds formed between
the side external support frames 204 and between the top and bottom
external support frames 206, 208. FIG. 14 is a detail view showing
the upper corner folds achieved in the present embodiment. FIG. 15
is a detail view showing the lower corner folds of the present
embodiment. FIG. 16 shows the interior structure of the bellows 12
with the folds partially extended so that the side internal support
frames 202 are visible. FIG. 17 is a detail view showing the
connector plate 210 attached to the side internal support frame
202.
[0043] Although one embodiment is described in detail herein,
alternative configurations of the support frame can that serve the
same purpose do not depart from the invention. For example, a
single lower external support frame can replace the two short lower
external support frames 208 and connecting channel 212 to produce
the same connected solid frame. Another example is that the
connecting plates 210 can be assembled to the upper external
support frames 206 rather than the side internal support frames
202. This embodiment would allow the straight pleated shape to be
transported in a manageable configuration with all of the necessary
frames attached and then simply formed and connected with internal
fasteners for final assembly.
[0044] The movement of an articulated bus is a combination of an
opening fan motion and a shearing motion. In a standard bellows
configuration, the shearing motion results in a force that is great
enough to form an S shape into the support frames. By creating a
rolled shape with the flexible material, the shearing motion is
taken up by the flexible material rather than the rigid support
frames.
[0045] The assembly of the bellows 12 involves crimping, or
staking, the support frames to the folded peaks of the flexible
material 100 as defined by the slits 116 and cutouts in the
flexible material after it has been folded into a pleated shape. In
the embodiment described herein, the internal and external side
support frames 202, 204 are connected to the fabric peaks first.
Next, the lower fabric is folded and connected to the support
frames by crimping the frame to the fabric and mechanically
connecting the lower external support frame 208 to the connecting
plate 210 by riveting, for example. Next, the upper corners are
formed by crimping the top external support frame 206 onto the
fabric, and connecting the top external support frame to the
connecting plate 210. This process will be repeated for each
folding section that is required. The last fold can be adapted to
many different configurations as required by the end user.
[0046] Although the invention has been herein described in what is
perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is
to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited
to the specific embodiments set forth above. Rather, it is
recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the
art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of
the invention and, therefore, the invention is to be taken as
including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the
appended claims and the description of the invention herein.
* * * * *