Abstract: A vent assembly has a base and a single piece cover that is attached to the base to form a housing. A partition inside the housing forms an upper compartment that communicates with an outlet at the rear of the cover and a lower compartment that communicates with an inlet through the base. The compartments communicate via an opening through the partition. The partition provides an exhaust passage from the opening to the outlet at the rear of the cover and a barrier to the flow of water from the outlet back to the opening. The partition and cover provide a drain passage from the exhaust passage back to the outlet in case water accumulates near the opening. The vent assembly may be static or include a fan unit to provide a powered vent assembly. Either may be used as the hatch of a combined vent and escape hatch assembly.

Abstract: A vent assembly has a base and a single piece cover that is attached to the base to form a housing. A partition inside the housing forms an upper compartment that communicates with an outlet at the rear of the cover and a lower compartment that communicates with an inlet through the base. The compartments communicate via an opening through the partition. The partition provides an exhaust passage from the opening to the outlet at the rear of the cover that has several barriers including dams inhibiting the flow of water from the outlet back to the opening. The partition and cover also provide a drain passage connected to the exhaust passage by several cross passages to drain water accumulated in the exhaust passage. The vent assembly may have two exhaust passages interconnected by a transverse drainage passage and associated with respective drainage passages. The vent assembly may be static or include a fan unit to provide a powered vent assembly.

Abstract: A school bus has a stop sign hinged on an electrical actuator assembly that is attached to the side of the bus. The actuator assembly includes an electric motor that pivots the hinged stop sign from a stored position adjacent the bus to an operative position extending outwardly of the bus in perpendicular fashion and back to the stored position and an electrical control unit that includes Hall effect sensors for controlling the electric motor. These and other components are protected in an outer sealed housing that has a removable cover to facilitate installation and repair. Installation and repair is further enhanced by a removable inner housing sub-assembly that carries the electric motor and the electric control unit and that provides additional protection for these two components. The school bus also has a crossing arm hinged on an identical electrical actuator assembly, that is attached to the front bumper of the bus near the passenger doors.

Abstract: A school bus has a front bumper equipped with a crossing control arm assembly. The assembly includes an actuator that is attached behind the bumper and a control arm that is moved by the actuator from a stored position atop the bumper to a deployed position generally perpendicular to the bumper. The control arm is attached to the actuator by a hinge bracket that includes a cross-over link that extends across the top of the bumper.

Abstract: A school bus has a stop sign hinged on an electrical actuator assembly that is attached to the side of the bus. The actuator assembly includes an electric motor that pivots the hinged stop sign from a stored position adjacent the bus to an operative position extending outwardly of the bus in perpendicular fashion and back to the stored position and an electrical control unit that includes Hall effect sensors for controlling the electric motor. These and other components are protected in an outer sealed housing that has a removable cover to facilitate installation and repair. Installation and repair is further enhanced by a removable inner housing sub-assembly that carries the electric motor and the electric control unit and that provides additional protection for these two components. The school bus also has a crossing arm hinged on an identical electrical actuator assembly, that is attached to the front bumper of the bus near the passenger doors.

Abstract: A fluid actuator attaches a hinged safety device to a vehicle and pivots the hinged safety device between retracted and extended positions. The housing of the actuator has a base and a removable cover. A sub-assembly is attached to the base. The subassembly includes a generally planar base member with integral right cylinder, lever arm pivot support and stop posts. A piston slides in the right cylinder and forms a fluid chamber between the piston and a closed end of the right cylinder that is fed through a passage through the closed end of the cylinder. A lever arm is pivotally attached to the lever arm pivot support at one end for pivotal movement between retracted and extended positions, the lever arm extending over the cylinder and having a lip at an opposite end that is spaced from the right cylinder. A pivot arm engages the top of the piston at one end and the lever arm at an opposite end to transfer motion from the piston to the lever arm.

Abstract: A motorized vent and escape hatch assembly has a mounting ring fastened to a vehicle roof around a hatch hole, and a hatch cover that is attached to the mounting ring by a first over center hinge linkage mechanism pivotally connecting one side of the hatch cover to the mounting ring and a second over center mechanism pivotally connecting an opposite side of the hatch cover to the mounting ring. Each over center hinge linkage mechanism has first and second lever members pivotally connected to the mounting ring at one end, first and second plungers that are connected to the respective first and second plungers at the opposite end and that extend into opposite ends of a tube that is connected to the hatch cover. A compression spring in the tube biases the first and second plungers away from each other.

Abstract: A bus has three examples of a vehicle signal light assembly. Each assembly includes a housing base with a perimeter wall defining a cavity. The cavity includes an end portion set off by a partition in the cavity. Separate circuit boards are disposed in the end portion and the remaining portion of the cavity. Each circuit board has an array of LEDs that convey a message. One circuit board can be positioned in the end cavity portion in at least two different orientations. The end portion of the cavity and the one circuit board are preferably octagonal in shape to accommodate several orientations of a circuit board having arrays of LEDs arranged in symbols such as an arrow or a stop sign.

Abstract: A crossing arm assembly that includes either one or two hollow, tapered fishing rod bodies cantilevered at their butt ends to a beam-mounting portion of a combined pivot/bracket. A crosspiece connects the tips of the rods. The combined pivot/bracket pivotally attaches to a support at the front end of a bus to block pedestrian traffic from crossing immediately in front of the bus when the bus is stopped. The rods are tapered in mass and cross-sectional area from their butt ends to their tips. The taper concentrates rod mass closer to the support to reduce the tendency of cantilevered rods to sag under their own weight and/or to swing forward as the bus decelerates. The taper also increases rod flexibility to prevent plastic rod deformation and to reduce loads on the support when external forces are applied to the rods. A flap is pivotally attached to one of the rods to increase beam visibility without adding significant wind resistance.

Abstract: A fluid actuator attaches a hinged safety device to a vehicle and pivots the hinged safety device between retracted and extended positions. The housing of the actuator has a base and a removable cover. A sub-assembly is attached to the base. The subassembly includes a generally planar base member with integral right cylinder, lever arm pivot support and stop posts. A piston slides in the right cylinder and forms a fluid chamber between the piston and a closed end of the right cylinder that is fed through a passage through the closed end of the cylinder. A lever arm is pivotally attached to the lever arm pivot support at one end for pivotal movement between retracted and extended positions, the lever arm extending over the cylinder and having a lip at an opposite end that is spaced from the right cylinder. A pivot arm engages the top of the piston at one end and the lever arm at an opposite end to transfer motion from the piston to the lever arm.

Abstract: A crossing arm assembly that pivotally attaches to a bumper at the front end of a vehicle such as a bus to block pedestrian traffic from crossing immediately in front of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped. The assembly includes a mounting bracket configured to fixedly mount to the front bumper of a vehicle, the front bumper having a front surface having a profile common to the bumpers of other vehicles of the same make and model. The assembly also includes an elongated beam having an inner end pivotally supported on the mounting bracket. The bracket includes a back surface having a non-planar profile contoured to complement the profile of the front surface of the bumper. The assembly is made by providing a mounting bracket having a back surface profile contoured to complement the non-planar front surface profile of the bumper of the make and model of vehicle the assembly is to be mounted to.

Abstract: A crossing arm assembly that includes either one or two hollow, tapered fishing rod bodies cantilevered at their butt ends to a beam-mounting portion of a combined pivot/bracket. A crosspiece connects the tips of the rods. The combined pivot/bracket pivotally attaches to a support at the front end of a bus to block pedestrian traffic from crossing immediately in front of the bus when the bus is stopped. The rods are tapered in mass and cross-sectional area from their butt ends to their tips. The taper concentrates rod mass closer to the support to reduce the tendency of cantilevered rods to sag under their own weight and/or to swing forward as the bus decelerates. The taper also increases rod flexibility to prevent plastic rod deformation and to reduce loads on the support when external forces are applied to the rods. A flap is pivotally attached to one of the rods to increase beam visibility without adding significant wind resistance.

Abstract: A sign (10') includes a sign housing (16') defining an internal cavity (32'). The sign housing (16') includes front and rear faces (18', 20') having indicia or an instruction thereon, and includes flashing lights (58) above and below the indicia. A recessed flange (86) defines an opening in the faces (18, 20), and a lens (87) is secured over the opening and to the flange (86) so that it is flush or planar with the faces (18', 20'). Light elements (28') are positioned within the sign housing (16') behind the lens (87). The sign housing (16') is sealed to protect the light element (28').

Abstract: An actuating device (10) for operating a safety unit (12) mounts on a vehicle (14) and moves between a retracted position adjacent the vehicle and an extended position extending outwardly from the vehicle. A housing (16) is fixedly mounted on the vehicle and a bracket (18) is pivotably mounted on the housing for movement about a predetermined pivot axis between the retracted and the extended positions. The actuating device (10) also includes a drive mechanism (20) for pivoting the bracket (18) about the pivot axis between the retracted position and the extended position. A torsional spring (22) is mounted about the pivot axis and torsionally interconnects the bracket (18) and the drive mechanism (20) for allowing relative movement therebetween when a predetermined force is applied to the bracket.

Abstract: A combined vent and escape hatch assembly for a vehicle roof of the type wherein the hatch is supported upon a pair of over-center hinge linkage devices one of which may be disconnected enabling the hatch to be fully opened for emergency exit purposes and wherein the other hinge device is protected against damage through the flexure of various hatch supporting components.

Abstract: The bumper system of the present invention is of a modular design wherein two substantially identical, laterally extending members are secured at their laterally innermost ends to define an integrated bumper device and wherein each module includes an energy absorbing hollow core element formed of a relatively rigid, though deflectable, high strength plastic material mounted in front of and upon a relatively stiff transverse support beam member which is, in turn, adapted to be secured to a vehicle frame through a suitable rearwardly extending bracket structure and which energy absorbing element and support beam are encapsulated in an elastomeric outer skin layer.

Abstract: A static vent for a vehicle such as a bus wherein the interior of the vehicle is continuously vented to the atmosphere in such a way as to prevent the ingress of rain water to the vehicle compartment.

Abstract: The bumper system of the present invention is of a modular design wherein two substantially identical laterally extending members are secured at their laterally innermost ends to define an integrated bumper device and wherein each module includes a relatively soft and resilient material mounted in front of and upon a relatively stiff, though deflectable, transverse support beam member which is, in turn, adapted to be secured to a vehicle frame through a suitable rearwardly extending bracket structure.

Abstract: A vehicle escape or ventilating hatch mounting assembly includes a mounting ring to be received in the hatch opening of the vehicle and to which the hatch is directly releasably connected with a trim bezel extending within the hatch opening and cooperating with the ring to finish off the opening.

Abstract: A lid for a vehicle roof opening has linkage hinging it to the roof structure accommodating tilting the lid upwardly in either of two directions, or elevating it bodily, for use of the opening to ventilate the vehicle, including provision for manually actuatable means both internal and external of the vehicle for separating parts of the hinging linkage to permit swinging the lid fully open for use of the roof opening as an escape hatch. In a modification, the lid is hinged for tilting in only one direction to a ventilating position or swinging to the full open position in the same direction.