The present invention relates to a flexible guide rail. More particularly, a shock absorbing assembly designed in conjunction with a weighing machine which reduces damages to the weighing machine and the vehicle or the goods carried by vehicles during operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicles, for example, trucks are generally weighed using a weighbridge. In the general design, when a truck is driven over the weighbridge, guide rails are provided on or by side the weighbridge to guide the truck driver to maintain the truck straight on the weighbridge. Since these guide rails are fixed in construction, they tend to get bent or damaged upon impact from trucks, if truck is not driven straight. The most common type of damage is bending and even breakage. This is majorly due to the design and selection of material for construction of such guide rails, but even the choice of material might prove to be an issue when compared to the different loads the material is subjected to.
There are so many design choices that engineers have adopted to tackle this problem but since there will always be situations where truck does not drive straight and body of vehicle makes contact with the guide rails provided on or by side of weighbridge, there is a prominent chance of damage to the vehicle and/or the guide rails. Therefore, there is a need for a cushioning element which needs to be positioned on or by side of the weighbridge so that the vehicle or materials in the vehicle and the guide rails are not damaged due to tear or bend. This need for a cushioning element or a shock absorbing assembly will also allow the guide rails to bounce back to original place after the truck body moves away.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The guide rail disclosed herein addresses the above mentioned need for a cushioning element which needs to be positioned on the weighbridge or pavement so as to avoid

damage in case the vehicle does not drive straight or material overhang on the vehicle. The guide rail disclosed herein addresses the above mentioned need for a shock absorbing element as well as it allows the rails to bounce back to original position after the vehicle body moves away.
The guide rail disclosed here comprises a bumper and a spring member mounted on poles that is fixed on weighbridge or on pavement. The bumper is positioned on a platform, for example, a weighbridge or a pavement, via one or more poles, wherein the bumper is configured to contact a vehicle that moves across the bumper. The spring member is configured to absorb a displacement generated by the vehicle during the movement across the bumper. In an embodiment, the spring member comprises a compression spring that is fixedly positioned at a bottom portion of each pole, wherein the compression spring is configured to be displaced due to impact force generated by the vehicle, or in other words, compressed based on the displacement of the bumper, with the impact force transferred to the compression spring through the poles, wherein the bumper reverts to original position on removal of contact with vehicle.
In an alternative embodiment, the spring member is positioned on top of poles and behind the bumper, wherein the springs are configured to be compressed in reaction to displacement of the bumper and the bumper reverts to original position on removal of contact with vehicle. In an alternative embodiment, the spring member comprises a leaf spring, or leaf springs, that is positioned behind the bumper, wherein the leaf spring is configured to be compressed on displacement of the bumper and revert to original position on removal of contact with vehicle. In an embodiment, the bumper is made of Polyethylene(PE) or rubber. The Polyethylene bumper will minimize the damage to the vehicle and itself. In an alternative embodiment the bumper is made of rubber fixed onto a metal plate or rubber molded onto the metal plate to minimize damage to vehicle under impact.
Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention. Reference will now be made to the accompanying diagrams which illustrate,

by way of an example, and not by way of limitation, of one possible embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The following drawings are illustrative of particular examples for enabling systems and methods of the present invention, are descriptive of some of the methods and mechanism, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The drawings are not to scale (unless so stated) and are intended for use in conjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description.
Figure 1A shows a front perspective view of the guide rail, in a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure IB shows a side perspective view of the guide rail before making contact with the vehicle which is to be weighed, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein this side perspective view shows the position of springs at the bottom of poles that provide the cushioning on impact.
Figure 1C shows a side perspective view of the guide rail during contact with the vehicle which is moved across the guide rail, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein this side perspective view shows the springs compressed on receipt of impact.
Figure ID shows atop perspective view of the bumper, made of PE, of the guide rail, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure IE shows a front perspective view of the bumper, made of PE, of the guide rail, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure IF shows a side perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper before making contact with the vehicle which is to be weighed, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, which shows the springs are uncompressed.
Figure 1G shows a side perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper during contact with the vehicle which is moved across the guide rail, in the first embodiment of

the present disclosure, wherein this side perspective view shows the springs compressed on receipt of impact.
Figure 1H shows a top perspective view of rubberized bumper, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure II shows a front perspective view of rubberized bumper, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2A shows a top perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper in front of a leaf spring, after the bumper contacts the vehicle, in the second alternative embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2B shows atop perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper in front of a leaf spring, before the bumper contacts the vehicle, in a second alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, where leaf spring is uncompressed.
Figure 2C shows a front perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper in front of a leaf spring, in the second embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2D shows a top perspective view of the guide rail with bumper made of PE in front of a leaf spring, after the bumper contacts the vehicle, in the second alternative embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2E shows a top perspective view of the guide rail with bumper made of PE in front of a leaf spring, before the bumper contacts the vehicle, in the second alternative embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2F shows the front perspective of guide rail with bumper made of PE as an alternative to rubberized bumper, with leaf spring at the back of bumper.
Figure 3A shows a top perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper that includes the compression springs positioned on top and behind the bumper, where the

guide rail contacts the vehicle and the springs are compressed, in a third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3B shows a top perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper that includes the compression springs positioned on top and behind the bumper before the vehicle contacts the bumper, in the third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3C shows a front perspective view of the guide rail with rubberized bumper that includes the compression springs positioned on top and behind bumper, in the third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3D shows a top perspective view of the guide rail that includes compression springs positioned on top and behind the bumper made of PE, where the guide bumper contacts the vehicle and the springs are compressed, in the third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3E shows a top perspective view of the guide rail that includes the compression springs positioned on top and behind the bumper made of PE, before the bumper contacts the vehicle, in the third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3F shows a front perspective view of the guide rail that includes the compression spring positioned on top and behind bumper made of PE as an alternative, in the third embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4A shows a perspective view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4B shows a front perspective view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4C shows a rear perspective view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 4D shows a top view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4E shows a bottom view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4F shows a left side view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4G shows a right side view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a pavement, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 5 A shows a perspective view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached to a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figures 5B shows a front perspective view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 5C shows a rear perspective view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 5D shows a top view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 5E shows a bottom view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 5F shows a left side view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 5G shows a right side view of the guide rail that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge, of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may represent both hardware components of the system. Further, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, persons skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only.
It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Figures 1A-1E show perspectives views of guide rail 100 with compression springs behind, at bottom of poles with bumper 102 made of PE. The bumper 102 is generally cuboidal in construction, as shown in Figure IE, which is positioned in front to receive the contact force from the vehicle while the vehicle moves over the platform, for example, the weighbridge, and accidently may hit or brush against the guide rail 100. The bumper 102 is mounted on poles 104 and the poles 104 are fixed to a pavement 106 or a weighbridge. Figure IF-II shows perspective views of the rubberized bumper, as an alternative to bumper made of PE of the guide rail 100, as in the first embodiment of the

present disclosure. In an example, rubber 112 is either bolted, adhesed or moulded to the metal plate 110 that acts as a bumper. The metal plate 110 is shown in Figure II.
During operation, a force (F) due to the vehicle hits or brushes-off on the bumper 102 that is fixed on the vertical poles 104, and this force is transmitted to the compression springs 108, that are fixed at bottom of the guide rail 100 inside metal boxes at bottom of poles 104. Each compression spring 108 is configured to absorb a displacement generated by the bumper 102. Due to compression of the spring 108 inside these metal boxes, the bumper 102 along with poles 104 is pushed back. After the force is removed, or in other words, when the vehicle moves past away from bumper, the compression springs 108 along with bumper 102 will revert to the original position.
Figures 2A-2F show perspective views of the guide rail 200 that includes a leaf spring 202 or leaf springs 202, in a second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A and 2C, the leaf spring 202 is fixed on poles 208, behind the bumper 210 and connected to support sections 204. As shown in Figure 2A, a Force (F) that is generated due to vehicle that hits or brushes-off against the bumper 210, as shown in Figure 2C, is transmitted to the leaf spring 202 that is positioned at the rear side of the bumper 210 which causes the leaf spring 202 to be compressed, due to which the bumper 210 is pushed backward. After removal of force (F), the leaf spring 202 along with bumper 210 will revert to original position. In an example reference 212, which is rubber that is either bolted, adhesed, or moulded to the metal frame 206. Furthermore, figures 2D-2F illustrate the guide rail 200 with bumper 210 made of PE, which is similar to bumper 102.
Figures 3A-3F show perspective views of the guide rail 300 that includes compression springs 302 positioned behind the bumper 306, in a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The compression springs 302 are positioned in contact and in the rear side of the bumper 306 which contacts and receives the force from the vehicle hits or brush offs and is displaced. As shown in Figure 3A, a force (F) due to the vehicle that hits or brushes-off against the bumper 306 fitted on vertical poles 308, as shown in Figure 3C, is transmitted to the compression spring 302 fitted at the rear of the bumper 306. This causes the compression springs 302 to be compressed, and due to which the bumper 306 is pushed backward. After removal of the force (F), the compression springs 302 along

with bumper 306 reverts to original position, as shown in Figure 3B. In this embodiment, bumber 306 is made of rubber 310 that is fixed on a metal plate 304 by bolting, molding, or adhesed, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. Furthermore, figures 3D-3F illustrate the guide rail 300 with bumper 306 made of PE, which is similar to bumper 102, as an alternative embodiment.
Figures 4A-4G show perspective views of the guide rail 400 that is configured to be attached on a pavement, in a fourth embodiment of the disclosure. The construction of the bumper 402 is same as aforementioned embodiment 100, however, the poles 406 are fixed on the pavement using fastener assemblies, for example, holes in metal box 408 for fixing. Based on the aforementioned embodiments, a manufacturer chooses a compression spring 108 or leaf spring 202 positioned behind the bumper 210 as detailed in second embodiment, or the compression springs 302 positioned at the top as detailed in third embodiment or a combination of them. The bumper could be rubber bolted, adhesed or moulded on a metal plate as explained in previous embodiments. The bumper 402 as shown in Figure 4A, shall contact the vehicle if a vehicle is not straight on the weighbridge to transmit the force (F) to springs.
Figures 5A-5G show perspective views of the guide rail 500 that is configured to be attached on a weighbridge. The construction of the bumper 502 is similar to the aforementioned first embodiment, however, the poles 506 are fixed to the weighbridge using fastener assemblies 508. Based on the aforementioned embodiment, a manufacturer can choose: a compression spring 108 to be positioned in fastener assembly at 508, a compression springs 302 on top of poles as in embodiment three or leaf spring 202 as in second embodiment to be positioned behind the bumper 502, or a combination of them. Furthermore, guide rails as described in second and third embodiments are designed to be fixed on the weighbridge or the pavement as described in embodiments 500 and 400.
While this description has disclosed certain specific embodiments of the present invention for illustrative purposes, various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, and it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing

descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

We Claim:

1.A guide rail comprising:
a bumper mounted on a platform via one or more fixed poles, wherein the bumper contacts a vehicle that drives over the platform, and wherein the vehicle brushes across the bumper; and
a spring member, wherein the spring member is configured to absorb a displacement generated by the bumper.
2. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the spring member comprises a compression spring that is positioned at a bottom portion of each fixed pole, wherein the compression spring is configured to be compressed based on the displacement of the bumper that is fixed on top of the fixed poles.
3. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the spring member comprises one or more leaf spring that are positioned behind the bumper, wherein the leaf springs are configured to be compressed based on the displacement of the bumper.
4. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the spring member comprises compression springs that are positioned on top of the poles and behind the bumper, wherein the compression spring is configured to be compressed based on the displacement of the bumper.
5. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the bumper is made of Polyethylene.
6. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the bumper is formed of one of rubber that is fixed on a metal plate and rubber that is molded, bolted or adhesed onto the metal plate.
7. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the bumper and the poles are configured to revert to original position after absorbing the displacement, when the vehicle is moved past the bumper.