Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Patent
1995-06-15
1998-01-13
Johnson, Victor E.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
280432, 105 3, 213 75R, B62D 100, B62D 5300
Patent
active
057070717
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
THIS INVENTION relates to a sway stabilization system for a towed vehicle drawn behind a lead vehicle and in particular but not limited to a sway stabilization system for an articulated vehicle of the type having a prime mover coupled to a first trailer via a fifth wheel coupling and one or more towed trailers behind the first trailer.
Undesirable sway between a towed vehicle and a lead vehicle can lead to the towed vehicle moving out of control and causing an accident. One typical accident is known as a "jack-knife" where the towed vehicle swivels out of control relative to the lead vehicle possibly shearing its coupling to the lead vehicle and rolling or causing the lead vehicle to roll as well.
Undesirable sway can cause accidents when a vehicle is turning, when a vehicle is braking or during collision, and it would be desirable to provide a system to stabilize sway and thereby inhibit undesirable sway during these situations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing and other objects in mind, the present invention resides in one aspect in a sway stabilization system to inhibit undesirable side-ways sway of a towed vehicle relative to a lead vehicle, the system having a brake assembly including brake means disposed between the vehicles, sway detection means responsive to undesirable sway and brake control means responsive to detection of undesirable sway by the sway detection means to initiate operation of the brake means, the brake means being operable to inhibit undesirable sway and said brake control means being adapted to automatically actuate the brake means in response to detected undesirable sway while the vehicles are travelling.
The towed vehicle and lead vehicle are typically coupled together using a hitch pin and draw bar assembly, the brake assembly comprising a hitch pin and draw bar follower means having opposed ends coupled to the towed vehicle and lead vehicle respectively in order to follow the hitch pin and draw bar assembly as the vehicles travel. One end of the hitch pin and draw bar follower means typically includes a sway transmission member protruding from the towed vehicle in parallel with the draw bar and extending toward the lead vehicle, and the opposed end of the hitch pin and draw bar follower means having a hollow pivotable braking surface carrier means secured to the lead vehicle and being adapted to receive the sway transmission member and pivot therewith in response to movement of the draw bar relative to the hitch.
The sway transmission member and/or the braking surface carrier means, are preferably flexibly mounted or otherwise moveably secured to the respective vehicles to allow limited torsional movement as the vehicles travel so as not to interfere with the normal operation of the hitch pin and the draw bar assembly.
The brake means typically comprises a horizontal braking surface coupled or otherwise secured to the pivotable braking surface carrier means and a controllably movable non-pivotable braking surface adapted to engage the pivotable braking surface in response to the brake control means initiating braking in order to automatically resist the pivotal movement of the draw bar relative to the hitch, thereby providing a braking action against undesirable sway.
The non-pivotable braking surface is preferably driven into braking contact with the pivotable braking surface using a drive means such as pneumatically operated pistons operating under influence of the brake control means in response to undesirable sway being detected by the sway detection means disposed on the vehicle. The sway detection means preferably employs one or more sensor means, the sensor means typically includes one or a plurality of sensors operating independently or in conjunction with one another, the sensors being selected from the following: vehicle relative to the lead vehicle; operated by a driver of the vehicles.
In one typical embodiment, the transducers supply data to a cab decision circuit with the steering tran
REFERENCES:
patent: 3825282 (1974-07-01), Meinholdt
patent: 4556231 (1985-12-01), Schultz
patent: 4763916 (1988-08-01), Ratsko et al.
Prestidge Leslie Walter
Von Batenburg Lambert
Johnson Victor E.
Presbat Products Pty. Ltd.
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