Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – For trailer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2001-07-10
Lefkowitz, Edward (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
For trailer
C280S477000, C280S504000, C280S511000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259357
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to a positioning apparatus for use during hitching a pickup truck or other towing vehicle to a trailer or other towed vehicle. More particularly, this invention relates to a positioning apparatus for aligning the coupling elements or the two vehicles as the towing vehicle is backed up or driven toward the towed vehicle and for indicating when the coupling elements are properly positioned for coupling.
2. Discussion
Hitching a vehicle to a trailer can be a long and frustrating process, especially when attempted by a single person. Because the coupling elements (i.e., ball and hitch) on the vehicle and trailer are normally not visible from the driver's seat, the driver must periodically stop the vehicle and inspect the alignment and position of the ball and hitch before moving the vehicle closer to the trailer. Even with frequent visual inspections, some misalignment of the ball and hitch normally results. A driver must then repeat the process or, if possible, manually shift the tongue and thus the hitch of the trailer over the ball so that the two vehicles can be hooked up. Complicating the maneuvering is the fact that a driver can become easily confused as to which direction to turn the front wheels in order to back the vehicle in the desired direction.
In an attempt to improve on this manual method, prior guidance systems have been designed for assisting a driver in maneuvering a vehicle toward a trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,495 to Beasley et al., for example, discloses a trailer hitch guide that uses an infrared light emitter mounted on a trailer and powered by a battery in the isolated unit. A support bar with alignment sensors is mounted on the back of a towing vehicle. The emitted infrared light produces a light field which can be detected by the receiving sensors on the vehicle. Beasley recites that depending on the orientation of the receiving sensors to the field, the alignment and position of the vehicle relative to the trailer can be determined from a direction indicator visible to the driver. The Beasley device, however, has a number of drawbacks. For example, the isolated light emitter mounted on the trailer runs on a battery in the unit and needs to be turned on before use and shut off after use. The same is true with the second sensor needed for the positioning of coupling. This leaves a great margin for human error as well as replacement and maintenance of the battery. Some vehicles may not have a support bar located in the rear bumper for mounting and this is cumbersome in design. Also, it is believed that the Beasley device may not always indicate accurately the relative position of the hitch and ball due to limitations of the Beasley approach.
Other exemplary prior devices for guiding the backing of a vehicle to a trailer are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,756 to Dito, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,628 to Fenner. These devices rely on mechanical contact switches or visual alignment mechanisms that are cumbersome and/or which must be mounted temporarily to a vehicle and trailer for use when attempting to back up and hitch the two together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an improved guiding apparatus for use in aligning and positioning a coupling element of a towing vehicle in hitching relation to a coupling element of a trailer or other towed vehicle.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a compact, easily installed, durable and reliable guiding apparatus with an audible indicator that indicates when the coupling elements of the vehicles are aligned and when their respective coupling elements are in position for coupling together.
Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus that indicates to the driver the direction in which to turn the steering wheel of the towing vehicle relative to the towed vehicle.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus capable of detecting certain objects and people between the towed and towing vehicle thereby reducing the risk of accidents during use and enhancing the overall safety during use of the apparatus.
To achieve these objects, an apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises an emitting means mounted under the ball on a towing vehicle for transmitting two focused optical beams toward a trailer or other towing utility vehicle. A reflecting means for receiving the two beams is mounted under the hitching tongue of the towed utility vehicle. The towing vehicle includes a plurality of sensors in predetermined locations relative to a towed coupling element, such as a hitch coupler for receiving pulsed infrared light information from the mounted reflector on the towed vehicle. These sensors discretely detect the presence of the first or second beam relative to the towing coupling element. When the ball coupler is in hitching relation to a towing coupling element, such as a trailer hitch on the tongue of the trailer, an alarm sounds. Further, an indicator is electrically coupled to the plurality of sensing means. The indicator comprises means for indicating alignment and misalignment of the truck ball and trailer hitch as the truck is backed up and also for indicating the direction in which the truck steering wheel should be turned to align these coupling elements in the event of any misalignment. In addition, the indicator comprises means for indicating when the coupling elements are in hitching relation.
In accordance with one specific aspect of the invention, the sensing means comprises at least three sensors in the rear of the towing vehicle under the ball or receiving coupler. In the illustrated embodiment, these three sensors are positioned along a line normal to the longitudinal vehicle axis. Also, the first and second optical beams are of a predetermined horizontal width and are centered about a vertical plane through the center of the ball and containing the longitudinal axis of the towing vehicle. In addition, the three sensors are directly under the ball or receiver coupling, spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of each focused beam. Therefore, the hitch and ball are aligned when the beams strike the third sensor spaced between the other two sensors.
In the illustrated embodiment, and as a more specific aspect of the present invention, the emitting means comprises two pulsed infrared light emitters for projecting infrared light to the reflecting means which reflects information back to the sensors as to the location of, and/or centering of, both light emitters.
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Goins Davetta
Harness Dickey & Pierce PLC
Lefkowitz Edward
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