US 11,186,314 B2Granted

Articulated vehicle assembly and articulation system for use therein

AssigneePlasan Sasa Ltd.

InventorsAmir Ben Shoshan, Asaf Engel

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An articulated vehicle assembly comprising a master vehicle having a master steering system and an onboard sensor arrangement configured to monitor at least said master steering system; a slave vehicle having a slave steering system and an onboard actuator arrangement configured to manipulate at least said slave steering system; an articulation system for articulating in a queue the master and the slave vehicles along a common longitudinal axis; and a processing unit configured to receive input signals from the onboard sensor arrangement and produce corresponding output signals to the onboard actuator arrangement to manipulate said slave steering system so as to maintain the master vehicle and the slave vehicle aligned along the common longitudinal axis, at least when the master vehicle performs a turn on a horizontal plane.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An articulation system for articulating in a queue two adjacent vehicles along a common longitudinal axis, said articulation system comprising:

at least three elongated members configured to extend between said two adjacent vehicles, each of the at least three elongated members having a first end connectable to a first vehicle via a first coupling configured to constrain all translational degrees of freedom (DOF) while at least partially allowing at least pitch movement on a vertical plane containing said longitudinal axis, and a second end connectable to a second vehicle via a second coupling;
wherein at least one of the second couplings is configured to at least partially constrain said pitch movement and constituting a pitch-constraining coupling;
wherein at least one of the second couplings is configured to at least partially constrain yaw movement on a horizontal plane containing said longitudinal axis and constituting a yaw-constraining coupling;
wherein the at least three elongated members include at least two outermost elongated members disposed at a maximal distance from the longitudinal axis on two sides thereof, the second couplings via which the second ends of the at least two outermost elongated members are connectable to the second vehicle being other than the pitch-constraining coupling and the yaw-constraining coupling;
wherein each of the at least three elongated members with the associated first and second couplings thereof constitutes a bridge assembly having a bridge longitudinal axis extending between the first and second couplings thereof, and wherein the bridge assemblies of the at least two outermost members each include an elastic portion configured to perform elastic deformation under load;
wherein said second couplings, via which the second ends of the at least two outermost elongated members are connectable to the second vehicle, are configured to at least partially allow translational movement along said bridge longitudinal axis;
and
wherein said elastic portion is disposed at the second coupling of the respective bridge assembly.

5 more elements

An articulated vehicle assembly, comprising:

a master vehicle having a master steering system and an onboard sensor arrangement configured to monitor at least said master steering system;
a slave vehicle having a slave steering system and an onboard actuator arrangement configured to manipulate at least said slave steering system;
an articulation system for articulating in a queue the master and the slave vehicles along a common longitudinal axis, said articulation system being configured to at least partially constrain all translational degrees of freedom (DOF) of the vehicles relative to each other, and at least partially constrain a yaw rotational movement of one of the vehicles with respect to the other on a horizontal plane containing said longitudinal axis;
and
a control system including the onboard sensor arrangement, the onboard actuator arrangement, and a processing unit configured to receive input signals from said onboard sensor arrangement and produce corresponding output signals to the onboard actuator arrangement to manipulate said slave steering system so as to maintain said master vehicle and the slave vehicle aligned along said common longitudinal axis, at least when said master vehicle performs a turn on said horizontal plane.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/546,671Filed 21 Aug 2019
Priority: IL 26132522 Aug 2018
Published: US 2020/0062306 A127 Feb 2020
Granted: 30 Nov 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B60D 1/173
Draw-gear or towing devices characterised by their type: consisting of at least two bars which are not connected or articulated to each other
B60D 1/32
For sway control ; Sway alarm means: involving damping devices
B60D 1/62
Auxiliary devices: involving supply lines, electric circuits or the like
B62D 12/00
Steering specially adapted for vehicles operating in tandem or having pivotally connected