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US 2016/0257250 A1Published application
Vehicle improper load sensor
AssigneeAuto Truck Group, LLC
InventorsKevin Zielezinski, Bryan Schieler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle load warning apparatus utilizing inductive proximity sensors to signal an alarm to an operator when a vehicle achieves a maximum weight. The vehicle load warning apparatus can also provide an intermediate warning to an operator when the vehicle approaches the maximum weight. The vehicle load warning apparatus can also utilize inductive proximity sensors at each end of both axles of a vehicle and provide imbalance warning signals if the weight on a vehicle is not equally distributed throughout the body of the vehicle.
Claims53
A vehicle overload warning apparatus comprising:
- a proximity sensor mounted to the body of said vehicle;
- a member attached at a first end to the axle housing of said vehicle in a vertical position below said sensor;
- and
- a second end of said member being disposed with respect to said sensor (i) horizontally, so as to be disposed directly under said sensor;
- (ii) offset in a direction from front to back of said vehicle, so as to provide a clearance distance that is less than the distance of the nominal range of said sensor between said sensor and said member in the case in which said sensor moves downward as said vehicle is loaded;
- and (iii) vertically, in a position such that in the case in which said vehicle approaches becoming overloaded, with the result that in the case in which said sensor deflects downward until said member has become vertically aligned with said sensor whereby said clearance distance between said sensor is within the nominal range of said sensor thereby triggering said sensor, yet such clearance distance being great enough so as to avoid contact between said sensor and said member.
3 more elements
A vehicle load warning apparatus comprising:
- a inductive proximity sensor mounted to a first plate at a first end;
- said first plate having a second end mounted to a first end of a second pate;
- said second plate having a second end mounted to a vehicle body;
- a bracket attached at a first end to the axle housing on the said vehicle;
- and
- a second end of the bracket being disposed in a position such that when a vehicle is loaded to a maximum weight, said inductive proximity sensor deflects with the vehicle body until the second end of the bracket is vertically aligned in front of the sensing component of the inductive proximity sensor whereby the distance between the sensing component of the inductive proximity sensor is within an nominal range to detect the second end of the bracket, yet not so close as to permit contact between the inductive proximity sensor and the second end of the bracket.
3 more elements
A vehicle load warning apparatus comprising:
- a first proximity sensor mounted to the body of said vehicle;
- a second proximity sensor mounted to said body at a position above said first sensor;
- a member attached at a first end to the axle housing on the said vehicle in a vertical position below said first sensor;
- and
- a second end of said member being disposed with respect to said first sensor (i) horizontally, so as to be disposed directly under said first sensor;
- (ii) offset in a direction from front to back of said vehicle, so as to provide clearance between said first sensor and said second sensor in the case in which said sensors move downward as the vehicle is loaded;
- and (iii) vertically, in a position such that in the case in which said vehicle is loaded to a maximum weight, said first sensor and said second sensor deflect with said body until said second end of said member has become vertically aligned, first, with said first sensor whereby said clearance distance between said first sensor and said member is within the nominal range of said first sensor thereby triggering said first sensor, while said clearance distance being great enough so as not to permit contact between said first sensor and said member, and second, with said second sensor whereby said clearance distance between said second sensor and said member is within the nominal range of said second sensor thereby triggering said second sensor, while said clearance distance being great enough so as not to permit contact between said second sensor and said member.
4 more elements
A vehicle load warning apparatus comprising:
- a first proximity sensor mounted to the rear driver side of the body of said vehicle;
- a driver side member attached at a first end to the driver side rear axle housing of said vehicle;
- a second proximity sensor mounted to the rear passenger side of the body of said vehicle;
- a passenger side member attached at a first end to the passenger side rear axle housing of said vehicle;
- a second end of said driver side member and a second end of said passenger side member disposed horizontally equidistant from the ground on which said vehicle rests, such that, first, in the case in which said vehicle becomes overloaded in an unbalanced manner such that the center of gravity of the load deflects toward the driver side of said vehicle, said first sensor moves downward so as to be no longer horizontally equidistant from said ground with said second sensor with the result that said driver side member becomes vertically aligned with and within the nominal range of said first sensor without contact between said first sensor and said driver side member, thereby triggering said first sensor, and, second, in the case in which said vehicle becomes overloaded in an unbalanced manner such that the center of gravity of the load deflects toward the passenger side of said vehicle, said second sensor moves downward so as to be no longer horizontally equidistant from said ground with said first sensor with the result that said passenger side member becomes vertically aligned with and within the nominal range of said second sensor without contact between said second sensor and said passenger side member, thereby triggering said second sensor.
2 more elements
A vehicle overload warning apparatus comprising:
- a proximity sensor mounted to the body of the said vehicle in a horizontal position relative to the axle housing of said vehicle;
- a member attached to said axle housing in a horizontal position relative to and directly below said sensor so that, in the case in which said vehicle approaches becoming overloaded said sensor deflects downward with the result that the distance between said sensor and said member is within the nominal range of said sensor, thereby triggering said sensor;
- and
- a bump stop attached to said body of said vehicle having a width great enough so as to contact said axle housing in the case in which said body and said sensor deflect downward to avoid contact between said sensor and said member.
1 more element
A vehicle load warning apparatus and range of payload indicator system comprising:
- a first proximity sensor mounted to the body of said vehicle;
- a second proximity sensor mounted to said body at a position above said first sensor;
- a member attached at a first end to the axle housing on the said vehicle in a vertical position below said first sensor;
- and
- a second end of said member being disposed with respect to said first sensor (i) horizontally, so as to be disposed directly under said first sensor;
- (ii) offset in a direction from front to back of said vehicle, so as to provide clearance between said first sensor and said second sensor in the case in which said sensors move downward as the vehicle is loaded;
- and (iii) vertically, in a position such that in the case in which said vehicle is loaded to a maximum weight, said first sensor and said second sensor deflect with said body until said second end of said member has become vertically aligned, first, with said first sensor whereby said clearance distance between said first sensor and said member is within the nominal range of said first sensor thereby triggering said first sensor, said clearance distance being great enough so as not to permit contact between said first sensor and said member, and second, with said second sensor whereby said clearance distance between said second sensor and said member is within the nominal range of said second sensor thereby triggering said second sensor, said clearance distance being great enough so as not to permit contact between said second sensor and said member whereby a predetermined first payload range is indicated to the operator of said vehicle in the case in which said first sensor has been triggered but said second sensor has not been triggered, and whereby a predetermined second payload range that is greater than said first payload range is indicated to the operator of said vehicle in the case in which said second sensor has been triggered.
4 more elements
A vehicle load warning apparatus and range of payload indicator system comprising:
- a multiplicity of proximity sensors mounted directly one above the other to the body of said vehicle;
- a member attached at a first end to the axle housing on the said vehicle in a vertical position below the lowest mounted of said multiplicity of sensors;
- and
- a second end of said member being disposed with respect to said multiplicity of sensors (i) horizontally, so as to be disposed directly under said lowest mounted sensor;
- (ii) offset in a direction from front to back of said vehicle, so as to provide clearance between each of said sensors in the case in which said sensors move downward as the vehicle is loaded;
- and (iii) vertically, in a position such that in the case in which said vehicle is loaded said sensors deflect with said body until said second end of said member has become vertically aligned, first, with said lowest mounted sensor whereby said clearance distance between said first sensor and said member is within the nominal range of said first sensor thereby triggering said first sensor, said clearance distance being great enough so as not to permit contact between said first sensor and said member, and thereafter with each of said sensors in turn, whereby said clearance distance between each of said sensors and said member is within the nominal range of said sensor thereby triggering said sensor, said clearance distance being great enough so as not to permit contact between any of said sensors and said member whereby a predetermined first payload range is indicated to the operator of said vehicle in the case in which said lowest mounted sensor has been triggered but said second sensor has not been triggered, and in turn whereby predetermined payload ranges that are greater than said first payload range are in turn indicated to the operator of said vehicle in the case in which each of said sensors in turn has been triggered.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.