Systems and methods for deploying a trailer angle encoder

Abstract

Systems and methods determine an angle of an articulated trailer relative to a tractor that the trailer is hitched to. An optical encoder is positioned beneath a fifth-wheel of the tractor to couples with a kingpin of the trailer when the trailer is hitched to the tractor. The optical coupler has a rotating shaft that may include pins that physically interact with the kingpin and/or may include a magnet that magnetically attaches to the kingpin. A cleaning block is positioned interact with a bottom surface of a kingpin of the trailer during hitching of the trailer to the tractor. The trailer angle encoder may be automatically deployed when the kingpin is locked in the fifth-wheel. A LIDAR attached to the tractor may detect a front end of the trailer to determine the trailer angle relative to the tractor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.