Fifth wheel assembly for tractor-trailer combination
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorRoy A. Mittelstadt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fifth wheel assembly for close-coupling a tractor-trailer combination wherein the trailer has a pair of pivot members connected thereto that are movable within a continuous 3-section track carried by the tractor, with two of the track sections being curved and connected to the straight track section and converging towards a common point so that during a turn one of the pivot members moves in the straight track section, while the other pivot member moves in either of the two curved track sections.
Claims5
A fifth wheel device for coupling a tractor unit to a trailer unit and for providing relative articulation therebetween, one of said units having a pair of pivot members connected thereto;
- the other of said units having a guide track comprising a first track section, a second track section, and a third track section, said first track section being located along an axis which extends transversely to the longitudinal center axis of said other of said units, with one end portion of said first track section connected to said second track section and the other end portion of said first track section connected to said third track section so as to form a continuous guide track for said pair of pivot members;
- said second track section and said third track section extending rearwardly from said first track section and the spacing between said pair of pivot members being such that during straight-ahead alignment of said tractor unit and said trailer unit, one of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said one end portion of said first track section and the other of said pivot members is located adjacent said other end portion of said first track section, but during a turning maneuver in one direction one of said pair of pivot members moves along said first track section while the other of said pair of pivot members moves along said second track section, and during a turning maneuver in a direction opposite to said one direction, said other of said pair of pivot members moves along said first track section while said one of said pair of pivot members moves along said third track section.
A fifth wheel device for coupling a tractor unit to a trailer unit and for providing relative articulation therebetween, one of said units having a pair of pivot members connected thereto, each of said pair of pivot members being spaced laterally equidistantly from the longitudinal center axis of said one of said units, with one of said pair of pivot members being located on one side of said longitudinal center axis and the other of said pair of pivot members being located on the opposite side of said longitudinal center axis;
- the other of said units having a guide track comprising a first track section, a second track section, and a third track section, said first track section being located along an axis which extends substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal center axis of said other of said units, with one end portion of said first track section connected to said second track section and the other end portion of said first track section connected to said third track section so as to form a continuous guide track for said pair of pivot members;
- said second track section and said third track section extending rearwardly from said first track section and the spacing between said pair of pivot members being such that during straight-ahead alignment of said tractor unit and said trailer unit, one of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said one end portion of said first track section and the other of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said other end portion of said first track section, but during a turning maneuver in one direction one of said pair of pivot members moves along said first track section while the other of said pair of pivot members moves along said second track section, and during a turning maneuver in a direction opposite to said one direction, said other of said pair of pivot members moves along said first track section while said one of said pair of pivot members moves along said third track section.
A fifth wheel device for coupling a tractor unit to a trailer unit and for providing relative articulation therebetween, one of said units having a pair of pivot members connected thereto;
- the other of said units having a guide track comprising a straight track section and a pair of curved track sections, said straight track section being located along an axis which extends transversely to the longitudinal center axis of said other of said units, with one end portion of said straight track section connected to one of said pair of curved track sections and the other end portion of said straight track section connected to the other of said pair of curved track sections so as to form a continuous guide track for said pair of pivot members;
- said pair of curved track sections extending rearwardly from said straight track section and the spacing between said pair of pivot members being such that during straight-ahead alignment of said tractor unit and said trailer unit, one of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said one end portion of said straight track section and the other of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said other end portion of said straight track section, but during a turning maneuver in one direction, one of said pair of pivot members moves along said straight track section while the other of said pair of pivot members moves along one of said pair of curved track sections, and during a turning maneuver in a direction opposite to said one direction, said other of said pair of pivot members moves along said straight track section while said one of said pair of pivot members moves along said other of said pair of curved track sections.
A fifth wheel device for coupling a tractor unit to a trailer unit and for providing relative articulation therebetween, one of said units having a pair of pivot members connected thereto, each of said pair of pivot members being spaced laterally equidistantly from the longitudinal center axis of said one of said units, with one of said pair of pivot members being located on one side of said longitudinal center axis and the other of said pair of pivot members being located on the opposite side of said longitudinal center axis;
- the other of said units having a guide track comprising a straight track section and a pair of curved track sections, said straight track section being located along an axis which extends substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal center axis of said other of said units, with one end portion of said straight track section connected to one of said pair of curved track sections and the other end portions of said straight track section connected to the other of said pair of curved track sections so as to form a continuous guide track for said pair of pivot members;
- said pair of curved track sections extending rearwardly from said straight track section and converging towards a common point located on said longitudinal center axis of said other of said units;
- the spacing between said pair of pivot members being such that during straight-ahead alignment of said tractor unit and said trailer unit, one of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said one end portion of said straight track section and the other of said pair of pivot members is located adjacent said other end portion of said straight track section, but during a turning maneuver in one direction, one of said pair of pivot members moves along said straight track section while the other of said pair of pivot members moves along one of said pair of curved track sections, and during a turning maneuver in a direction opposite to said one direction, said other of said pair of pivot members moves along said straight track section while said one of said pair of pivot members moves along said other of said pair of curved track sections.
A fifth wheel device for coupling a tractor unit to a trailer unit and for providing relative articulation therebetween, one of said units having a pair of pivot members connected thereto, each of said pair of pivot members being spaced laterally equidistantly from the longitudinal center axis of said one of said units, with one of said pair of pivot members being located on one side of said longitudinal center axis and the other of said pair of pivot members being located on the opposite side of said longitudinal center axis;
- the other of said units having a guide track comprising a straight track section, a pair of curved track sections, and a pair of curved track portions, said straight track section being located along an axis which extends transversely to said longitudinal center axis of said other of said units, with one of said pair of curved portions connecting one end of said straight track section to one of said pair of curved track sections and the other of said pair of curved track portions connecting the other end of said straight track section to the other of said pair of curved track sections so as to form a continuous guide track for said pair of pivot members that is symmetrical about said longitudinal center axis of said other of said units, said pair of curved track sections extending rearwardly from said straight track section and converging towards a common point located on said longitudinal center axis of said other of said units;
- the spacing between said pair of pivot members being such that during straight-ahead alignment of said tractor unit and said trailer unit, one of said pair of pivot members is located in said one of said pair of curved track portions and the other of said pair of pivot members is located in said other of said pair of curved track portions, but during a turning maneuver in one direction, one of said pair of pivot members moves along said straight track section while said other of said pair of pivot members moves along one of said pair of curved track sections, and during a turning maneuver in a direction opposite to said one direction, said other of said pair of pivot members moves along said straight track section while said one of said pair of pivot members moves along said other of said pair of curved track sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.