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US 4,993,737 AGranted
Load-bearing multi-position drawbar arrangement and suspension system
AssigneeMagna Van Systems, Inc.
InventorAlbert Torcomian
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Two wheeled units of a vehicle are adjustably interconnectably positioned relative to each other. An apertured track assembly is stationarily mounted on one of the units, while a locking assembly is mounted on the other of the units. The locking assembly includes at least one locking pin displaceable into and out of at least one aperture on the track assembly. The locking assembly may be unlocked either manually or with power assistance. The two wheeled units may be leading and trailing cargo units of a vehicle whose spacing apart from each other is to be controlled in a load-bearing drawbar arrangement. Alternatively, the wheeled units may be a bogie subframe mounted underneath a cargo unit and movable relative thereto for better weight distribution of the payload in a suspension system.
Claims30
A load-bearing, multi-position, drawbar arrangement for adjustably, interconnectably positioning apart from each other, at any selected one of a plurality of spacings, leading and trailing wheeled cargo units of a vehicle, as considered along the direction of vehicle advancement, said arrangement comprising:
- (a) track means stationarily mounted on one of the cargo units, and having a plurality of apertures spaced apart of one another along a longitudinal direction parallel to the direction of vehicle advancement;
- (b) actuatable locking means mounted on the other of the cargo units for joint movement therewith along the longitudinal direction relative to the track means, and operative for releasably locking the cargo units together at said selected spacing, said locking means including at least one locking pin displaceable into and out of a selected one of the apertures that corresponds to said selected spacing;
- (c) actuating means for displacing said at least one locking pin between a locked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced into said selected aperture to lock the cargo units apart at said selected spacing, and an unlocked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced out of said selected aperture to unlock the cargo units and enable the cargo units to be moved to another selected one of the spacings.
- (d) a carriage mounted upon said track means for slidable movement therealong, said locking means being mounted on said carriage;
- and
- wherein said actuating means comprises power-assist means and said actuating means comprises a shaft journaled on the carriage for turning movement about the longitudinal direction;
- a pair of elongated arms extending in opposite transverse directions, each arm having one end connected to the shaft, and another end connected to a respective pin;
- a crank link fixedly mounted on the shaft and extending outwardly thereof to an offset end such that, in a locked position, said shaft, said elongated arms, said locking pins, and said apertures are substantially at the same height and are traversed by a common horizontal plane;
- an electrically-powered pneumatic device operatively connected to the offset end and operative, when electrical power is supplied to the pneumatic device from a remote activator, to turn the crank link and, in turn, the shaft through an angular distance sufficient to pull the arms in opposite directions and, in turn, to pull the pins out of the aligned apertures to the unlocked state.
6 more elements
A remotely-controlled suspension system for adjustably positioning a wheeled subframe at any selected one of a plurality of multiple positions relative to a cargo unit of a vehicle, comprising:
- (a) track means stationarily mounted on the cargo unit, and having a plurality of apertures spaced apart of one another along a longitudinal direction parallel to the direction of vehicle advancement;
- (b) actuatable locking means mounted on the wheeled subframe for joint movement therewith along the longitudinal direction relative to the track means, and operative for releasably locking the wheeled subframe to the cargo unit at said selected position, said locking means including at least one locking pin displaceable into and out of a selected one of the apertures that corresponds to said selected position;
- (c) actuating means for displacing said at least one locking pin between a locked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced into said selected aperture to lock the cargo unit and the subframe at said selected position, and an unlocked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced out of said selected aperture to unlock the cargo unit and the subframe and enable the cargo unit to be moved from the subframe to another selected one of the positions;
- and
- (d) a carriage mounted upon said tracks for slidable movement therealong, said locking means being mounted on said carriage;
- and
- wherein said actuating means comprises power-assist means and said actuating means comprises a shaft journaled on the carriage for turning movement about the longitudinal direction;
- a pair of elongated arms extending in opposite transverse directions, each arm having one end connected to the shaft, and another end connected to a respective pin;
- a crank link fixedly mounted on the shaft and extending outwardly thereof to an offset end such that, in a locked position, said shaft, said elongated arms, said locking pins, and said apertures are substantially at the same height and are traversed by a common horizontal plane;
- an electrically-powered pneumatic device operatively connected to the offset end and operative, when electrical power is supplied to the pneumatic device from a remote activator, to turn the crank link and, in turn, the shaft through an angular distance sufficient to pull the arms in opposite directions and, in turn, to pull the pins out of the aligned apertures to the unlocked state.
7 more elements
A multi-position arrangement for adjustably, interconnectably positioning relative to each other, at any selected one of a plurality of positions, wheeled units of a vehicle, comprising:
- (a) track means stationarily mounted on one of the wheeled units, and having a plurality of apertures spaced apart of one another along a longitudinal direction parallel to the direction of vehicle advancement;
- (b) actuatable locking means mounted on the other of the wheeled units for joint movement therewith along the longitudinal direction relative to the track means, and operative for releasably locking the wheeled units together at said selected position, said locking means including at least one locking pin displaceable into and out of a selected one of the apertures that corresponds to said selected position;
- and
- (c) actuating means for displacing said at least one locking pin between a locked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced into said selected aperture to lock the wheeled units at said selected position, and an unlocked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced out of said selected aperture to unlock the wheeled units and enable the latter to be moved relative to one another to another selected one of the positions wherein said actuating means comprises power-assist means including a remote actuator and said actuating means comprises a shaft journaled on the carriage for turning movement about the longitudinal direction, a pair of elongated arms extending in opposite transverse directions, each arm having one end connected to the shaft, and another end connected to a respective pin;
- a crank link fixedly mounted on the shaft and extending outwardly thereof to an offset end such that, in a locked position, said shaft, said elongated arms, said locking pins, and said apertures are substantially at the same height and are traversed by a common horizontal plane;
- a electrically-powered pneumatic device operatively connected to the offset end and operative, when electrical power is supplied to the pneumatic device from a remote activator, to turn the crank link and, in turn, the shaft through an angular distance sufficient to pull the arms in opposite directions and, in turn, to pull the pins out of the aligned apertures to the unlocked state.
3 more elements
A load-bearing, multi-position, drawbar arrangement for adjustably, interconnectably positioning apart from each other, at any selected one of a plurality of spacings, leading and trailing wheeled cargo units of a vehicle, as considered along the direction of vehicle advancement, said arrangement comprising:
- (a) track means stationarily mounted on one of the cargo units, and having a plurality of apertures spaced apart of one another along a longitudinal direction parallel to the direction of vehicle advancement;
- (b) actuatable locking means mounted on the other of the cargo units for joint movement therewith along the longitudinal direction relative to the track means, and operative for releasably locking the cargo units together at said selected spacing, said locking means including at least one locking pin displaceable into and out of a selected one of the apertures that corresponds to said selected spacing;
- (c) actuating means for displacing said at least one locking pin between a locked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced into said selected aperture to lock the cargo units apart at said selected spacing, and an unlocked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced out of said selected aperture to unlock the cargo units and enable the cargo units to be move to another selected one of the spacings;
- (d) sensor means connected to said vehicle for detecting the selected spacing between the cargo units;
- (e) energizable indicator means within a control console means attached to the leading vehicle for indicating the spacing detected by said sensor means;
- and
- wherein the sensor means comprises an enlongated sensor strip mounted on said vehicle and extending along the longitudinal direction of said vehicle, a plurality of contact pads spaced apart from one another along said strip at distances corresponding to said plurality of spacing, and a wiper fixed mounted on a carriage means while being movable relative to the strip into electrical engagement with the pads thereon, and wherein said indicator means is energized when said wiper contacts at least one of said pads.
4 more elements
A remotely-controlled suspension system for adjustably positioning a wheeled subframe at any selected one of a plurality of multiple positions relative to a cargo unit of a vehicle, comprising:
- (a) track means stationarily mounted on the cargo unit, and having a plurality of apertures spaced apart of one another along a longitudinal direction parallel to the direction of vehicle advancement;
- (b) actuatable locking means mounted on the wheeled subframe for joint movement therewith along the longitudinal direction relative to the track means, and operative for releasably locking the wheeled subframe to the cargo unit at said selected position, said locking means including at least one locking pin displaceable into and out of a selected one of the apertures that corresponds to said selected position;
- (c) actuating means for displacing said at least one locking pin between a locked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced into said selected aperture to lock the cargo unit and the subframe at said selected position, and an unlocked state in which said at least one locking pin is displaced out of said selected aperture to unlock the cargo unit and the subframe and enable the cargo unit to be moved from the subframe to another selected one of the positions;
- (d) sensor means connected to said vehicle for detecting the selected position;
- (e) energizable indicator means within a control console means attached to the leading vehicle for indicating the position detected by said sensor means;
- and
- wherein the sensor means comprises an elongated sensor strip mounted on said vehicle and extending along the longitudinal direction of said vehicle, a plurality of contact pads spaced apart from one another along said strip at distances corresponding to said plurality of positions, and a wiper fixedly mounted on a carriage means while being movable relative to the strip into electrical engagement with the pads thereon, and wherein said indicator means is energized when said wiper contacts at least one of said pads.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.