No-slack restricted-drum stabilizer for commercial multitrailer combinations
OwnerLeonard Euteneierinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for reducing or eliminating rearward amplification of yaw in commercial multi-trailer highway combinations by maintaining constant tension on a cable-and-pulley system connecting a towed trailer with a towing trailer, and offering constant resistance to motion of the cable through the pulleys when the towed vehicle begins to yaw with respect to the towing vehicle. The cable is wrapped around a drum having a vertical axis of rotation. Cable tension is maintained by an air spring which slides the drum in a fore-and-aft direction. Resistance to movement of the cable connecting the vehicles is achieved by controlling rotation of the drum by means of a pneumatic brake.
Claims9
Apparatus for controlling yaw between a towed trailer and a towing trailer in highway operation of commercial multi-trailer combinations wherein the combination includes a tractor vehicle, said tractor vehicle having a compressed air system capable of supplying compressed air to all vehicles in the combination, and wherein a towing connection between any two adjacent trailers is a dolly having a frame under the forward portion of the towed trailer, and said dolly having a tongue, said tongue comprising converging arms extending forwardly from the dolly frame and having a pintle hitch at the point of convergence of the dolly arms, said apparatus comprising:
- a horizontally-disposed cable-and-pulley system connecting the dolly of the towed trailer to the towing trailer, said cable-and-pulley system including a rotatable drum mounted on a dolly tongue of the towed trailer, the drum having a vertical axis of rotation;
- a means to maintain constant tension on the cable of the cable-and-pulley system, said means comprising a means to controllably move the drum in a fore-and-aft direction;
- a means to restrict cable movement caused by relative yaw between the towing trailer and the dolly of the towed trailer.
Apparatus for controlling yaw of a commercial highway trailer having at least one rear axle, said trailer being pivotally supported at its front by a dolly having a frame and a tongue comprising forwardly-extending converging arms and a pintle hitch at the point of convergence of said arms, the trailer being towed by a preceding trailer, said apparatus comprising:
- a drum having a vertical axis of rotation;
- a cable-and-pulley system connecting the towing trailer and the dolly of the towed trailer, the system being disposed in the same horizontal plane as the drum;
- a plate on the dolly tongue on which the drum is rotatably mounted, the plate having fore-and-aft slidable capability with respect to the dolly tongue, the fore-and-aft displacement of the plate-mounted drum being sufficient to place tension on the cable;
- a pneumatic means mounted between the dolly tongue and the slidable plate for moving the plate;
- a disc brake fixed to the drum structure and extending radially therefrom;
- and
- a pneumatic brake mounted on the plate and cooperating with the brake disc to control rotational movement of the drum around which the cable is wrapped and tensioned.
A method of controlling yaw between trailers in highway operation of commercial multi-trailer combinations, said combinations having a compressed air system capable of supplying compressed air to all vehicles in the combination, and wherein a towing connection between trailers is a pintle hitch on a dolly having a dolly tongue, said dolly tongue extending forward from a towed trailer to a towing trailer, and wherein the towing trailer and the dolly of the towed trailer are also connected to each other by a cable-and-pulley system, which includes a rotatable drum mounted on a dolly tongue of the towed trailer, the drum having a vertical axis of rotation, said method comprising:
- placing a predetermined constant tension on the cable of the cable-and-pulley system;
- maintaining said predetermined constant tension by controllably moving said drum in a fore-and-aft direction;
- and
- restricting movement of the cable through the pulleys at the onset of yaw.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.