AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING TRAILER CONVERTER DOLLY

• US 20120080866A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silver Cloud Manufacturing (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Silver Cloud Manufacturing (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Inventors: West, Gabe
• Granted Patent: US 8,794,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/476.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/015 Fifth wheel couplings
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/155 comprising telescopic or foldable parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/665 comprising supporting wheels, e.g. dollies
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 53/0814 with adjustment of the clearance between the tractor or the trailer devices modifying the load in tractor-trailer combinations B62D53/068
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 53/0864 Dollies for fifth wheel coupling

Abstract

A trailer converter dolly includes a frame bearing a fifth wheel supported by a suspension mechanism, an axle assembly, and a wheel assembly. A drawbar housing secured to the front of the frame moveably receives a drawbar which is configured to move toward and away from a leading truck or trailer, thus adjusting the distance between the towed trailer attached to the trailer converter dolly and a leading truck or trailer. A speed sensor determines the speed of the trailer converter dolly and provides one or more signals relating to the speed of the trailer converter dolly. An automatic adjusting mechanism associated with the moveable drawbar moves the drawbar in response to the one or more speed signals provided by the speed sensor.

Claims

1. A trailer converter dolly comprising:

a frame having a front end and a rear end;

an axle assembly supported by the frame;

two wheel assemblies supported by the axle assembly;

a fifth wheel assembly supported by the frame;

a drawbar housing having a longitudinal axis attached to the front end of the frame;

a drawbar moveably supported in the drawbar housing, wherein the drawbar is moveable along the longitudinal axis between an extended position and a retracted position;

a speed sensor operatively associated with the trailer converter dolly and configured to detect a speed of the trailer converter dolly and generate at least one signal indicative of the speed; and

an automatically driven adjustment mechanism operatively coupled to the drawbar and communicating with the speed sensor, wherein the automatically driven adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar housing in response to receiving the at least one signal indicative of the speed of the trailer converter dolly.

2. The trailer converter dolly according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one signal indicative of the speed includes a first signal indicative of a first predetermined speed and a second signal indicative of a second predetermined speed;

the automatically driven adjustment mechanism is further configured to adjust the position of the drawbar to the extended position with respect to the drawbar housing in response to receiving the first signal indicative of the first predetermined speed; and

the automatically driven adjustment mechanism is further configured to adjust the position of the drawbar to the retracted position with respect to the drawbar housing in response to receiving the second signal indicative of the second predetermined speed.

3. The trailer converter dolly according to claim 2, wherein:

the speed sensor includes an antilock braking system;

the first signal indicative of the first predetermined speed includes a first voltage placed on a conductive line; and

the second signal indicative of the second predetermined speed includes a second voltage placed on the conductive line.

4. The trailer converter dolly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor configured to receive speed information from the speed sensor, wherein the processor communicates with the automatically driven adjustment mechanism; and

wherein the processor is configured to cause the automatically driven adjustment mechanism to adjust the position of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar housing based on the speed information received from the speed sensor.

5. The trailer converter dolly according to claim 4, further comprising:

a position detector operatively associated with the drawbar and configured to detect the position of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar housing, wherein the processor is further configured to receive position information from the position detector; and

wherein the processor is further configured to cause the automatically driven adjustment mechanism to adjust the position of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar housing based on (a) the speed information received from the speed sensor and (b) the position information received from the position detector.

6. A trailer converter dolly according to claim 5, further comprising:

an interface operably connected to the processor for sending an indication relating to a particular trailer to the processor;

wherein the processor is programmed with position data associated with one or more trailers; and

wherein the processor further controls the automatically driven adjustment mechanism to automatically adjust the position of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar housing based on position data associated with the particular trailer indicated by the indication relating to a particular trailer.

7. A trailer converter dolly according to claim 5, wherein:

the processor controls the automatically driven adjustment mechanism to automatically adjust the position of the drawbar to the extended position with respect to the drawbar housing based on the signal indicative of the speed indicating a first speed of the trailer; and

the processor controls the automatically driven adjustment mechanism to automatically adjust the position of the drawbar to the retracted position with respect to the drawbar housing based on the signal indicative of the speed indicating a second speed of the trailer.

8. A trailer converter dolly according to claim 7, wherein:

the processor controls the automatically driven adjustment mechanism to automatically adjust the position of the drawbar to a position between the extended position and the retracted position with respect to the drawbar housing based on the signal indicative of the speed indicating a third speed of the trailer, wherein the third speed is greater than the first speed and less than the second speed.

9. A trailer converter dolly according to claim 1, wherein the drawbar housing is attached to the front end of the frame and the drawbar and the front end of the frame form a T-shape when viewed from a top view of the trailer converter dolly.

10. A trailer converter dolly according to claim 1, wherein the automatically driven adjustment mechanism includes:

an adjustment mechanism housing supported by the frame;

a shaft rotatably supported in the adjustment mechanism housing, wherein the shaft includes a longitudinal axis and the shaft includes an arrangement selected from one of threads, Acme, ball, or roller screw;

a motor supported by the frame, wherein the motor includes a drive shaft operably coupled to the shaft such that rotation of the drive shaft causes the shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis;

two drawbar driver rods slidably supported by the adjustment mechanism housing and coupled to the drawbar; and

a nut coupled to the two drawbar driver rods and coupled to the shaft such that rotation of the shaft about its longitudinal axis in a first rotational direction causes linear movement of the nut and of the two drawbar driver rods along the longitudinal axis of the shaft toward the front end of the frame to move the drawbar toward the extended position; and

wherein rotation of the shaft about its longitudinal axis in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction causes linear movement of the nut and of the two drawbar driver rods along the longitudinal axis of the shaft toward the rear end of the frame to move the drawbar toward the retracted position.

11. A system for adjusting a drawbar of a trailer converter dolly comprising:

a trailer converter dolly having a frame having a front end and a rear end, an axle assembly supported by the frame, two wheel assemblies supported by the axle assembly, a fifth wheel assembly supported by the frame, a drawbar housing having a longitudinal axis attached to the front end of the frame, and a drawbar moveably supported in the drawbar housing, wherein the drawbar is moveable along the longitudinal axis between an extended position and a retracted position;

a speed sensor operatively associated with a driving vehicle towing the trailer converter dolly and configured to detect a speed of the driving vehicle;

an adjustment mechanism operatively coupled to the drawbar; and

a switch located in a cab of the towing vehicle and communicating with the adjustment mechanism, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar housing in response to receiving a signal from the switch.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the switch includes a two position switch.

13. A system according to claim 11, further comprising a warning indicator communicating with (a) the speed sensor and (b) a position detector operatively associated with the drawbar.

14. A method for adjusting a drawbar of a trailer converter dolly comprising:

determining a first speed of the trailer converter dolly;

determining a second speed of the trailer converter dolly;

while the trailer converter dolly is moving, via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to a first position based on the first speed; and

while the trailer converter dolly is moving, via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to a second position based on the second speed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to the first position based on the first speed is performed automatically by an automatic adjustment mechanism that receives a signal from a speed sensor indicative of the first speed; and

via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to the second position based on the second speed is performed automatically by the automatic adjustment mechanism that receives a signal from the speed sensor indicative of the second speed.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising via a position detector, detecting a position of the trailer converter dolly with respect to a towing vehicle, and wherein:

while the trailer converter dolly is moving, via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to a first position is further based on the detected position of the trailer converter dolly with respect to a towing vehicle; and

while the trailer converter dolly is moving, via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to a second position is further based on the detected position of the trailer converter dolly with respect to a towing vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to the first position based on the first speed is performed manually by operating a switch to send a first signal to the adjustment mechanism; and

via an adjustment mechanism, moving the drawbar to the second position based on the second speed is performed manually by operating the switch to send a second signal to the adjustment mechanism.