Combination vehicle stabilizer compensated to prevent automatic brake application in normal turn or in passing

• US 3,893,692 A
• Filed: 02/27/1974
• Issued: 07/08/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lawrence E. Slimak, Rex W. Presley
• Original Assignee: Lawrence E. Slimak, Rex W. Presley
• Inventors: Presley, Rex W., Slimak, Lawrence E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schonberg, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Forman, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/446,246
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 180/103,82R 188/112,3R 303/7,20,24
• US Class Current: 303/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/06 Tractor-trailer swaying
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/248 Trailer sway, e.g. for preventing jackknifing

Abstract

An anti-sway apparatus for use in a tow vehicle-trailer braking system to provide the wheel brakes of the trailer with an actuation signal sufficient to initiate a lesser acceleration in the trailer than in the tow vehicle to develop a uniform acceleration in the tow vehicle-trailer combination.

Claims

1. An anti-Sway apparatus for use in a braking system of a tow vehicle-trailer combination to reduce motion adverse to a direction of travel, said anti-sway apparatus comprising:

first sensor means located in said tow vehicle-trailer combination having first weight means responsive to lateral movement for establishing a first signal;

second sensor means located on said tow vehicle-trailer combination, a fixed distance from said first sensor means having second weight means responsive to lateral movement for establishing a second signal;

comparator means connected to said first sensor means and said second sensor means for developing a brake actuation signal for simultaneously operating the brakes of the trailer when said first signal is different than said second signal; and

control means located on said tow vehicle-trailer combination for nullifying said brake actuation signal during periods of longitudinal acceleration of the tow vehicle-trailer combination.

2. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 1 wherein said first sensor means includes:

a first housing having a first bore therein, said first bore having a first inlet port, a second inlet port, and a first outlet port, said first inlet port being connected to said comparator means by a first conduit, said second inlet port being connected to said comparator means by a second conduit, said first outlet port being connected to a source of vacuum;

first ball means located in said first bore adjacent said first inlet port for controlling communication therebetween with the first outlet port;

second ball means located in said first bore adjacent said second inlet port for controlling communication therebetween with the first outlet port; and

first resilient means located in said first bore for urging said first and second ball means toward a corresponding seat on the first housing surrounding the first and second inlet ports.

3. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 2, wherein said lateral movement causes one of said first and second ball means to move away from the first housing and allow vacuum available at said first outlet port to evacuate air through the corresponding first and second conduits to develop said first signal.

4. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 3 wherein said second sensor means includes:

a second housing having a second bore therein, said second bore having a third inlet port, a fourth inlet port, and a second outlet port, said third inlet port being connected to said first conduit, said second inlet port being connected to said second conduit, said second outlet port being connected to said source of vacuum;

third ball means located in said second bore adjacent the third inlet port for controlling communication therebetween with the second outlet port;

fourth ball means located in said second bore adjacent the fourth inlet port for controlling communication therebetween with the second outlet port; and

second resilient means located in said second bore for urging said third and fourth ball means toward a corresponding seat on the second housing surrounding the third and fourth inlet port.

5. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein said lateral movement causes one of said third and fourth ball means to move away from the second housing and allow vacuum available at the second outlet port to evacuate air through the corresponding first and second conduits to develop said second signal in synchronization with said first signal.

6. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said comparator means includes:

a third housing having a first cavity, a second cavity, and a third cavity, said first cavity being connected to said first and second conduits, said second and third cavities being connected to the atmosphere and to said control means;

wall means secured to said third housing for dividing the first cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber, said first and second chambers Being connected to the atmosphere by first and second openings, respectively;

first poppet means associated with the second cavity to prevent free communication of atmosphere therethrough to the control means;

second poppet means associated with the third cavity to prevent free communication of atmosphere therethrough to the control means; and

connecting means attached to said wall means for engaging said first and second poppet means to allow air to flow to said control means in response to a pressure differential developing across the wall means upon presentation of the first and second signals through the first and second conduits to the first and second chambers, respectively.

7. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 6, wherein said control means includes:

a fourth housing having a fourth cavity therein, said fourth cavity having an entrance port and an exit port; and

piston means located in said fourth cavity and moved by responding to acceleration forces for interrupting the communication of air flow from the entrance port to the exit port.

8. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 7, wherein said piston means includes:

a cylindrical body having a fixed mass;

stem means attached to said cylindrical body, said stem means having a face thereon; and

resilient means located in said cavity for holding said face on the stem means away from said exit port until a predetermined acceleration force overcomes the resilient means and moves the cylindrical body to seat the face on the fourth housing and seal the exit port.

9. The anti-sway apparatus, as recited in claim 7 wherein said piston means includes:

a first cylindrical body separated from a second cylindrical body by a stem, said first cylindrical body and the fourth housing forming a first reaction chamber, said second cylindrical body and the fourth housing forming a second reaction chamber, said first reaction chamber being adapted to receive the brake actuation signal derived by air flow through said exit port, said second actuation chamber being adapted to receive air at atmospheric pressure; and

resilient means located in said fourth cavity for positioning said first and second cylindrical bodies to permit uninhibited air flow from the entrance port to the exit port until said actuation signal presented to the actuation chamber can move the first cylindrical body into a sealing position with the entrance port.