Device for damping oscillations of a trailer
First Claim
1. Device for damping oscillations of a trailer hitched with its drawbar to a motor vehicle, comprisingdamping means mounted at least to the trailer and activatable in response to the magnitude of the jackknife angle of the trailer drawbar with respect to the motor vehicle occurring during swerving of the trailer to counteract the swerving motions at the rear end of the motor vehicle, andcoupling means between the motor vehicle and trailer horizontally adjusted at substantially right angles to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle displaceable in response to the damping means in proportion to the drawbar deflection from a position lying on the longitudinal vehicle axis to a position in the direction of the side of the motor vehicle into which the trailer is swerving.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a device for damping pendulum oscillations of a trailer hitched to a coupling of a motor vehicle. For this purpose, the coupling at the rear of the motor vehicle is horizontally adjustable at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and damping means serve for adjusting the coupling, in proportion to the deflection of the trailer drawbar, from a position lying on the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in the direction of the side of the motor vehicle into which the trailer is swerving.
Transverse movements of the coupling relatively to the superstructure of the motor vehicle cause a continuous shifting in the instantaneous fulcrum or center of rotation of the trailer drawbar forwardly along the longitudinal vehicle axis, whereby interfering forces impairing the driving direction of the trailer are counteracted and driving stability is ensured.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. Device for damping oscillations of a trailer hitched with its drawbar to a motor vehicle, comprising
damping means mounted at least to the trailer and activatable in response to the magnitude of the jackknife angle of the trailer drawbar with respect to the motor vehicle occurring during swerving of the trailer to counteract the swerving motions at the rear end of the motor vehicle, and coupling means between the motor vehicle and trailer horizontally adjusted at substantially right angles to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle displaceable in response to the damping means in proportion to the drawbar deflection from a position lying on the longitudinal vehicle axis to a position in the direction of the side of the motor vehicle into which the trailer is swerving.
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6. Device for damping lateral oscillations of a trailer having a first longitudinal axis hitched by its drawbar to a coupling mounted on the rear end of a motor vehicle having a second longitudinal axis comprising
means mounted at least to the drawbar for positioning said coupling movable on said vehicle along a first line substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in response to the magnitude of the angle between the first and second longitudinal axes such that, upon lateral oscillation of the trailer, the first longitudinal axis of the trailer intersects the second longitudinal axis of the vehicle at a point located at a position which is one of a first point at the intersection of the first line and the second longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and a second point located along the second longitudinal axis of the vehicle in the direction of forward vehicular travel with respect to said first point.
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7. A device for reducing oscillations of a trailer having a drawbar of a predetermined length and attached by coupling means to a motor vehicle comprising
means mounted at least to the drawbar for increasing the effective length of the drawbar to a value greater than said predetermined length by positioning the coupling means to position lateral with respect to longitudinal axis of the vehicle in a direction transverse to the direction of vehicle movement in response to the angle between a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a longitudinal axis of the trailer and means movable around at least one of first and second points on opposite sides of said vehicle for connecting at least one of first and second points on opposite sides of the trailer to said coupling means.
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12. Apparatus for coupling a trailer having a drawbar to a pulling vehicle comprising
a guide rail mounted to said vehicle extending substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of said vehicle, a slide means mounted to said drawbar for movement along said guide rail, an adjusting bar means mounted for pivotal motion with respect to the drawbar proximate the slide, at least one swivel lever means mounted for pivotal motion to said vehicle proximate an extension of the guide rail and pivoted with respect to the adjusting bar means, connecting rod means pivotally attached to said swivel lever means and mounted to a drawbar receiving head admitting the drawbar for rotational motion with respect to the receiving head and for longitudinal displacement of the drawbar with respect to the drawbar receiving head.
Specification