Rotational safety mirror installation for vehicle connected in tandem
First Claim
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1. A side rear-view mirror system for an interconnected assembly of a pulling vehicle having a cab for the driver'"'"'s occupancy, and a pulled vehicle;
- the system comprising,in combination;
an outside mirror having a vertical axis of rotation and a base, about which axis the mirror is rotatable, said mirror being mounted on the pulling vehicle;
a stepper motor, an electronic rotary encoder, and an electronic control box;
the electronic control box being operatively connected to said rotary encoder to receive electrical signals from the rotary encoder, and correspondingly generating electrical drive pulses to the stepper motor, the rotary encoder having a control shaft, the rotary encoder being operative to generate electrical signals in correspondence to angular movement of the control shaft,a fifth-wheel hitch having components on the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle,the component of the fifth-wheel hitch located on the pulled vehicle being a kingpin, the kingpin having a first end which is mounted on the pulled vehicle and a second end which is free, the component of the fifth-wheel hitch located on the pulling vehicle being a kingpin coupler, and a pair of bevel gears,the mirror being electrically rotated by the stepper motor, the stepper motor being located at the base of the mirror,said stepper motor being operatively connected to said electronic control box to receive said electrical drive pulses from the electronic control box, said box being mounted on the pulling vehicle,the electronic control box being operative to receive and interpret electrical signals, such that any relative angular displacement from an in-line tandem position between the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle is sensed by said electronic control box, the electrical signals being proportional to the amount of said angular displacement, and are generated by the electronic rotary encoder,the rotary encoder being mounted on the pulling vehicle component of the fifth-wheel hitch,the movement of the shaft of the rotary encoder being coordinated with the angular displacement of the fifth-wheel hitch'"'"'s kingpin component located on the pulled vehicle,the coordinated angular displacement being accomplished by the pair of bevel gears, one of the bevel gears being mounted on the free end of the kingpin, the other of the bevel gears being mounted on an end of the shaft of the rotary encoder such that operative meshing of these two gears occurs when the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle are joined by the fifth-wheel hitch components of the pulling vehicle and of the pulled vehicle, by which any change in the angular displacement between the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle, as occurs during a turn of the interconnected assembly, will result in a corresponding turning of the shaft of the rotary encoder, which sends a corresponding electronic signal to the control box which in turn sends a corresponding amount of electrical drive pulses to the stepper motor to rotate the outside mirror;
the mirror providing a view directed toward the side portion of the rear portion of the pulled vehicle, said mirror rotates a significant arc from its original position to follow the relative angular displacement between the two vehicles from a generally in-line tandem position, as the pulled vehicle relatively swings outwardly a significant arc from its original position when following the pulling vehicle in a generally aligned tandem manner;
the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle being provided with said fifth-wheel components, which provide a pivotal connection by which the vehicle are pivotally connected in a tandem relation, the pivotal connection being located in a rearward portion of the pulling vehicle and in a forward portion of the pulled vehicle, with the pulling vehicle'"'"'s outside mirror mounted on the pulling vehicle forwardly of but laterally to the side of said fifth-wheel pivotal connection of the vehicles about one-half the width of the pulled vehicle'"'"'s rear portion,the system providing a driver with said view directed toward the pulled vehicle'"'"'s rear-portion of said side portion, while the two vehicles are displaced from a generally in-line tandem position,the system causing the mirror to rotate, from its original position to maintain the view to be along the side of the pulled vehicle, the amount of the mirror'"'"'s rotation being an angle "a" which is numerically equal to;
##EQU3## wherein "a" is the angle of the mirror rotation from its original position to direct the view to be along the side of the pulled vehicle, andwhere "b" is the angle, as sensed by the turning of the shaft of the rotary encoder, which the pulled vehicle has swung from its generally aligned tandem-pulled position directly behind the pulling vehicle,and where "t" is the fore-and-aft distance from the pivotal connection to the rear end of the pulled vehicle;
and where "k" is one-half the width of the rear portion of the pulled vehicle;
and where "C" is the fore-and-aft distance from the center axis of said mirror to the pivotal connection.
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Abstract
A special rear vision mirror device and installation which provides and utilizes a continual safety monitoring of the angular relationship between the pivotally-connected tractor and trailer vehicle units of a "semi" (tractor/trailer tandem-connected vehicles). The overall mirror installation, during a semi'"'"'s turning maneuver, automatically rotates the mirror in a special relation and correspondence to what at each increment of the turn is the angular relation of the tractor and trailer, particularly the angular changes from a straight (in line) tandem vehicle relation, occurring while the semi is in the turning maneuver. This provides, continuously, a controlled, and as needed, continuously-adjusted safety setting for the mirror, such that the driver'"'"'s safety-needed vision of the trailer'"'"'s rear portion and rear wheels is viewable through the mirror; thus the driver'"'"'s vision during a turn is permitted and provided by the mirror to be that of maximal safety. The mirror'"'"'s controlled rotation is provided to be one-half the angle which is a special and changing-value function of the amount of rotational swing of the trailer in the turn at any portion of the turn.
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Citations
1 Claim
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1. A side rear-view mirror system for an interconnected assembly of a pulling vehicle having a cab for the driver'"'"'s occupancy, and a pulled vehicle;
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the system comprising, in combination; an outside mirror having a vertical axis of rotation and a base, about which axis the mirror is rotatable, said mirror being mounted on the pulling vehicle; a stepper motor, an electronic rotary encoder, and an electronic control box;
the electronic control box being operatively connected to said rotary encoder to receive electrical signals from the rotary encoder, and correspondingly generating electrical drive pulses to the stepper motor, the rotary encoder having a control shaft, the rotary encoder being operative to generate electrical signals in correspondence to angular movement of the control shaft,a fifth-wheel hitch having components on the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle, the component of the fifth-wheel hitch located on the pulled vehicle being a kingpin, the kingpin having a first end which is mounted on the pulled vehicle and a second end which is free, the component of the fifth-wheel hitch located on the pulling vehicle being a kingpin coupler, and a pair of bevel gears, the mirror being electrically rotated by the stepper motor, the stepper motor being located at the base of the mirror, said stepper motor being operatively connected to said electronic control box to receive said electrical drive pulses from the electronic control box, said box being mounted on the pulling vehicle, the electronic control box being operative to receive and interpret electrical signals, such that any relative angular displacement from an in-line tandem position between the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle is sensed by said electronic control box, the electrical signals being proportional to the amount of said angular displacement, and are generated by the electronic rotary encoder, the rotary encoder being mounted on the pulling vehicle component of the fifth-wheel hitch, the movement of the shaft of the rotary encoder being coordinated with the angular displacement of the fifth-wheel hitch'"'"'s kingpin component located on the pulled vehicle, the coordinated angular displacement being accomplished by the pair of bevel gears, one of the bevel gears being mounted on the free end of the kingpin, the other of the bevel gears being mounted on an end of the shaft of the rotary encoder such that operative meshing of these two gears occurs when the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle are joined by the fifth-wheel hitch components of the pulling vehicle and of the pulled vehicle, by which any change in the angular displacement between the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle, as occurs during a turn of the interconnected assembly, will result in a corresponding turning of the shaft of the rotary encoder, which sends a corresponding electronic signal to the control box which in turn sends a corresponding amount of electrical drive pulses to the stepper motor to rotate the outside mirror; the mirror providing a view directed toward the side portion of the rear portion of the pulled vehicle, said mirror rotates a significant arc from its original position to follow the relative angular displacement between the two vehicles from a generally in-line tandem position, as the pulled vehicle relatively swings outwardly a significant arc from its original position when following the pulling vehicle in a generally aligned tandem manner; the pulling vehicle and the pulled vehicle being provided with said fifth-wheel components, which provide a pivotal connection by which the vehicle are pivotally connected in a tandem relation, the pivotal connection being located in a rearward portion of the pulling vehicle and in a forward portion of the pulled vehicle, with the pulling vehicle'"'"'s outside mirror mounted on the pulling vehicle forwardly of but laterally to the side of said fifth-wheel pivotal connection of the vehicles about one-half the width of the pulled vehicle'"'"'s rear portion, the system providing a driver with said view directed toward the pulled vehicle'"'"'s rear-portion of said side portion, while the two vehicles are displaced from a generally in-line tandem position, the system causing the mirror to rotate, from its original position to maintain the view to be along the side of the pulled vehicle, the amount of the mirror'"'"'s rotation being an angle "a" which is numerically equal to;
##EQU3## wherein "a" is the angle of the mirror rotation from its original position to direct the view to be along the side of the pulled vehicle, andwhere "b" is the angle, as sensed by the turning of the shaft of the rotary encoder, which the pulled vehicle has swung from its generally aligned tandem-pulled position directly behind the pulling vehicle, and where "t" is the fore-and-aft distance from the pivotal connection to the rear end of the pulled vehicle; and where "k" is one-half the width of the rear portion of the pulled vehicle; and where "C" is the fore-and-aft distance from the center axis of said mirror to the pivotal connection.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeRalph E. Deflorio
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Original AssigneeRalph E. Deflorio
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InventorsDeFlorio, Ralph E.
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Primary Examiner(s)Shafer, Ricky D.
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Application NumberUS08/136,419Time in Patent Office1,019 DaysField of Search359/843, 359/844, 359/872, 359/873, 359/877US Class Current359/843CPC Class CodesB60R 1/025 comprising special mechanic...
