ROAD TRACTOR SEMI-TRAILER COMBINATION

• US 20150084311A1
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Martinus Theodorus Van De Wetering
• Original Assignee: Martinus Theodorus Van De Wetering
• Inventors: Van de Wetering, Martinus Theodorus
• Granted Patent: US 9,844,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/446.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/015 Fifth wheel couplings
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/58 Auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 53/0842 King pins
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 53/0871 with stabilising means, e.g. to prevent jack-knifing, pitching, rolling, buck jumping stabilising in general B62D37/00; tractors B62D49/08

Abstract

A road tractor semi-trailer combination 1 is equipped with a system for detecting the position of a road tractor relative to a semi-trailer. This system comprises a magnet 13 which is accommodated in the centre of the bottom of the kingpin and a sensor unit 11 which is fixed to the bottom of the fifth wheel 9.

The sensor unit can be displaced between a resting position at a distance from the magnet where the position of the magnet cannot be detected, and an operating position at a distance from the magnet where the position of the magnet can be detected indeed.

The fifth wheel is equipped with a handle for displacing a locking pawl which locks the kingpin in the fifth wheel in coupled state of the road tractor and the semi-trailer. This handle is connected via a pulling cable to the sensor unit for displacing the sensor unit to the operating position simultaneously with the displacement of the locking pawl.

Claims

1. A road tractor semi-trailer combination comprising:

a road tractor having a fifth wheel;

a semi-trailer having a kingpin which can be coupled to the fifth wheel;

a marker in a bottom of the fifth wheel that includes a magnet or a coil of electro-conductive wire;

a sensor unit connected to the fifth wheel for detecting the position of the marker relative to the fifth wheel which sensor unit comprises a sensor that includes a magnet or a coil of electro-conductive wire by which the position of the marker can be detected;

a displacement means for displacing the sensor from a resting position to an operating position, wherein in the resting position the sensor is underneath the kingpin a first distance from the marker and is incapable of detecting the position of the marker during the coupling or immediately after the coupling of the semi-trailer to the road tractor and wherein in the operating position the sensor is located at a second distance from the marker and the sensor is capable of detecting the position of the marker.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the fifth wheel comprises a bridge element as well as a spring by which the sensor unit is connected to the bridge element, the sensor unit in operating position being pushed against the bottom of the kingpin by the spring.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the fifth wheel is provided with a locking pawl which can be displaced between a locking position in which the kingpin is locked in the fifth wheel in coupled state of the road tractor and the semi-trailer, and a release position in which the kingpin can be displaced into and out of the fifth wheel, where the displacement means are formed by coupling means which couple the sensor unit to the locking pawl so that in the event of the locking pawl being displaced between the release position and the locking position the sensor unit is displaced between the resting position and the operating position.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the fifth wheel is provided with a handle for pre-tensioning a spring and thus displacing the locking pawl from the locking position to the release position, and for transferring the sensor unit from the operating position to the resting position, which spring, when extended, displaces the locking pawl from the release position to the locking position, and thus displaces the sensor unit from the resting position to the operating position.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein the displacement means comprise a cable by which the sensor unit is connected to the handle.

6. The combination of claim 3, wherein the displacement means comprise a lever against which the kingpin pushes when the road tractor is coupled to the semi-trailer and while doing so displaces the sensor unit from the resting position to the operating position.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the fifth wheel is provided with a handle for displacing a locking pawl which locks the kingpin in the fifth wheel in coupled state of road tractor and semi-trailer, where the displacement unit is activated by the handle during or immediately after the displacement of the locking pawl.

8. The combination of claim 1, wherein the road tractor comprises a plug unit as well as an arcuate rail along which the plug unit can be displaced, where the centre of the arc of circle is located in the centre of the kingpin of the coupled road tractor semi-trailer combination, and the semi-trailer has a female plug unit which is located at a distance from the centre of the kingpin, which distance equals the radius of the arc of circle along which the rail is extended, and in that the road tractor includes further displacement means for displacing the plug unit along the rail, as well as a control unit for controlling the further displacement means for displacing the plug unit to below the female plug unit based on the signals received by the sensor unit, and coupling means for coupling the plug unit to the female plug unit.

9. The combination of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is coupled to the central control unit already present on the road tractor, which central control unit is used for controlling the displacement of inter alia reversing mirrors and self-steering rear wheels.