Patent ID: 7156410
Filing Date: 2007-01-02
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
1. An automated stabilizing system retrofitable onto an existing fifth-wheel plate assembly for improving driver safety during high-speed transits, said stabilizing system comprising: a plurality of multi-stage locking pins operably connected to a trailer fifth-wheel plate and a tractor fifth wheel plate such that the trailer and tractor fifth wheel plates become adjustably engageable, each said multi-stage locking pin including a plurality of contiguous members having altering diameters respectively and being centered about a vertically extending longitudinal axis associated with each said multi-stage locking pin respectively; means for telescopically displacing said contiguous members along the vertical axes respectively such that altering ones of said contiguous members become centrally aligned within a pair of apertures formed in the fifth-wheel plate assembly, the apertures having substantially annular shapes and being selectively movable about said multi-stage locking pins such that a lateral displacement of the tractor fifth-wheel plate can be limited to a predetermined tolerance angle offset from the trailer fifth-wheel plate; and means for detecting a speed of the tractor wherein said speed detecting means cooperates with said displacing means for automatically adjusting the tolerance angle based upon a corresponding to fluctuations in the tractor speed, said tractor speed detecting means emitting a series of intermittent notification signals to said displacing means during transit, wherein the tolerance angle has an inverse relationship to the tractor speed.