Autoslide fifth wheel hitch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11634187-B2
Application number	US-202017081819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2020
Priority date	Oct 27, 2020
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

An example trailer hitch is disclosed. The example trailer hitch includes a trailer hitch including a base to be coupled to a vehicle bed of a vehicle, a carriage slidably coupled to the base, the carriage to slide along rails of the base between a first position and a second position, and a head rotatably coupled to the carriage, the carriage to slide from the first position to the second position in response to rotation of the head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A trailer hitch comprising:
a base to be coupled to a vehicle bed of a vehicle;
a carriage slidably coupled to the base, the carriage to slide along rails of the base between a first position and a second position;
a head rotatably coupled to the carriage, the carriage to slide from the first position to the second position in response to rotation of the head;
a lever rigidly fixed to a column extending from the head toward the base, the lever to rotate with the head and the column; and
a link rotatably coupled between the lever and the base, the link coupled to the lever at a first pin joint and coupled to the base at a second pin joint.

2. The trailer hitch of claim 1 , wherein the second pin joint is fixed at the base.

3. The trailer hitch of claim 1 , wherein the rotation of the head generates an angular displacement between the lever and the link, the angular displacement corresponding to a distance travelled by the carriage along the rails.

4. The trailer hitch of claim 1 , further including an upper slew ring and a lower slew ring, the column coupled to the carriage via the upper slew ring and the lower slew ring, the upper slew ring to stabilize an upper portion of the column, and the lower slew ring to transmit a load from the head to the carriage.

5. The trailer hitch of claim 1 , wherein the first position is proximate a front end of the vehicle bed and the second position is proximate a rear end of the vehicle bed.

6. The trailer hitch of claim 1 , wherein a trailer coupled to the head is to move rearward relative to the vehicle and rotate about the vehicle bed in response to turning of the vehicle.

7. The trailer hitch of claim 1 , wherein the rails are cylindrical, each rail coupled to a plate of the base using one or more support trusses, each support truss including an anchor bushing assembly, the anchor bushing assemblies to fix the base to the vehicle.

8. A trailer hitch comprising:
a fixed component including cylindrical guides, the fixed component to be coupled to a vehicle bed;
a sliding component including arms slidably coupled to the cylindrical guides, the sliding component to slide between a first position and a second position along the cylindrical guides;
a rotating component coupled to the sliding component, the rotating component to slide with and rotate with respect to the sliding component, the sliding component and the rotating component to slide along the fixed component in response to a rotation of the rotating component;
a lever fixed to a column extending away from the rotating component, the lever to rotate with the rotating component; and
a link rotatably coupled between the lever and the fixed component, the link coupled to the lever at a first pin joint and coupled to the fixed component at a second pin joint.

9. The trailer hitch of claim 8 , further including bearings coupled between the arms and the cylindrical guides.

10. The trailer hitch of claim 8 , wherein the first position is proximate a front end of the vehicle bed and the second position is proximate a rear end of the vehicle bed.

11. The trailer hitch of claim 8 , wherein the cylindrical guides include a first cylindrical guide and a second cylindrical guide, the first cylindrical guide and the second cylindrical guide positioned on opposite sides of the sliding component and parallel with a sliding direction of the sliding component.

12. The trailer hitch of claim 11 , wherein the arms include at least two first arms coupled to the first cylindrical guide and at least two second arms coupled to the second cylindrical guide.

13. The trailer hitch of claim 8 , wherein the rotating component further includes a pivot beam, the rotating component to pivot with respect to the sliding component.

14. The trailer hitch of claim 8 , wherein the cylindrical guides are coupled to the fixed component using one or more support trusses, each support truss including an anchor bushing assembly.

15. A trailer hitch comprising:
a fixed base;
a carriage slidably coupled to the fixed base;
a head rotatably coupled to the carriage, the carriage to slide along the fixed base in response to a rotation of the head; and
a linkage including:
a link coupled to the fixed base at a first pin joint; and
a lever coupled to the link at a second pin joint and further coupled to the head, the rotation of the head to generate an angular displacement between the link and the lever at the second pin joint, the angular displacement corresponding to a distance traveled by the carriage along the fixed base.

16. The trailer hitch of claim 15 , wherein the first pin joint is at a fixed position of the fixed base and the second pin joint is movable with respect to the fixed base.

17. The trailer hitch of claim 15 , wherein the lever is fixedly coupled to a column of the head, the lever to rotate with the column.

18. The trailer hitch of claim 15 , wherein the angular displacement is between a first threshold and a second threshold, the first threshold at 0 degrees, the second threshold less than 90 degrees.

19. The trailer hitch of claim 18 , wherein the carriage is at a first position in response to the angular displacement being at the first threshold and at a second position in response to the angular displacement being at the second threshold, the first position proximate a front end of the fixed base, the second position proximate a rear end of the fixed base.

20. The trailer hitch of claim 19 , wherein the distance between the first position and the second position corresponds to a first length of the link and a second length of the lever.

21. The trailer hitch of claim 15 , wherein the second pin joint is a double lap joint.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Standifer Cliff

Classifications

• B62D53/0814 Primary

  with adjustment of the clearance between the tractor or the trailer (devices modifying the load in tractor-trailer combinations B62D53/068) · CPC title