Trailer Leveling Guidance Using Angle-Based Adjustment Calculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual process of leveling a trailer's roll and pitch angles is tedious and requires repetitive trial and error, involving the addition or removal of height under the tires and tongue jack, making it inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system that calculates the relative angle between a tow vehicle and a trailer using data processing hardware, determining the absolute angle of the trailer and its dimensions to provide precise leveling adjustments, which can be displayed on a user interface and implemented by adjusting the trailer tongue height or wheel height based on trigonometric calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual leveling process is used with bubble level and trial and error, then the trailer can be leveled, but the process is tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical leveling process (using bubble levels and physical trial-and-error adjustment) with an automated electronic system that uses sensors, processors, and displays to calculate and communicate the exact leveling adjustments needed, eliminating the time-consuming manual trial-and-error process while maintaining or improving leveling accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the trailer leveling process to become self-guiding by automatically measuring the trailer's angle, calculating the required adjustments, and displaying the precise steps needed to level the trailer, reducing the need for operator skill and repetitive manual testing
2Ease of operation
If manual trial and error method is used for leveling, then the trailer can be leveled, but the process requires repetitive cycles of adding/removing height and measuring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex repetitive manual process of adding/removing blocks and repeatedly checking with a bubble level with a single electronic measurement and calculation system that provides the answer directly, simplifying the operator's task while the electronic system handles the computational complexity
3Measurement precision
If exact leveling adjustments are calculated using angle sensors and trigonometric calculations, then the leveling precision is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses electronic sensors and digital calculation to replace manual measurement methods, achieving high precision through automated trigonometric calculations based on sensor data, where the electronic system handles the mathematical complexity while providing simple, precise guidance to the operator
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes calculating, at a data processing hardware, a relative angle between a tow vehicle and a trailer attached to the tow vehicle. An absolute angle of the tow vehicle is determined at the data processing hardware. An absolute angle of the trailer based on the relative angle and the absolute angle of the tow vehicle is calculated at the data processing hardware. A dimension of the trailer is determined at the data processing hardware. A trailer leveling adjustment based on the absolute angle of the trailer and the dimension of the trailer is calculated at the data processing hardware.