초록 ▼

A safety system for large and long over-the-road vehicles, such as a tractor semitrailer rig, having wheels mounted remotely from the vehicle\s cab. A conventional airborne sound receiving microphone is mounted within a mechanical vibration damping housing at the bottom of the vehicle body near and

A safety system for large and long over-the-road vehicles, such as a tractor semitrailer rig, having wheels mounted remotely from the vehicle\s cab. A conventional airborne sound receiving microphone is mounted within a mechanical vibration damping housing at the bottom of the vehicle body near and aimed at the remote wheels to receive sounds from that area of the vehicle. The mounting and housing are constructed to prevent or greatly lessen mechanical vibration and sounds from reaching the microphone through the vehicle body. A communication cable runs from the microphone and housing to the cab and is connected through an amplifier to a speaker provided inside the cab. While the vehicle is being driven, the speaker reproduces a significant portion of the airborne sound received by the microphone within the cab. The system produces as background noise in the cab the sounds from the rear wheel area of the vehicle and allows the driver to note and react to changes in such noise as may result from a flat tire or other problem.

대표청구항 ▼

In a tractor semitrailer rig having a closed cab from which a driver may operate the rig and at least one trailer, which trailer has an underside and wheels monunted at the underside of that trailer, at least some of which wheels are mounted remote from the cab and on opposite sides of the trailer,

In a tractor semitrailer rig having a closed cab from which a driver may operate the rig and at least one trailer, which trailer has an underside and wheels monunted at the underside of that trailer, at least some of which wheels are mounted remote from the cab and on opposite sides of the trailer, the improvement comprising: only one conventional sound sensitive microphone for picking up airborne sound waves in the range of human hearing; mounting means for said microphone for mounting it to the underside of the trailer at only one location and in such a manner so as to allow said microphone to be able to pick up sound carried by the air from the remote wheels of the trailer from either opposite side of the trailer and from other equipment mounted to the trailer in the vicinity of the remote wheels, said mounting means including means for substantially damping out mechanical vibrations received from said trailer; communication means connected to said microphone and secured to said trailer, said communication means serving to connect signals developed by said microphone to said cab; and means mounted inside the enclosed cab for receiving signals from said communication means, and responsive to those signals received from said communication means for alerting the driver to unusual airborne sounds picked up by said microphone, and wherein said alerting means mounted inside the enclosed cab includes a conventional speaker for substantially reproducing the airborne sound waves within the range of human hearing which are picked up by said microphone mounted to the underside of the trailer.