A new trailer hitch is described which effectively removes the dangerous yaw oscillation between car and trailer. The device is a simple linkage which places the "virtual" hitch point at the center of mass of the towing vehicle, decoupling the fundamental mode of energy interchange between the two vehicles and greatly increasing the overall safe speed of operation. Experimental evidence shows that this new coupling passively desensitizes the system from driver error or from poor loading procedures. Even under the worst operational conditions, the system remained stable at very high speeds (80 mph). A brief review of the literature provides additional analytical verification of these results. The device can be mass produced in different sizes and several different geometries for different applications.
Samenvatting