COUPLING SYSTEM

Abstract

A coupling system for a towing vehicle that includes at least one sensor, and a fifth wheel arrangement that includes a fifth wheel plate and at least one bearing block, wherein the fifth wheel plate has a trailer surface and an entry opening, wherein the trailer surface has an outwardly pointing normal, wherein the entry opening extends in an entry direction, wherein the fifth wheel plate is pivotably beard about a transverse axis relative to the bearing block, wherein the bearing block has a contact surface, wherein the contact surface lies in a contact plane, wherein the sensor indirectly and/or directly detects a pitch angle about the transverse axis contactlessly, and wherein the sensor is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the fifth wheel plate.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A coupling system for a towing vehicle, comprising: a plurality of sensors; and a fifth wheel arrangement; wherein the fifth wheel arrangement includes a fifth wheel plate and at least one bearing that includes a bearing block; wherein the fifth wheel plate has a trailer surface and an entry opening; wherein the trailer surface has an outwardly pointing normal; wherein the entry opening extends in an entry direction; wherein the fifth wheel plate is pivotally supported about a transverse axis relative to the at least one bearing; wherein the bearing has a contact surface, the contact surface lying in a contact plane; wherein the plurality of sensors indirectly and/or directly detect and/or determine a pitch angle about the transverse axis contactlessly; wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is disposed in close proximity to the fifth wheel plate; and wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors determines a distance of the trailer surface to the contact plane in the direction of a normal of the contact plane.

16. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is arranged and/or fastened on the bearing block.

17. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is arranged and/or attached to the fifth wheel plate.

18. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is arranged on the transverse axis, and includes an angle sensor.

19. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is arranged to be intersected by the transverse axis and includes an angle sensor.

20. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors includes an inductive and/or capacitive sensor.

21. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein all sensors of the plurality of sensors are interchangeable with each other.

22. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors forms a measuring system with a pole wheel, the pole wheel being rotationally rigid about the transverse axis relative to the fifth wheel plate and/or relative to the bearing block.

23. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least two sensors of the plurality of sensors are configured to determine a distance of the trailer surface to the contact plane in the direction of a normal of the contact plane, wherein one sensor of the at least two sensors is arranged in front of the transverse axis in the entry direction and another sensor of the at least two sensors is arranged behind the transverse axis in the entry direction.

24. The coupling system according to claim 23, wherein the at least two sensors have the same distance to the transverse axis in the direction of the entry direction.

25. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to determine a distance of the trailer surface to the contact plane in the direction of the normal of the contact plane, and metrologically interacts with a measuring surface of the fifth wheel plate, wherein the measuring surface is formed opposite the trailer surface).

26. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein the fifth wheel plate is non-displaceable relative to the bearing block in the direction of the normal of the contact plane and/or the transverse direction and/or the normal of the trailer surface.

27. A commercial vehicle comprising a coupling system according to claim 15.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Further advantages and features of the present invention can be seen in the following description with reference to the figures. Individual features of the embodiments shown can also be used in other embodiments unless this has been expressly excluded. It shows:

[0018] FIG. 1 a sectional view through a coupling system;

[0019] FIG. 2 a rear view of a coupling system; and

[0020] FIG. 3 a top view of a coupling system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a coupling system 1 which comprises a fifth wheel plate 10 and a bearing block 30 as well as at least one sensor 50. The fifth wheel plate 10 is beard about the transverse axis Q relative to the bearing block 30. The bearing block 30 has two contact surfaces 32, which are located in the contact plane A. The bearing block 30 has two measuring surfaces 16, which are arranged in front of and behind the transverse axis Q in the entry direction E, respectively. These measuring surfaces 16 have an outwardly pointing normal, which is parallel to the normal of the contact plane NA and/or to the outwardly pointing normal N12 of the trailer surface 12. A sensor 50 interacts metrologically with each of these measuring surfaces 16. In the embodiment shown, the measuring sensors 50 are arranged in such a way that they are arranged on a surface of the fifth wheel plate 10 located opposite the trailer surface 12. Alternatively or additionally preferred, these measuring systems (sensor 50 and the measuring surface 16) can also be designed in such a way that the sensor 50 of the measuring system is arranged on the bearing block 30 and the measuring surface 16 is a surface of the fifth wheel plate 10. In other words, at least one of the measuring systems can therefore be designed in such a way that the sensor 50 and the measuring surface 16 are interchanged with respect to the embodiment shown in the figure. The trailer surface 12 of the fifth-wheel coupling plate 10 has an outwardly pointing normal N12. In the ideal position, in which the pitch angle about the transverse axis Q is, for example, 0°, as shown in FIG. 1, the outward-facing normal N12 of the trailer surface 12 is aligned parallel to the normal NA of the contact plane A. In the ideal position, these two normals are perpendicular to the entry direction E and perpendicular to the transverse axis Q. In particular, the outward-pointing normal N12 of the trailer surface 12, the entry direction E and the transverse axis Q can form a right-handed coordinate system (not only in the ideal position).

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a rear view in the entry direction E of the coupling system 1. The fifth wheel plate 10 has a trailer surface 12 as well as an entry opening 14, whereby this entry opening 14 extends in the direction of the entry direction E. The fifth wheel plate 10 is beard via the bearing block 30 so as to be pivotable about the transverse axis Q relative to the contact plane A. In order to be able to detect the pitch angle about the transverse axis Q contactlessly, the coupling system 1 has an angle sensor 50 which is arranged in such a way that it is intersected by the transverse axis Q.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the coupling system 1 according to the invention. FIG. 3 shows a view against the outwardly pointing normal N12 of the trailer surface 12. The fifth wheel plate 10 has a retraction opening 14 which is formed between the two fifth wheel horns of the fifth wheel plate 10 and extends in the entry direction E. The fifth wheel plate 10 has a trailer surface 12 which, in a coupled state, serves to support a semi-trailer. The fifth wheel plate 10 is indirectly or directly beard so that it can pivot about the transverse axis Q in relation to the bearing block 30. The bearing blocks 30 of the coupling system 1 are the only supporting elements of the coupling system 1 in the embodiment shown. In order to be able to determine the pitch angle about the transverse axis Q, the coupling system 1 shown in FIG. 3 has a sensor 50, which is designed as an angle sensor.

REFERENCE LIST

[0024] 1 Coupling system [0025] 10 Fifth wheel plate [0026] 12 Trailer surface [0027] 14 Entry opening [0028] 16 Measuring surface [0029] 30 bearing block [0030] 32 contact surface [0031] 50 Sensor [0032] A Contact plane [0033] E entry direction [0034] N12 outward pointing normal of the trailer surface [0035] NA normal of the contact plane [0036] Q transverse axis