DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY ESTABLISHING A CONNECTION BETWEEN A TOWING VEHICLE AND A TRAILER VEHICLE AND A SYSTEM INCLUDING THE DEVICE

Abstract

A device automatically establishes at least one connection between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle. The device includes an outrigger, an alignment device, a gripper arm and a gripper arm drive. A system includes the device. A towing vehicle includes a device or a system. A trailer vehicle is configured to be connected to a towing vehicle including the device or the system. A truck-trailer combination includes a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle. Further, a method automatically establishes connections between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle.

Claims

1. A device for automatically establishing at least one connection between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle, the device comprising: an outrigger extending along a longitudinal axis, said outrigger being configured to be connected to a fastening point of the towing vehicle and to pivot around the fastening point; an alignment device slidably mounted to said outrigger and configured to align said outrigger to the trailer vehicle; a gripper arm slidably mounted to said outrigger and configured to hold a truck connector; and, a gripper arm drive for moving said gripper arm in both directions of the longitudinal axis of said outrigger.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said gripper arm includes a mechanism and an actuator for establishing and releasing a detachable connection between said gripper arm and the truck connector.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising: an alignment drive for moving said alignment device in both directions of the longitudinal axis of said outrigger.

4. The device of claim 1 further comprising: an alignment drive; and, a spring configured to move said alignment device in a first direction of the longitudinal axis and a connector for detachably connecting said alignment drive to said gripper arm for moving said alignment device in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the longitudinal axis.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said gripper arm includes an alignment pin arranged for aligning said gripper arm to a trailer recess.

6. A system comprising: a device for automatically establishing at least one connection between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle; a truck connector; said device including an outrigger, an alignment device, a gripper arm, and a gripper arm drive; said outrigger extending along a longitudinal axis, said outrigger being configured to be connected to a fastening point of the towing vehicle and to pivot around the fastening point; said alignment device being slidably mounted to said outrigger and configured to align said outrigger to the trailer vehicle; said gripper arm being slidably mounted to said outrigger and configured to hold said truck connector; a gripper arm drive for moving said gripper arm in both directions of the longitudinal axis of said outrigger; and, said truck connector being configured to detachably connect to said gripper arm.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising: a fifth wheel having a lower part for connecting said fifth wheel with the towing vehicle and an upper part for providing a contact surface to the trailer vehicle; and, said fastening point being arranged at said upper part.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said upper part has a bottom; and, said fastening point is arranged at said bottom of said upper part.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said fifth wheel includes a kingpin opening for receiving a kingpin and allowing the kingpin to rotate around a kingpin rotation axis; and, said fastening point is arranged below said kingpin opening so as to allow said outrigger to pivot around the kingpin rotation axis.

10. The system of claim 6 further comprising: a mounting part configured to be mounted on a trailer front of the trailer vehicle; said mounting part being configured to be arranged at the trailer vehicle and extend along a length at least at a predominant section of a width of the trailer vehicle; said mounting part including a front part having a concave surface configured to face away from the trailer front; and, said concave surface having a lowest point lying centrally with respect to said length of said mounting part.

11. A towing vehicle comprising the device of claim 1.

12. A towing vehicle comprising the system of claim 6.

13. A trailer vehicle configured to be connected to a towing vehicle comprising the device of claim 1, the trailer vehicle comprising a trailer connector.

14. A trailer vehicle configured to be connected to a towing vehicle comprising the system of claim 6, the trailer vehicle comprising a trailer connector.

15. The trailer vehicle of claim 13 further comprising at least one of a mounting part and a trailer recess configured to receive an alignment pin.

16. A truck-trailer combination comprising: a towing vehicle according to claim 11; and, a trailer vehicle having a trailer connector and configured to be connected to said towing vehicle via said trailer connector.

17. A method for automatically establishing connections between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle, the method comprising: establishing or releasing a connection between the towing vehicle and the trailer vehicle via the device of claim 1.

18. A method for automatically establishing connections between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle, the method comprising: establishing or releasing a connection between the towing vehicle and the trailer vehicle via the system of claim 6.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps: aligning the outrigger of the device via the alignment device moving the gripper arm with the truck connector via the gripper arm drive along said outrigger for establishing a connection with a trailer connector; releasing a connection between the truck connector and the gripper arm; and, moving the gripper arm and the alignment device along the outrigger away from the trailer vehicle.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising: aligning the outrigger via the alignment device; moving the gripper arm towards the trailer vehicle; establishing a connection between the gripper arm and the truck connector; and, pulling the truck connector with the gripper arm by moving the gripper arm away from the trailer vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0051] The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:

[0052] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the system in a perspective view;

[0053] FIG. 2 shows a side view of an outrigger connected to a fifth wheel;

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of a fifth wheel with a connected outrigger of the system;

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a top view of a decoupled truck connector and trailer connector;

[0056] FIG. 5 shows an alignment of the outrigger during while a trailer vehicle and a towing vehicle are being coupled;

[0057] FIG. 6 shows a device after establishing the connection in the rest position;

[0058] FIG. 7 shows an alignment pin and a trailer recess;

[0059] FIG. 8 shows a trailer front and a mounting part; and.

[0060] FIG. 9 shows steps of a method according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] FIG. 1 discloses a device 10 for automatically establishing connections between a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle. The device 10 is part of a system 12 including the device 10 and a fifth wheel 14, which is mountable to a towing vehicle. The device 10 includes an outrigger 16, an alignment device 18 and a gripper arm 20. The alignment device 18 and the gripper arm 20 are slidably mounted on the outrigger 16 in a longitudinal axis 19 of the outrigger 16. The outrigger 16 is connected to the fifth wheel 14 at a fastening point and is thus arranged for pivoting around the fastening point. The gripper arm 20 holds a truck connector 50. The truck connector 50 is electrically and/or pneumatically coupled to a towing vehicle by connection lines 51.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a connection 21 between the outrigger 16 and the fifth wheel 14. The outrigger 16 is arranged for pivoting in a fastening point 22 around a vertical axis 24. The vertical axis 24 is identical to the vertical axis 24 around which a kingpin of a trailer vehicle pivots while driving through curves. The fifth wheel 14 includes an upper part 26 and a lower part 28, wherein the lower part 28 and the upper part 26 are pivotally connected by a connection 30. The outrigger 16 is connected on the bottom 32 of the upper part 26 by an adapter unit 31. Thus, when the upper part 26 pivots with respect to the lower part 28, the outrigger 16 follows the upper part 26.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows the upper part 26 of the fifth wheel 14 with the adapter unit 31 and the fastening point 22 from a bottom perspective of the fifth wheel 14.

[0064] FIG. 4 discloses a top view of a towing vehicle 34 and a trailer vehicle 36, which are uncoupled. The towing vehicle 34 is moved backward in a direction 38 to couple the kingpin 40 of the trailer vehicle 36 in the fifth wheel 14. The outrigger 16 is in a rest position 42. The gripper arm 20 is moved to the end 44 opposite to the fastening point 22. The alignment device 18 is on an alignment position 46, which lies away from the gripper arm 20 near the end of the fastening point 22. The trailer longitudinal axis 43 has an angle 45 greater than zero to a longitudinal axis 47 of the towing vehicle 34. If the towing vehicle 34 is moved further into the direction 38 towards the trailer vehicle 36, the alignment device 18 comes into contact with the front side 48 of the trailer vehicle 36 and aligns the outrigger 16. This is shown in FIG. 5.

[0065] FIG. 5 shows that the alignment device 18 has aligned the outrigger 16, which is now perpendicular to the trailer front side 48. Now the gripper arm 20 has to be moved to the front side 48 of the trailer vehicle 36 to establish a connection between the truck connector 50 and a trailer connector 52, which is positioned in an opening 55 of the front side 48 of the trailer vehicle.

[0066] FIG. 6 shows that the gripper arm 20 and the alignment device 18 are moved away from the trailer vehicle 36 after the gripper arm 20 has established the connection 57. Thus, the truck connector 50 is left connected with the trailer connector 52.

[0067] FIG. 7 discloses a part of the gripper arm 20, which includes an alignment pin 54. The alignment pin 54 is arranged for aligning the gripper arm 20 in a recess 56. The alignment pin 54 is mounted to the gripper arm 20 by a spring 58 to move the alignment pin 54 backwards to enable establishing the connection between the truck connector 50 and the trailer connector 52.

[0068] FIG. 8 discloses a front side 48 of a trailer vehicle 36 with a mounting part 60, wherein the mounting part 60 includes a front part 62, which has a concave surface 64. In the middle 66 of the width 68 of the trailer vehicle, the concave surface 64 includes the lowest point 71.

[0069] FIG. 9 shows the steps of the method for establishing a connection between a truck connector 50 and a trailer connector 52 according to an embodiment. In step 70, an outrigger of the device is hold in a rest position. In step 72, while the towing vehicle is being moved towards the trailer vehicle, the alignment device aligns the outrigger to the trailer vehicle. In step 74, a gripper arm moves the truck connector towards the trailer vehicle. In step 76, a connection is established between the truck connector and the trailer connector. In step 78, the gripper arm releases the connection to the truck connector and in step 80, the gripper arm and the alignment device are moved away from the front of the trailer vehicle.

[0070] It is understood that the foregoing description is that of the preferred embodiments of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS (PART OF THE DESCRIPTION)

[0071] 10 device [0072] 12 system [0073] 14 fifth wheel [0074] 16 outrigger [0075] 18 alignment device [0076] 19 longitudinal axis [0077] 20 gripper arm [0078] 21 connection [0079] 22 fastening point [0080] 24 vertical axis [0081] 26 upper part [0082] 28 lower part [0083] 30 connection [0084] 31 adapter unit [0085] 32 bottom [0086] 34 towing vehicle [0087] 36 trailer vehicle [0088] 38 direction [0089] 40 kingpin [0090] 42 rest position [0091] 43 trailer longitudinal axis [0092] 44 end [0093] 45 angle [0094] 46 alignment position [0095] 47 longitudinal axis of towing vehicle [0096] 48 trailer front side [0097] 50 truck connector [0098] 51 connection lines [0099] 52 trailer connector [0100] 54 alignment pin [0101] 55 opening [0102] 56 recess [0103] 57 connection [0104] 58 spring [0105] 60 mounting part [0106] 62 front part [0107] 64 concave surface [0108] 66 middle [0109] 68 width [0110] 70 outrigger is held in a rest position [0111] 71 lowest point [0112] 72 alignment device aligns the outrigger to the trailer vehicle [0113] 74 gripper arm moves the truck connector towards the trailer vehicle [0114] 76 connection is established between the truck connector and the trailer connector [0115] 78 gripper arm releases the connection to the truck connector [0116] 80 gripper arm and the alignment device are moved away from the front of the trailer vehicle