SUPPORT UNIT

Abstract

A support unit includes a first flange portion, a second flange portion and a guiding portion, wherein the first flange portion has a first engagement geometry for securing the support unit to a chassis, wherein the second flange portion has a second engagement geometry for securing a brake cylinder, wherein the guiding portion is arranged adjacent to the second flange portion and has a guiding geometry for guiding a guiding element along a guiding axis, wherein an expansion wedge unit is provided adjacent to the guiding portion and wherein the expansion wedge unit has a housing which is constructed integrally with the guiding portion.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A support unit comprising: a first flange portion; a second flange portion; and a guiding portion; wherein the first flange portion has a first engagement geometry configured to secure the support unit to a chassis; wherein the second flange portion has a second engagement geometry configured to secure a brake cylinder; wherein the guiding portion is arranged adjacent to the second flange portion and has a guiding geometry configured to guide a guiding element along a guiding axis, wherein an expansion wedge unit is arranged adjacent to the guiding portion; and wherein the expansion wedge unit has a housing that is integral with the guiding portion.

12. The support unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second flange portion is integral with the guiding portion.

13. The support unit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: a retention portion which adjoins the first flange portion and the guiding portion and which extends substantially along a retention axis, wherein the first flange portion, the retention portion and the guiding portion are integral with each other.

14. The support unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein the retention axis is located transversely relative to the guiding axis.

15. The support unit as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first engagement geometry extends substantially along an engagement axis, and wherein the retention axis is pivoted through an angle with respect to the engagement axis, wherein the angle is smaller than 90.

16. The support unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein the angle is in the range from 45 to 89.

17. The support unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein the angle is in the range of 60 to 85.

18. The support unit as claimed in claim 17, wherein the angle is in the range of 70 to 85.

19. The support unit as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: a securing element configured to move along the engagement axis into positive-locking engagement with the first engagement geometry; and wherein the securing element is accessible from the side of the support unit at which the expansion wedge unit is located.

20. The support unit as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first flange portion has two engagement geometries which are arranged spaced apart from each other, and wherein the engagement axes of the engagement geometries extend parallel with each other.

21. The support unit as claimed in claim 20, further comprising: two retention portions which are separated from each other by means of a free space; and wherein a mean cross-sectional surface-area of the retention portions is at a ratio of from 0.2 to 1.3 with respect to the mean cross-sectional surface-area of the free space.

22. The support unit as claimed in claim 21, wherein the ratio is from 0.3 to 0.9.

23. The support unit as claimed in claim 22, wherein the ratio id from 0.5 to 0.8.

24. The support unit as claimed in claim 21, having no more than four first engagement geometries.

25. The support unit as claimed in claim 24, having no more than two first engagement geometries.

26. The support unit as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a retention portion which adjoins the first flange portion and the guiding portion and which extends substantially along a retention axis, wherein the first flange portion, the retention portion and the guiding portion are integral with each other.

27. The support unit as claimed in claim 26, wherein the retention axis is located transversely relative to the guiding axis.

28. The support unit as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first engagement geometry extends substantially along an engagement axis, and wherein the retention axis is pivoted through an angle with respect to the engagement axis, wherein the angle is smaller than 90.

29. The support unit as claimed in claim 28, wherein the angle is in the range from 45 to 89.

30. The support unit as claimed in claim 29, wherein the angle is in the range of 60 to 85.

31. The support unit as claimed in claim 30, wherein the angle is in the range of 70 to 85.

32. The support unit as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a securing element configured to move along the engagement axis into positive-locking engagement with the first engagement geometry; and wherein the securing element is accessible from the side of the support unit at which the expansion wedge unit is located.

33. The support unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first flange portion has two engagement geometries which are arranged spaced apart from each other, and wherein the engagement axes of the engagement geometries extend parallel with each other.

34. The support unit as claimed in claim 33, further comprising: two retention portions which are separated from each other by means of a free space; and wherein a mean cross-sectional surface-area of the retention portions is at a ratio of from 0.2 to 1.3 with respect to the mean cross-sectional surface-area of the free space.

35. The support unit as claimed in claim 34, wherein the ratio is from 0.3 to 0.9.

36. The support unit as claimed in claim 35, wherein the ratio is from 0.5 to 0.8.

37. The support unit as claimed in claim 11, having no more than four first engagement geometries.

38. The support unit as claimed in claim 37, having no more than two first engagement geometries.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Other advantages and features of the present invention will be appreciated from the following description with reference to the appended Figures. Of course, individual features which are described in the respective embodiments can also be used in other embodiments, as long as this is not explicitly excluded or forbidden for technical reasons. In the drawings:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectioned view of a first preferred embodiment of the support unit according to the invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a second sectioned view of a preferred embodiment of the support unit according to the invention; and

[0022] FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned view of a preferred embodiment of the support unit according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] In the schematically simplified sectioned view illustrated in FIG. 1 of a preferred embodiment of the carrier unit 2 according to the invention, the expansion wedge unit 8 with the housing 82 thereof is only partially sectioned and otherwise illustrated in a highly simplified manner. Adjacent to the housing 82 of the expansion wedge unit 8, the carrier unit has a guiding portion 26 in which a guiding element 4 is arranged so as to be able to be displaced and guided along the guiding axis F. The guiding portion 26 has in this instance in particular a guiding geometry 27 which is constructed in a particularly preferred manner as a cylindrical hollow space in the guiding portion 26 and which secures the guiding element 4 against displacement transversely relative to the guiding axis F and facilitates sliding of the guiding element 4. Opposite the expansion wedge unit 8, the support unit 2 has a second flange portion 24, to which a brake cylinder 6 can be secured or is preferably secured. The housing 82 of the expansion wedge unit 8, the guiding portion 26 and the second flange portion 24 are in this instance preferably constructed integrally with a retention portion 28, wherein the retention portion extends substantially along a retention axis H. The retention portion 28 serves to position the upper portion of the support unit 2 relative to a chassis of the utility vehicle illustrated in the lower region of the image. In order to secure the carrier unit 2 to the chassis of the utility vehicle, the support unit preferably has a first flange portion 22, which can be secured by means of a first engagement geometry 23 indirectly and/or directly to the chassis of the utility vehicle. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, there is, for example, a corresponding portion of the chassis which is constructed in a fork-like manner. The first flange portion 22 of the support unit 2 can be inserted in this portion of the chassis and subsequently secured with a screw 10 by means of the first engagement geometry 23 in the form of a through-hole. Advantageously, the first engagement geometry 23 extends substantially along an engagement axis E in this instance, wherein the engagement axis E is advantageously orientated parallel with an axial direction of the utility vehicle in order to be able to secure the support unit 2 to the utility vehicle in this axial direction. In a particularly preferred manner, the cross-section of the first engagement geometry 23 in the path along the engagement axis E is substantially constant, wherein smaller deviations, as present, for example, with a thread, are intended to be substantially constant. Furthermore, the retention axis H is preferably pivoted through an angle relative to the engagement axis E, whereby the upper region of the support unit 2 and in a particularly preferred manner the expansion wedge unit 8 in the drawing are arranged to be offset to the left in the Figure relative to the first flange portion 22. Preferably, in the left region of the support unit 2 illustrated in FIG. 1, the arrangement of the brake jaws and the surrounding brake drum (both not illustrated) is provided. As a result of the oblique position of the retention axis H relative to the engagement axis E, the brake cylinder 6 arranged at the right-hand side of the Figure is pivoted upward in the Figure and consequently spaced further apart from the engagement axis E. The pivoting of the retention axis H relative to the engagement axis E consequently ensures optimal positioning of the support unit 2 within a brake system with respect to the adjacent components of the chassis.

[0024] FIG. 2 is another sectioned view of a preferred embodiment of the support unit 2 according to the invention, wherein in contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the support unit 2 has two retention portions 28 which are each provided substantially parallel with each other between the guiding portion 26 and the first flange portion 22 of the support unit. By the support unit 2 being constructed to be partially non-solid, but instead as a hollow member or in a web-like manner, with at the same time high bending torques which are intended to be absorbed by the web-like retention portions 28 of the support unit 2, the weight of the support unit 2 can be reduced considerably. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the first engagement portion 23 is constructed as a threaded hole in which a securing element 10 can be reached from the side of the support unit 2 at which the expansion wedge unit 8 is located. That is to say, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the securing element 10 can be reached when the brake drum which is preferably arranged in the left-hand portion of FIG. 2 (not shown) has been disassembled from the brake system. Advantageously, the second flange portion 24 has an extent parallel with the guiding axis F of approximately up to 30 mm, in a particularly preferred manner of from 14 to 16 mm, wherein, for the regions which are tested within the context of the present invention, the required strength could be achieved and at the same time the weight proportion of the second flange portion 24 could be kept low.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a sectioned view of the preferred embodiment of the support unit 2 as already illustrated in FIG. 2, wherein in FIG. 3 the plane of section extends transversely relative to the engagement axis E. In this instance, it can be seen in FIG. 3 that not only does the support unit 2 have in a state offset along the engagement plane E at least one, preferably two retention portions 28, but also preferably two retention portions 28 are provided offset with respect to each other transversely relative to the engagement direction E. For the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are consequently at least two, preferably four individual retention portions 28 which are spaced apart from each other. It is further illustrated that the support unit 2 has two first flange portions 22 which are spaced apart from each other and which can be secured to a corresponding geometry of the chassis of the utility vehicle, which geometry is provided for this purpose. Furthermore, the cylindrical construction of the guiding geometry 27 of the guiding portion 26 can be seen, in which construction the guiding element 4 is displaceably arranged. The connection of the retention portions 28 to the guiding portion 26 and the respective first flange portion 22 is in this instance characterized by rounded outer geometries which permit a particularly favorable force flow and prevent notch effects. In FIG. 3, it is further possible to see the second flange portion 24 which preferably has two second engagement geometries which are spaced apart from each other and which are advantageously constructed as through-holes through which a corresponding bolt can be inserted and in this manner a brake cylinder with two securing locations can be secured to the second flange portion 24. Advantageously, the two second engagement geometries 25 have a spacing from each other which is at a ratio of from 0.9 to 1.1, preferably from 0.95 to 1.05 with respect to the spacing between the first two engagement geometries 23. In a particularly preferred manner, the spacing of the two second engagement geometries 25 is substantially equal to the spacing of the first engagement geometries 23 with respect to each other.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0026] 2Carrier unit [0027] 4Guiding element [0028] 6Brake cylinder [0029] 8Expansion wedge unit [0030] 10Securing element [0031] 22First flange portion [0032] 23First engagement geometry [0033] 24Second flange portion [0034] 25Second engagement geometry [0035] 26Guiding portion [0036] 27Guiding geometry [0037] 28Retention portion [0038] 29Free space [0039] 82Housing [0040] aAngle [0041] EEngagement axis [0042] FGuiding axis [0043] HRetention portion