WIDTH-ADJUSTABLE MODULAR HEAVY GOODS VEHICLE, AND TRANSVERSE FRAME MODULE FOR A HEAVY GOODS VEHICLE OF SAID TYPE

Abstract

A modular heavy goods vehicle (10) comprises a left vehicle module (12) and a differently designed right vehicle module (14), each of which includes a longitudinal frame part (20, 24) and at least two wheel subassemblies (22, 26), and two transverse frame modules (16, 18) which extend in the direction of the width (B) of the vehicle and the free ends of which are releasably connected to the longitudinal frame parts (20, 24), the length of the transverse frame modules being adjustable.

Claims

1. Modular heavy goods vehicle (10) comprising: a left-hand vehicle module (12) having a left-hand longitudinal frame part (20) that extends in the vehicle length direction (L) and to which at least two left-hand wheel assemblies (22) are attached one behind the other when viewed in the vehicle length direction (L), a right-hand vehicle module (14) that is formed separately from said left-hand module and has a right-hand longitudinal frame part (24) that extends in the vehicle length direction (L) and to which at least two right-hand wheel assemblies (26) are attached one behind the other when viewed in the vehicle length direction (L), and two connection units that extend in the vehicle width direction (B), one free end of which units is connected to the left-hand longitudinal frame part (20) and the other free end of which is connected to the right-hand longitudinal frame part (24), characterised in that the two connection units are designed as length-alterable cross-frame modules (16, 18; 116; 216; 316) that are formed separately from both the left-hand longitudinal frame part (20) and the right-hand longitudinal frame part (24), and in that a first of said cross-frame modules (16) is releasably attachable to one longitudinal end of the two longitudinal frame parts (20, 24) and the other of said cross-frame modules (18) is releasably attachable to the other longitudinal end of the two longitudinal frame parts (20, 24).

2. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one cross-frame module (16, 18; 116; 216; 316) comprises cross-frame parts (30, 32, 34) that engage in one another in a telescopic manner and enclose a cavity, at least one power means (36, 38) that causes the length-alteration of the cross-frame module being arranged in the cavity.

3. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one cross-frame module (16, 18; 116; 216; 316) comprises a central cross-frame part (30) having two side portions (30b, 30c) and two lateral cross-frame parts (32, 34) that surround the side portions (30b, 30c) of the central cross-frame part (30) and are movable relative thereto.

4. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 3, characterised in that a middle portion (30a) is provided between the two side portions (30b, 30c) of the central cross-frame part (30), which middle portion is preferably formed integrally with the two side portions (30b, 30c).

5. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 3 or, characterised in that at least one functional element (40; 156; 240, 240) is attachable to the two lateral frame parts (32, 34), which element is also adjusted in the width direction (B) of the vehicle when the vehicle width is altered.

6. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 5, characterised in that the at least one functional element that is also adjusted in the width direction (B) of the vehicle when the vehicle width is altered comprises at least one coupling element (40; 240) for coupling the cross-frame module (16; 216) to the left-hand and right-hand vehicle modules (12, 14), and/or at least one coupling element (240) for coupling the cross-frame module in the form of a link between a plurality of vehicle modules (12, 14) arranged one behind the other when assembling a modular heavy goods vehicle that comprises a plurality of left-hand and right-hand vehicle modules (12, 14) arranged one behind the other in the vehicle length direction (L), and/or at least one folding loading ramp (156).

7. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 4, characterised in that at least one functional element (44; 358) that is not to be adjusted in the width direction (B) of the vehicle when the vehicle width is altered is attachable to the middle portion (30a).

8. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 7, characterised in that the at least one functional element that is not to be adjusted in the width direction (B) of the vehicle when the vehicle width is altered comprises at least one coupling element (358) for coupling the cross-frame module to a vehicle module (360), of which the width is not adjustable, and/or at least one coupling element (44) for attaching a drawbar assembly (28).

9. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one cross-frame module (16, 18; 116; 216; 316) is releasably attachable to the end face of the longitudinal end of the two longitudinal frame parts (20, 24) assigned in each case.

10. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 2, characterised in that a separate power means (36, 38) is allocated to each of the lateral cross-frame parts (32, 34), one end of which power means engages on the central cross-frame part (30) and the other end of which engages on the respective lateral cross-frame part (32, 34).

11. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one cross-frame module (16, 18; 116; 216; 316) has a rectangular or square profile in a cross section extending substantially orthogonally to the vehicle width direction (B).

12. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 3, characterised in that the lateral cross-frame parts (32, 34) and the respectively associated side portion (30b, 30c) of the central cross-frame part (30) are releasably interconnectable in a rigid manner.

13. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 3, characterised in that a display is provided, from which the relative position of the lateral cross-frame part (32, 34) and of the associated side portion (30b, 30c) of the central cross-frame part (30) is visible.

14. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that a steering angle forwarding element (50) is provided that is pivotable relative to the drawbar (46) and is releasably connectable to the drawbar (46) in at least one relative pivot position.

15. Heavy goods vehicle according to claim 14, characterised in that the axis (X) about which the steering angle forwarding element (50) is pivotable relative to the drawbar (46) is identical to the axis (X) about which the drawbar (46) is pivotable relative to the modular heavy goods vehicle.

16. Cross-frame module (16, 18; 116; 216; 316) for a heavy goods vehicle (10; 410) according to claim 1, having the cross-frame module features.

Description

[0027] The invention will be described in greater detail in the following by means of embodiments on the basis of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heavy goods vehicle according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a side view of the heavy goods vehicle according to the invention from FIG. 1;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the heavy goods vehicle according to the invention from FIG. 1, in the operating position thereof having the smallest width;

[0031] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the heavy goods vehicle according to the invention from FIG. 1, in the operating position thereof having the greatest width;

[0032] FIG. 5 is a side view of a first embodiment of a cross-frame module according to the invention;

[0033] FIG. 6 is a front view, i.e. a view in the vehicle length direction, of the cross-frame module of FIG. 5;

[0034] FIG. 7 is a section of the cross-frame module of FIG. 5 along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5;

[0035] FIG. 8 is a section of the cross-frame module of FIG. 5 along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5;

[0036] FIG. 9 is a side view of a second embodiment of a cross-frame module according to the invention;

[0037] FIG. 10 is a front view, i.e. a view in the vehicle length direction, of the cross-frame module of FIG. 9;

[0038] FIG. 11 is a side view of a third embodiment of a cross-frame module according to the invention;

[0039] FIG. 12 is a section of the cross-frame module of FIG. 11 along the line XII-XII in FIG. 11;

[0040] FIG. 13 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of a cross-frame module according to the invention;

[0041] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cross-frame module of FIG. 13;

[0042] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a drawbar assembly as it can be mounted according to FIG. 1 to 4 on the first embodiment of a cross-frame module according to the invention according to FIG. 5 to 8; and

[0043] FIG. 16 is a second embodiment of a heavy goods vehicle according to the invention.

[0044] In FIG. 1, a modular heavy goods vehicle according to the invention is generally denoted by reference numeral 10. Viewed in the forward travel direction F, the heavy goods vehicle 10 comprises a left-hand vehicle module 12 and a right-hand vehicle module 14, a front cross-frame module 16, and a rear cross-frame module 18 which are, however, designed in an identical manner in the embodiment shown.

[0045] The left-hand vehicle module 12 comprises a left-hand longitudinal frame part 20 on which a plurality of left-hand wheel assemblies 22 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction L of the heavy goods vehicle 10 are arranged. Similarly, the right-hand vehicle module 14 comprises a right-hand longitudinal frame part 24 on which a plurality of left-hand wheel assemblies 26 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction L are arranged. The two cross-frame modules 16, 18 are arranged on the two longitudinal ends of the longitudinal frame parts 20 and 24, and are connected thereto in an operationally stable manner in order to form the modular heavy goods vehicle 10.

[0046] As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the cross-frame parts are designed to be length-alterable in the vehicle width direction indicated by the double-headed arrow B in order to be able to alter the width of the heavy goods vehicle 10. For example, the heavy goods vehicle 10 can be set to a large vehicle width, as shown in FIG. 4, for a haulage journey during which it is loaded with a load, while it can be set to a small width, as shown in FIG. 3, for a return journey without any load. The embodiment of the cross-frame modules 16 and 18 that permits this width adjustment will be described in detail in the following.

[0047] First, however, it should also be noted that the left-hand and right-hand vehicle modules 12 and 14 can be conventional vehicle modules, as have already been offered and distributed by the applicant for a long time as parts of a modular kit range. The left-hand and right-hand vehicle modules 12 and 14 virtually form units of this modular kit range, which range can also contain further types of units. For example, the modular kit range can also contain vehicle modules having, for example, two, three or six axles, loading bridges of various kinds, for example low profile decks, vessel decks or the like, and many other types of units, in addition to the four-axle vehicle modules 12, 14. A haulier who is tasked with transporting a specified load over a predetermined route can assemble, from all these units, a heavy goods vehicle that is matched to the transportation of the specified load over the predetermined route. The length-alterable cross-frame modules form new units of the modular kit range, and thus extend said range and increase the haulier's flexibility in terms of responding to the requirements of the haulage job in question.

[0048] It should be added, at this point, that the heavy goods vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 to 4 is not a self-propelled vehicle, but rather a towed vehicle that can be connected to a towing vehicle (not shown) by means of a drawbar assembly 28. In principle, however, it is also conceivable for the wheel assemblies 22, 26 to be driven wheel assemblies that are driven by means of an electric motor and/or a hydraulic motor, with the result that the heavy goods vehicle 10, as a self-propelling vehicle, can do without a drawbar-controlled steering apparatus 28.

[0049] FIG. 5 to 14 show four variants of cross-frame modules as they can be used within the context of the present invention. All four variants have the same basic structure which will be described first, using the example of the first variant that is shown in more detail in FIG. 5 to 8, specifically the example of the cross-frame modules 16, 18 used at the two longitudinal ends in the heavy goods vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 to 4, before the specific additional features of the four variants are discussed.

[0050] The cross-frame module 16 comprises a central cross-frame part 30 having a middle portion 30a and two side portions 30b and 30c, and two lateral cross-frame parts 32, 34 that surround the side portions 30b and 30c, respectively, of the central cross-frame part 30 and are movable relative to said side portions 30b, 30c in order to permit the length of the cross-frame module 16 to be altered. The middle portion 30a is formed by that portion of the central cross-frame part 30 that is not covered by the lateral cross-frame parts 32, 34 when the lateral cross-frame parts 32, 34 are completely pushed onto the central middle portion 30.

[0051] As can be seen from FIG. 5 for example, the central cross-frame part 30 and the lateral cross-frame parts 32, 34 are each formed as hollow profile elements having a rectangular or square profile cross section. This results in a robust structure of the cross-frame module, with the result that the heavy goods vehicle 10 has the stability that is required for heavy goods haulage. Two power means 36 and 38 are arranged in the cavity enclosed by the cross-frame parts 30, 32, 34, each of which means is associated with one of the lateral cross-frame parts 32, 34. The right-hand end 36a (in FIGS. 7 and 8) of the left-hand power means 36 is fastened to the central cross-frame part 30, while the left-hand end 36b of said power means is fastened to a terminating wall 32a of the left-hand lateral cross-frame part 32. Similarly, the left-hand end 38a of the right-hand power means 38 is fastened to the central cross-frame part 30, while the right-hand end 36b of said power means is fastened to a terminating wall 34a of the right-hand lateral cross-frame part 34. This separation of the support function on the one hand, and the length-adjustability on the other hand, means firstly that standard parts can be used, which reduces production costs, and secondly that no compromises need to be made in terms of design that could adversely affect the functional capacity of the cross-frame module.

[0052] A thickness-reinforced portion 30b is provided in a vertical side wall of the side portion 30b of the central cross-frame part 30, in which thickness-reinforced portion a plurality of through-holes 30e are formed. A bolt 32b engages in one of these through-holes 30e, which bolt is retained on the associated lateral cross-frame part 32 and is preloaded in engagement with the through-hole 30e by means of a spring 32c. In order to adjust the length of the cross-frame module 16, the engagement of the bolt 32b in the hole 30e first has to be released. Subsequently, the length is altered using the power means 36. Finally, the bolt 32b is in the hole 30e corresponding to the new length setting. The cross-frame module 16 can thus be locked in the new length setting, with the result that there is no risk of an undesired alteration to the vehicle width during driving and a precise width arrangement is achieved, to which the steering system can be set in a precisely matched manner.

[0053] As can be seen from FIG. 7, an identically designed locking apparatus is also assigned to the right-hand side portion 30c of the central cross-frame part 30 and to the right-hand lateral cross-frame part 34 associated therewith.

[0054] Finally, all the variants of cross-frame modules comprise coupling elements 40 at least on one of the sides thereof, i.e. on the front or rear side thereof when viewed in the travel direction F, such as are also provided on the longitudinal ends of conventional vehicle modules 12, 14, in order to be able to connect said modules to other vehicle modules to form a longer overall vehicle. In order to couple the cross-frame module 16 to the vehicle modules 12 and 14, the left-hand coupling elements 40 in FIG. 8 and the correspondingly formed mating coupling elements (indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 8) of the left-hand vehicle module 12 are guided into one another, and the right-hand coupling elements 40 in FIG. 8 and the correspondingly formed mating coupling elements (indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 8) of the right-hand vehicle module 14 are guided into one another. This engagement is then secured by securing bolts 42 (also indicated by dashed lines). Since, as can be seen from FIG. 5, the coupling elements 40 are arranged on the underside of the cross-frame module 16 and the securing bolt 42 has a round cross section, the cross-frame module 16 is also screwed to the vehicle modules 12 and 14 adjacently to the top edge of the cross-frame module 16 in order to prevent the cross-frame module 16 from tilting downwards. However, the coupling elements 40, the mating coupling elements thereof and the securing bolts 42 are almost entirely responsible for the stability of the heavy goods vehicle 10 and the transmission of tractive and thrust forces while the load is being transported.

[0055] In the first variant shown in FIG. 5 to 8, the cross-frame module 16 comprises, in addition to the basic structure described thus far, further coupling elements 44 on the front side thereof, which coupling elements are used for connecting to a drawbar assembly 28, as shown in FIG. 15.

[0056] The drawbar assembly 28 comprises a drawbar 46 that is attached to the cross-frame module 16 by means of a kingpin 48 that also passes through the openings in the coupling elements 44 of the cross-frame module 16, so as to be pivotable about a substantially vertically extending axis X. The tractive forces occurring during haulage are introduced into the heavy goods vehicle 10 via the drawbar 46 and the kingpin 48.

[0057] A steering angle forwarding element 50 that is also mounted so as to be pivotable about the axis X is arranged above the drawbar 46, the steering angle forwarding element 50 also being pivotable relative to the drawbar 46. However, different relative pivot positions of the drawbar 46 and the steering angle forwarding element 50 can be set in a fixed manner by means of a bolt 52 arranged on the drawbar 46 and which engages in one of a plurality of recesses 50a of the steering angle forwarding element 50. This makes it possible to match the steering angle forwarding from the drawbar 46 to the drag link 54 that leads to the steering apparatus of the heavy goods vehicle 10, is mounted on the steering angle forwarding element 50 so as to be pivotable about an axis Y spaced apart from the axis X and passes through a through-opening in the cross-frame module 16, to the vehicle width set in each case.

[0058] It is advantageous, for this purpose, for there to be a fixed association between the recesses 50a and the through-holes 30e and for this association to be identified to the operator by corresponding markings on the cross-frame module 16 and the steering angle forwarding element 50.

[0059] Instead of the cross-frame module 18 that, as mentioned above, is designed in an identical manner to the cross-frame module 16 but is arranged rotated by 180 on the rear end of the heavy goods vehicle 10, the cross-frame module 116 shown in FIG. 9 and 10 can also be arranged on the rear end of the heavy goods vehicle 10. With regard to the length-adjustability in the vehicle width direction B and the attachment to the rear ends of the vehicle modules 12, 14, the structure of the cross-frame module 116 corresponds to that of the cross-frame module 16 of FIG. 5 to 8. Therefore, the cross-frame module 116 will not be described further here in this respect. Rather, reference is made in this respect to the entire content of the description of the cross-frame module 16.

[0060] The cross-frame module 116 differs from the cross-frame module 16 merely in that loading ramps 156 for a vehicle to be transported on the heavy goods vehicle 10 are pivotally attached to the side on which, in the cross-frame module 16, the coupling elements 44 for attaching the drawbar assembly 28 are arranged.

[0061] Instead of the cross-frame module 16 (or, rotated by 180: 18), the cross-frame module 216 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 can also be arranged on the rear end of the heavy goods vehicle 10. With regard to the length-adjustability in the vehicle width direction B and the attachment to the rear ends of the vehicle modules 12, 14, the structure of the cross-frame module 216 corresponds to that of the cross-frame module 16 of FIG. 5 to 8. Therefore, the cross-frame module 216 will not be described further here in this respect. Rather, reference is made in this respect to the entire content of the description of the cross-frame module 16.

[0062] The cross-frame module 216 differs from the cross-frame module 16 merely in that coupling elements 240 that are designed in an identical manner to the coupling elements 240 used for connection to the vehicle modules 12, 14 are arranged on the side on which, in the cross-frame module 16, the coupling elements 44 for attaching the drawbar assembly 28 are arranged. The cross-frame module 216 can thus be connected to vehicle modules both at the front side thereof and at the rear side thereof. Said cross-frame module is therefore suitable for use as an intermediate cross-frame module when it is desirable to assemble a longer width-adjustable heavy goods vehicle, for example the heavy goods vehicle 410 shown in FIG. 16.

[0063] Instead of the cross-frame module 16 (or, rotated by 180: 18), the cross-frame module 316 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 can also be arranged on the rear end of the heavy goods vehicle 10. With regard to the length-adjustability in the vehicle width direction B and the attachment to the rear ends of the vehicle modules 12, 14, the structure of the cross-frame module 316 corresponds to that of the cross-frame module 16 of FIG. 5 to 8. Therefore, the cross-frame module 316 will not be described further here in this respect. Rather, reference is made in this respect to the entire content of the description of the cross-frame module 16.

[0064] The cross-frame module 316 differs from the cross-frame module 16 merely in that a connection device 358 for fastening a module 360 that is not width-adjustable in the vehicle width direction B, for example a drive apparatus for the heavy goods vehicle 10 or 410, on the side on which, in the cross-frame module 16, the coupling elements 44 for attaching the drawbar assembly 28 are arranged.