Coupling system for a towing vehicle

Abstract

A coupling system for a towing vehicle, including a measuring element, wherein the coupling system has a fifth-wheel coupling plate on which a conically widened insertion region that is located in the longitudinal axis (x) of said plate and is intended for the introduction of a trailer-side coupling means and an adjoining locking region are formed, and at least two bearing blocks that engage laterally on the fifth-wheel coupling plate are provided, wherein the measuring element is situated in a mounting region of the coupling system such that operating forces (F.sub.x, F.sub.y) acting in the longitudinal axis (x) and/or a transverse axis (y) are determined thereby. A coupling system of which the measuring element is subjected to significantly lower wear effect. A bearing shell and a measuring shell are situated between at least one of the bearing blocks and the fifth wheel coupling plate, the mounting region being formed from the measuring shell.

Claims

1. A coupling system for a towing vehicle, comprising: a measuring element, wherein the coupling system comprises a coupling main body in the form of a fifth-wheel coupling plate, on which a conically widened insertion region that is located in a longitudinal axis (x) of said plate is formed for the introduction of a trailer-side coupling means and a locking region adjoining it for holding the coupling means in the coupling main body, and at least one coupling bearing element is provided with two bearing blocks that engage laterally on the fifth-wheel coupling plate and by means of which the fifth-wheel coupling plate is mounted on the towing vehicle so as to be pivotable about a tilting axis (y.sub.SK) extending transversely to the longitudinal axis (x), the measuring element is situated in a mounting region of the coupling system such that operating forces (F.sub.x, F.sub.y) acting in the longitudinal axis (x) and/or in a transverse axis (y) are determined, wherein a bearing shell and a measuring shell are situated between at least one of the bearing blocks and the fifth-wheel coupling plate, the mounting region being formed from the measuring shell, and a receiving pocket is formed on an underside of the fifth-wheel coupling plate, into which the bearing shell and the measuring shell are inserted, and wherein the bearing shell and the measuring shell are dimensioned such that they are received by the receiving pocket and are held in a form-fitting manner in three spatial directions.

2. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein the bearing shell and/or measuring shell have a U-shape that is open on one side and which accommodates the bearing block.

3. The coupling system according to claim 2, wherein a head region of the bearing block is overlapped on both sides in the longitudinal axis (x) and/or the transverse axis (y) by free ends of the U-shaped bearing shell and/or measuring shell.

4. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein the bearing shell is contacted by the bearing block and the measuring shell is contacted by the fifth wheel coupling plate.

5. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein the bearing shell and the measuring shell are supported directly on one another.

6. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein a deformation of the mounting region is detected by the at least one measuring element.

7. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein a receiving opening is formed in the mounting region, into which the measuring element is inserted.

8. The coupling system according to claim 7, wherein the measuring element is completely inserted into the receiving opening.

9. The coupling system according to claim 7, wherein the measuring element is flush with a first wall section of a first bearing area surrounding the receiving opening, and a force shunt is effected via the measuring element by contact with a second wall section of a second bearing area.

10. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one measuring element is installed under mechanical prestress.

11. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein several measuring elements are provided, of which at least one measuring element is arranged in front of the longitudinal axis (x) and at least one measuring element is arranged behind the tilting axis (y.sub.SK).

12. The coupling system according to claim 1, wherein at least two measuring elements are arranged on one side of the longitudinal axis (x) and are spaced from one another in a direction of the transverse axis (y).

13. The coupling system according to claim 3, wherein the bearing shell is contacted by the bearing block and the measuring shell is contacted by the fifth wheel coupling plate, and wherein the bearing shell and the measuring shell are supported directly on one another.

14. The coupling system according to claim 13, wherein a deformation of the mounting region is detected by the at least one measuring element, and wherein a receiving opening is formed in the mounting region, into which the measuring element is inserted.

15. The coupling system according to claim 14, wherein the measuring element is completely inserted into the receiving opening.

16. The coupling system according to claim 14, wherein the measuring element is flush with a first wall section of a first bearing area surrounding the receiving opening, and a force shunt is effected via the measuring element by contact with a second wall section of a second bearing area.

17. The coupling system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one measuring element is installed under mechanical prestress, and wherein several measuring elements are provided, of which at least one measuring element is arranged in front of the longitudinal axis (x) and at least one measuring element is arranged behind the tilting axis (y.sub.SK).

18. The coupling system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one measuring element is installed under mechanical prestress, and wherein at least two measuring elements are arranged on one side of the longitudinal axis (x) and are spaced from one another in a direction of the transverse axis (y).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a better understanding, the invention is explained in more detail below using three figures. The figures show the

(2) FIG. 1: a side view of a coupling system with a fifth wheel coupling plate and a measuring element on a measuring shell;

(3) FIG. 2: a cross section through a receiving pocket of the fifth wheel coupling plate with several measuring elements arranged in the measuring shell and

(4) FIG. 3: a perspective view of a bearing block with a bearing shell and a measuring shell with several measuring elements integrated therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a side view of a coupling system with a coupling main body 20 in the form of a fifth-wheel coupling plate 23, which is fastened to a mounting plate 45 by means of a coupling bearing element 30 in the form of two bearing blocks 31 arranged one behind the other in the image plane. For this purpose, each bearing block 31 is designed with a screw-on flange 31a at its front and rear ends in the longitudinal axis x. The mounting plate 45 is placed on a vehicle chassis 34 from above and is fixedly connected to it.

(6) The mounting plate 45 is formed as a one-piece, integral trapezoidal sheet and has sections that rest on the vehicle chassis 34 in sections and sections that are spaced apart from the vehicle chassis 34. In the embodiment shown, each bearing block 31 is designed with a lower edge running straight between the screw-on flanges 31a, which only contacts the sections of the mounting plate 45 that are spaced apart from the vehicle chassis 34.

(7) The fifth wheel coupling plate 23 is delimited at the edge by an outer contour 23a and has an insertion region 21 at the end, via which a trailer-side coupling means is inserted into the fifth-wheel coupling plate 23 in the direction of the longitudinal axis x and, after reaching its end position, is held in a centrally located locking region 22 so that it can pivot about a vertical axis z. The bearing blocks 31 engage on an underside 23b of the fifth-wheel coupling plate 23.

(8) In the embodiment shown, a mounting region 40 is formed from a measuring element 10 arranged in a measuring shell 44b. The measuring element 10 is, for example, connected to an electronic evaluation unit 11, which determines the operating force F.sub.x measured in real time in the longitudinal axis x as well as the operating force F.sub.y in the transverse axis y and, if applicable, the operating force F.sub.z in the direction of the vertical axis z from the measured values of the measuring element 10.

(9) In particular, it is also possible for the electronic evaluation unit 11 to communicate with a vehicle control unit (not shown here) and to provide it with the operating forces F.sub.x, F.sub.y, F.sub.z.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a cross section through one side of the fifth-wheel coupling plate 23 along a tilting axis y.sub.SK in FIG. 1 with a bearing block 31 arranged underneath. A head region 32 of the bearing block 31 extends into a downwardly open receiving pocket 24 of the fifth-wheel coupling plate 23, which is formed on the underside 23b of the fifth-wheel coupling plate 23. Essentially vertically aligned walls 33 of the bearing block 31 extend between the head region 32 and the screw-on flanges 31a.

(11) The measuring shell 44b and a bearing shell 44a are inserted into the receiving pocket 24, which in turn rests on the head region 32 of the bearing block 31. The measuring shell 44b and the bearing shell 44a are both designed in a U-shape and as a result also transmit operating forces F.sub.y in the direction of the transverse axis y.

(12) In the measuring shell 44b, in a first wall section 42 facing the receiving pocket 24, receiving openings 41 are formed for, for example, four measuring elements 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, which form a first bearing area 40a. The measuring elements 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d end on the outside with the first wall section 42 and, together with the first wall section 42, rest against the receiving pocket 24 of the fifth-wheel plate 23. The receiving pocket 24 has a second wall section 43 facing the measuring shell 44b, which forms a second bearing area 40b. Both the first wall section 42 of the measuring shell 44b and the measuring elements 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d rest against the second wall section 43 of the receiving pocket 24, so that when a force is transmitted from the fifth-wheel coupling plate 23 to the measuring shell 44b, a force shunt occurs running via the measuring element 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d.

(13) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a bearing block 31 with a bearing shell 44a placed in its head region 32 and a measuring shell 44b covering the latter on the outside, which forms the mounting region 40. Several force measuring elements 10 are inserted into the measuring shell 44b.

(14) The measuring elements 10 integrated into the measuring shell 44b are arranged on the side of the measuring shell 44b facing away from the bearing shell 44a, and are therefore not subject to any significant relative movement with respect to the receiving pocket 24 (see FIG. 2) and are therefore hardly subject to wear. In principle, the measuring elements 10 can also be fully integrated into the measuring shell 44b for even better protection.

(15) In principle, the bearing shell 44a and the measuring shell 44b are always provided with a complementary shape and lie flat against one another. To disassemble the bearing shell 44a, particularly in the case of advanced wear, all that is needed is to lift the fifth-wheel plate 23 off the bearing blocks 31 and replace the bearing shell 44a. The measuring shell 44b, on the other hand, can remain in the receiving pocket 24 of the fifth-wheel plate 23 and simply be placed on the newly inserted bearing shell 44a.

(16) In the measuring shell 44b, several measuring elements 10 are arranged offset from one another in the direction of the transverse axis y, whereby tilting moments occurring around the longitudinal axis x can already be measured on one of the two bearing blocks 31.

(17) In addition, several measuring elements 10 are also arranged offset from one another in the longitudinal axis x in the measuring shell 44b, whereby the measuring elements 10 located in the image plane behind the bearing block 31 are concealed and therefore not visible.

(18) Due to the offset arrangement of the measuring elements 10 in the longitudinal axis x, positive or negative accelerations in the longitudinal axis x as well as resulting tilting moments about the transverse axis y can be detected particularly well.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(19) 10 measuring element 10a first measuring element 10b second measuring element 10c third measuring element 10d fourth measuring element 11 electronic evaluation unit 20 coupling main body 21 insertion region 22 locking region 23 fifth-wheel coupling plate 23a outer contour of fifth-wheel coupling plate 23b underside of fifth-wheel coupling plate 24 receiving pocket 30 coupling bearing element 31 bearing block 31a screw-on flange of bearing block 32 head region of bearing block 33 walls of bearing block 34 vehicle chassis 40 mounting region 40a first bearing area 40b second bearing area 41 receiving opening of measuring element 42 first wall section 43 second wall section 44a bearing shell 44b measuring shell 45 mounting plate F.sub.x force in longitudinal axis F.sub.y force in transverse axis F.sub.z force in vertical axis x longitudinal axis y transverse axis y.sub.SK tilting axis of fifth-wheel plate z vertical axis