JP2003089365A - Slide type coupling towing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent to change a position of a coupler member exceeding a range permitted on a structural condition or on the regulations and to prevent to utilize the coupler member exceeding the permitted displacement range according to a combination of a tractor with a trailer even if a displasable range of the coupler member is enlarged. SOLUTION: A measuring means for detecting a variation of a mechanical position of the coupler member as an electric signal is provided and when an operation is carried out such that the position of the coupler member exceeds a permitted displacement range set in each kind of trailers, an alarm is generated. A lock means is automatically controlled to be in effective.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a connecting and pulling device provided on the tractor side for pulling a trailer. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a slide-type coupled traction device that can move the position of a coupler member of the coupled traction device in the front-back direction of a tractor. The present invention is intended to improve the position of the coupler member of the slide-type coupling / traction device so as not to be changed beyond an allowable range set according to the type of trailer to be coupled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a slide type connecting and pulling device capable of moving the position of a coupler member in the front-back direction of a tractor. For example, there is one disclosed in JP-A-5-162663 (Applicant: Holland Hitch). This device comprises a base rail fixedly attached to the tractor side and a coupler member coupled to a coupler on the trailer side, and the coupler member is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction of the tractor with respect to the base rail. Has been done.
Then, after the coupler member is set at a desired position with respect to the base rail, the locking means is operated to fix the coupler member to the base rail in a movable state. This device is an excellent device in which the weight of the connecting device is reduced and the handling thereof is simplified.

By utilizing such a slide type connecting and pulling device, the degree of freedom for limiting the structure of the trailer which can be pulled by one tractor is increased,
A variety of trailers can be connected to a single tractor and pulled. This is to reduce the restrictions on tractor dispatch arrangements for the user,
There is a great economic advantage in improving the tractor mobility.

The applicant of the present application has filed a patent application for an improved invention with respect to the prior art technique disclosed in the above publication (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-37).
No. 6391, unpublished at the time of filing this application). The invention of this prior application is such that the position of the coupler member of the slide type coupling device can be changed even after the trailer is coupled to the tractor.

That is, in the above-mentioned prior art (Holland hitch), the position of the coupler member is changed in principle before the trailer is connected. By improving this, a program control circuit is used to control the locking means that fixes the coupler member immovably with respect to the base rail, and when safety is confirmed by a certain procedure, the parking brake of the tractor is Is released so that the tractor can be slightly moved in the front-rear direction in the connected state. With this improvement, it becomes possible to perform the operation of changing the axial load sharing on the tractor side even after the load is loaded on the trailer. This allows
It became possible to improve the traveling safety of the towing vehicle by appropriately changing the axial load sharing of the tractor without performing operations such as changing the loading position of the loaded luggage.

The applicant of the present application has filed a patent application for an invention which improves this (Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-104784, which has not been published at the time of the application of this application). In this further improvement, the relative position of the coupler member with respect to the base rail is detected as an electric signal so that the driver can recognize the position of the coupler member of the connected traction device, and this is displayed on the driver's seat. Is. With this improvement, the driver can move the tractor slightly forward and backward with the trailer connected to the tractor without placing the assistant at a position where the coupler can be seen, and the position of the coupler member of the connected traction device can be smoothly moved. You can now change.

[0007]

In the above-described coupling / pulling device, the movable range of the coupler member is several tens of cm. In an example of a more specifically used device, the distance is 62 cm, that is, ± 31 cm from the center of the movable range. By increasing the movable range of the coupler member, the types of trailers that can be connected to one tractor are increased, and the range in which the axial load sharing of the tractor can be changed is increased. From these points of view, it is desirable to design the coupler member so that the movable range is even larger. However, if the coupler member is designed to have a large movable range, it may not be possible to use the entire movable range depending on the combination of the tractor to which the connecting / traction device is attached and the trailer connected to the tractor. Will occur.

When the position of the coupler member is greatly moved in the forward direction of the tractor to be used, the trailer approaches the cab of the tractor. If the distance between the tractor cab and the trailer is not sufficient, the trailer will interfere with the tractor cab when the articulated vehicle travels on a curve. Mostly, when the position of the coupler member is moved to the rear side of the tractor, the load of the trailer will be excessively shared by the rear axle of the tractor, and the vehicle will start off the curve with a small radius of curvature. In such a case, the trailer cannot follow the tractor. In other words, the coupler member of the connecting and pulling device has a structurally movable range.

The allowable structural movement range is such that the center position and the total length of the coupler member on which the coupler member can be moved differ depending on the physical shapes of the tractor and the trailer. That is, the allowable movement range of the coupler member is determined by the combination of the tractor and the trailer, corresponding to the structures of the tractor and the trailer. Considering one tractor, the allowable movement range of the coupler member is individually specified for each trailer that can be connected to the tractor, and the movement range must not deviate during the connecting operation.

In the conventional practical device, the physical range in which the coupler member can be moved is sufficiently small with respect to the structures of the tractor and the trailer, and it seems that there is no structural problem in changing the position. Was designed to. In addition, since the operation method of connecting the trailer to the tractor and then changing the position of the coupler member of the connecting and pulling device has not been performed, the position of the coupler member is fixed depending on the type of trailer to be connected. The optimum position has been designated, and the driver has been explained how to use it so as to set the optimum position during the connecting operation.

[0011] Another problem to be solved is a standard problem in mass production of such a connected traction device. It is conceivable to design and manufacture multiple types of connected traction devices and to establish different standards for the connected traction devices for each tractor model, but that would make it impossible to manufacture a large number of articles of the same standard, which would impair mass production effects. Become.
Therefore, it is desirable that the standard number of the connected traction device is set to a small number such as one or two, and the standard can be applied to many types of tractors. Then, when the coupled traction device selected from a small number of standards is attached to one tractor, the tractor may not be able to use all the physical movement allowable range of the coupler member. .

[0012] Yet another problem to be solved is regulation by law. In Japan, the maximum length of a vehicle that can run on a road is 16.5 m, with the exception of special notification. This regulates the total length of the connected vehicle. Therefore, if the number of specifications of the tractor for various types of tractors is reduced as described above, if the coupler position of the tractor is moved to the rearmost position and the trailer with the maximum length is connected, this maximum total length is increased. There are cases where it exceeds.

The present invention has been made against such a background, and the present invention can increase the movable range of the coupler member to enhance its effect and improve operational safety. An object of the present invention is to provide a connected traction device that can be used. It is an object of the present invention to enhance the utilization effect by increasing the movable range of the coupler member. The present invention, by enlarging the movable range of the coupler member, it is possible to connect a variety of trailers to one tractor and travel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of changing the axial load distribution of a tractor in a wide range by increasing the movable range of the coupler member. The present invention alerts the driver when the position of the coupler member is moved beyond the allowable movement range, and automatically issues an alarm so that the vehicle cannot be driven in that state. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that automatically controls the vehicle so that it cannot start traveling. The present invention is
An object of the present invention is to prevent the structural safety limit from being exceeded even if the movable range of the coupler member is increased, and from being not to exceed the regulation value by law. Further, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the number of standards of the design and manufacture of the connecting traction device, to enhance the mass production effect, and to provide the connecting traction device at low cost.

[0014]

According to the present invention, measuring means is provided so that the position of the coupler member can be measured as an electric signal, and the position of the coupler member obtained as the electric signal is preset. The greatest feature of the present invention is that a display is provided so that the driver can recognize this in the driver's seat when it exceeds the allowable movement range of the coupler member. This is done by displaying an electric signal that measures the position of the coupler member on the driver's seat and displaying the allowable movement range for each type of trailer that can be connected in the driver's seat display. It can be carried out. However, practically, when an electric signal obtained by measuring the position of the coupler member is taken into a program control circuit (computer) and the movement allowable range corresponding to the vehicle type of the trailer set in advance is exceeded under the control of the program control circuit. In addition, an alarm may be generated, the sliding means of the coupler member may be locked, or the trailer or other vehicle may be automatically braked to prevent traveling. This configuration is effective for simplifying the operation and preventing an erroneous operation.

That is, according to the present invention, the base rail (1) fixedly attached to the chassis of the tractor (21) and the coupler member (movably attached to the base rail (1) in the longitudinal direction of the tractor ( 2) and a locking means (3) for setting the coupler member (2) in a locked state with respect to the base rail (1), the coupler for the base rail (1) is provided. One or more types of measuring means (11, 12, 13) that measure the relative position of the member (2) as an electric signal, and that can be connected to the tractor in correspondence with the position information obtained from the output of the measuring means. (10) means for displaying an alarm on the driver's seat of the tractor when the allowable range of the position of the trailer is preset, and when the information of the position exceeds the allowable range. Characterized by comprising a.

The numbers in the above parentheses are reference numbers in the embodiment drawings described later. This is a supplementary description for easy understanding of the configuration of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the examples. The same applies to the subsequent description.

This device can be connected to the tractor, and when the number of trailers actually connected and operated is extremely small (for example, 3 or less), it is parallel to the scale of the display means (10). Alternatively, it can also be implemented by writing the movement allowable range for each type of trailer. However, in practice, as will be described below, a program control circuit may be provided, and the output information of the measuring means may be taken into this program control circuit and arithmetically processed by a program operation to display or generate an alarm. desirable.

That is, according to the present invention, measuring means (11, 12, 13) for detecting the position of the coupler member with respect to the base rail as an electric signal, and a program control circuit (4) for inputting output information of the measuring means. The program control circuit (4) includes means for storing the allowable range of the position for one or more trailers connectable to the tractor, and means (19) for inputting the type of trailer to be connected. And a means (15, 16) for issuing an alarm when the output of the measuring means exceeds the allowable range according to the type of the input trailer.

It is preferable that the means (15, 16) for issuing the alarm is provided with means for interlocking to prevent the locking means (3) from being set to the locked state when the means (15, 16) is in the alarm state.

With this configuration, the burden on the driver is reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent the position of the coupler member from being moved beyond its allowable movement range for use due to driver's error or carelessness.

The means for inputting the type of trailer to be connected can be configured to utilize a signal capable of automatically identifying the type of trailer connected by connecting the trailers. Is not configured to allow such automatic identification of many trailers. Therefore, it is practical to have a configuration in which the driver inputs the type of trailer connected by a ten-key pad or other input means connected to the control circuit.

The allowable range of the position can be set so as to include a range restricted by the structure of the tractor or the trailer and a restricted range regulated by law. As a result, it is possible to avoid driving a vehicle having a length exceeding the entire length of the vehicle that can travel.

The program control circuit (4) takes in a signal indicating that the trailer is connected, and when this signal disappears, the type of trailer input by the input means is automatically detected. It may be configured to include a means for erasing. The signal indicating that the trailer is connected is the electrical wiring, such as taillights or stoplights, connected from the tractor to the trailer.
Alternatively, it can be obtained from an electric circuit for detecting that the brake air pressure supplied from the tractor to the trailer and the like are connected. With this configuration, when the trailer to be linked is once disconnected, the type of trailer that was input is automatically canceled and when the new trailer is linked, the type of trailer is input again. Since the user is prompted, it is possible to prevent the type of trailer connected before that from becoming effective as it is.

In the program control circuit (4), means for storing and setting the allowable range of the relative position for one or more trailers connectable to the tractor,
Means (19) for inputting the type of trailer to be connected,
A means (16) for issuing an alarm when the output of the measuring means exceeds the allowable range according to the type of trailer input can be configured. The control circuit (4) may be configured to include means for controlling the trailer connected thereto to a braking state when the means for issuing the alarm is in the alarm state. With this configuration, it is possible to avoid running the vehicle in a state in which the position of the coupler member of the connected towing device is not proper and the device is in an alarm state and is prompted to correct the position. it can.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an electric circuit of a device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the mechanical structure of the device of the embodiment of the present invention and the arrangement of each device. FIG. 3 is an external view of a tractor and a trailer mounted with the apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the driver who operates the device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the main part of the logical operation of the control circuit of the device of the present invention.

The device of the embodiment of the present invention is a connecting device provided on the tractor 21 for pulling the trailer 22 as shown in FIG. 3, and the connecting position of the connecting device is effectively indicated by an arrow in FIG. The tractor 21 can be moved forward and backward. This specific structure is equivalent to the one disclosed in detail in the publication (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-162663) described in the above-mentioned prior art.

Although this structure is well known, its outline will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The base plate 17 is fixedly attached to the chassis frame of the tractor 21,
A pair of base rails 1 are fixedly provided on the base plate 17. This pair of base rails 1
The coupler member 2 coupled to the trailer-side coupler is movably mounted on. 2 illustrates the structure of the base plate 17 by unfolding it by 90 degrees for convenience of description. In the state where the base plate 17 is attached to the chassis of the tractor, the side surface of the coupler member 2 is indicated by a broken line in FIG. It will look like the shape shown in. This coupler member is configured to be movable along the base rail 1 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

The width in which the coupler member 2 can move in the front-rear direction is several tens of cm, and in particular, in the device of this embodiment, the existing device is used and it is 62 cm. By moving the coupler member 2 forward and backward with respect to the base rail 1, the position of the rotation center of the front-rear central axis of the trailer 22 with respect to the front-rear central axis of the tractor 21 can be effectively changed. As a result, it becomes possible to pull different types of tractors with one tractor, and by changing the position of this coupler member, it is possible to change the load sharing between the rear shaft and the front shaft of the tractor. However, for a tractor having two rear shafts, the load sharing among the three shafts can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pneumatic cylinder 6 is attached to the coupler member 2. At both ends of the pneumatic cylinder 6, lock means 3 is attached to the tip of the piston rod. When air pressure is sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6, the locking means 3 is disengaged from the unevenness formed inside the base rail 1, and the coupler member 2 is movable along the base rail 1. When the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 6 is exhausted, the spring action of the built-in spring (not visible in this drawing) causes the locking means 3 to bite into the irregularities formed inside the pair of parallel base rails 1 and the coupler member 2 Is fixed to the base rail 1. Also in this case, in FIG. 2, the pneumatic cylinder 6 is drawn so as to be visible on the front surface of the coupler member 2, but in reality, the pneumatic cylinder 6 is arranged on the rear surface of the coupler member 2 and therefore cannot be seen from the front surface. The pneumatic cylinder 6 is loaded with a spring that acts to push the locking means 3 outward when there is no pneumatic pressure. Reference numeral 18 in FIG. 2 is a pneumatic joint for braking the trailer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention is configured so that the control circuit 4 controls the air pressure sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6 via the control valve 5.
The control circuit 4 is a program control circuit (CPU / computer unit). Further, in the present invention, a measuring means for measuring the relative position between the base rail 1 and the coupler member 2 described above is provided, and the measurement output of this measuring means is taken in as an input signal of the control circuit 4. There are features.

Explaining the measuring means, this embodiment is an ultrasonic distance measuring device. This measuring means includes a distance measuring sensor 11 mounted on the base plate 17, a reflecting mirror 12 mounted on the end of the coupler member 2 so as to face the distance measuring sensor 11, and connected to the distance measuring sensor 11. And the distance circuit 13. The reflecting mirror 12 moves together with the coupler member 2 when the coupler member 2 moves, and the distance measuring sensor 1
The distance between 1 and the reflector 12 changes. Distance measuring circuit 13
Generates a pulse current of ultrasonic frequency and supplies it to the distance measuring sensor 11 via a cable. Distance measuring sensor 11
Converts this pulse current into an ultrasonic pulse signal and sends it to the reflecting mirror 12 in space. The reflecting mirror 12 reflects the ultrasonic pulse signal, and the reflected ultrasonic pulse signal is received by the distance measuring sensor 11. The received ultrasonic pulse signal is converted into a received electric signal and transmitted to the distance measuring circuit 13 via the cable. In the distance measuring circuit 13, the distance measuring sensor 11 is determined from the time difference between the timing at which the ultrasonic pulse current is transmitted and the timing at which the received electric signal arrives, more specifically, the phase difference between the transmitted signal and the received signal.
The relative distance between the mirror and the reflecting mirror 12 is calculated and measured.

In the apparatus of this example, a commercially available apparatus was used and modified so that it could be mounted on a slide type coupling apparatus. As described above, the measurement output of the distance measuring circuit 13 is taken into the control circuit 4 via the input / output interface and is optically displayed on the display operation panel 10 as the position display 10b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the display operation panel 10 has a rotary dial 10a arranged at the center, and the set scale thereof is -300 according to the rotation angle of the dial 10a.
It is attached from mm to +300 mm. A value calculated and measured by the distance measuring circuit 13 is optically displayed as the position display 10b along the display scale. The display operation panel 10 is illuminated by an illumination lamp 10c that lights up during operation. The blinking of the illumination lamp 10c is controlled by the control circuit 4 through the input / output interface. Further, the dial 10a is configured to rotate as shown by an arrow, and the dial switch is turned on / off by pressing the dial 10a. On / off information of the dial switch is also taken into the control circuit 4 via the input / output interface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the input information of the control circuit 4 includes the slide lock release switch 9 operated by the driver, the ON / OFF information of the dial switch, and the operation of the parking brake by the parking brake detector 8. It is a coincidence signal of the state and the dial 10a of the display operation panel 10 and the position display 10b. In addition, this control circuit 4
In addition to the blinking signal of the illumination lamp 10c of the display operation panel 10, the output information of the control signal of the control valve 5 that controls the opening and closing of the air pressure supplied to the pneumatic cylinder 6 of the connecting device, and the air pressure is sent to the emergency brake of the trailer. Emergency brake control valve 1
4 is a control signal, an alarm lamp 15 blinking control signal, and an alarm buzzer 16 on / off signal.

Here, in the apparatus of the present invention, a trailer vehicle type setting key 19 is provided, and the vehicle type of the trailer to be connected is input from this setting key 19. The setting key 19 is a ten-key pad, and is operated by the control circuit 4
You can enter a number in. In practice, the number of trailer types that can be towed by connecting to one tractor is at most 10 types. Therefore, for example, entering # 1 is the first trailer type, and entering # 5 is the fifth trailer type. Can be arranged. What is the structure of the No. x trailer type and what kind of structure is around the skirt, and what range is the allowable range of movement of the coupler member of the coupled traction device installed in this tractor? This control circuit 4 is calculated in advance.
Input is set to. At this time, if the total length of the vehicle exceeds the length regulated by law, the input is set so as to satisfy the regulation by law.

For example, a tractor of model number yy manufactured by H company can be connected with three types of trailers manufactured by H company, two types of trailers manufactured by K company, two types of trailers manufactured by L company, and a total of seven types of trailers can be connected. To do. Then, for these seven types of trailers, when they are connected to the tractor of model number yy manufactured by H company based on the regulation values of the front and skirts, and the regulation values of the hem, the connection and traction of the tractors are provided. The range in which the position of the coupler member of the device can be changed is individually examined and input to the control circuit 4. For example, for trailer i type manufactured by K company,
140 to +120, -1 for K company trailer j type
The allowable movement range is input in advance for all trailer vehicle models that can be connected, such as 45 to +130. In principle, this is input from the computer for manufacturing control at the factory during the start-up test of the control circuit 4 before the product is shipped. It is also possible to change.

Which trailer the setting keys # 1 to # 9 correspond to can be provided as a sticker on the driver's seat by separately providing a table. If such an operation spreads, it is possible to display on the trailer side the key number of the vehicle type.
When the driver actually connects the trailer, he / she will input the type of trailer to the setting key 19. However, in order to eliminate this input error, the number of operating digits of the setting key 19 is further increased, It can also be configured to enter the model number of the actual trailer or a number related to that model number.

When the trailer vehicle type is designated by the setting key 19, the control circuit 4 reads out the data inputted in advance and displays the allowable movement range 10 of the display operation panel 10.
The range is optically displayed in d. In the example of FIG. 1, -2
The allowable movement range is from 00 to +220. It is possible to change the position of the coupler member 2 by setting the dial 10a at a desired position included in this range.

The designation of the trailer vehicle type is automatically deleted from the control circuit 4 when the trailer connection is released, and the designation of the vehicle type disappears. This is because, for example, when the signal transmitted to the emergency brake control valve 14 of the trailer is turned off, the control circuit 4 determines that the trailer has been disconnected, and the designation of the set vehicle type disappears from the memory. Even if the trailer of the same vehicle type is reconnected, the coupler member 2 is locked with respect to the base rail and cannot be moved unless the vehicle type is set again by using the setting key 19.

Next, equipment around the driver's seat equipped with the display operation panel 10 and others will be described. Referring to FIG. 2, slide lock release switch 9 and display operation panel 10
The setting key 19 is arranged beside the upper rearview mirror in the driver's seat. The driver can operate the slide lock release switch 9 and the display operation panel 10 with his / her left hand, and at the same time see the display operation panel 10 while observing the state of the trailer connected through the rearview mirror. In the driver's seat, the parking brake 7 and a parking brake detector 8 for detecting the operating state thereof,
An alarm lamp 15 and an alarm buzzer 16 are arranged. The control circuit 4 is arranged as a unit in the space behind the driver's seat.

First, how a driver operates the device thus constructed will be described. Referring to FIG. 4, the left column of FIG. 4 shows operation procedures performed by the driver inside the cab (driver's seat) and outside the cab. Operations performed outside the cab are shown in parentheses.

Now, it is assumed that the driver moves the tractor to the loading / unloading place where the trailer is stopped, connects the trailer, and departs for the destination. Stop the vehicle at an appropriate stop position and apply the parking brake. Operate the slide lock release switch of the connected traction device to turn it on. This activates the control circuit 4 to enable the setting key 19. The driver confirms the type of trailer to be connected, and operates the setting key 19 to input the type of trailer in a predetermined procedure. As a result, the illumination lamp 10c of the display operation panel 10 is turned on, and the position of the connecting device can be changed. At the same time, the movement allowable range display 10d of the display operation panel 10 displays the movement allowable range corresponding to the type of the trailer.

Next, the driver operates the dial 10a of the display operation panel 10 to instruct and set the position of the coupler member 2. For example, if you want to change the position to -120 mm (absolute value display), set the dial 10a to -120 mm.
Set to mm position. Dial 1 when the position is determined
Push down 0a. By depressing the dial 10a, the internal dial switch is turned on, and this value is taken into the control circuit 4. Then, when the dial 10a is released, the dial 10a returns from the depressed state and the dial switch is turned off.
At this time, if the setting of the dial 10a is specified beyond the allowable movement range displayed, an alarm is displayed and this is not accepted. At the same time, it is confirmed whether the current coupler position is within this movement allowable range.

Here, the driver goes out of the cab and performs a connecting operation for bringing the coupler member and the trailer side connecting device into a connected state. When the connecting operation is completed, the driver returns to the inside of the cab, releases the parking brake, puts in the gear, and slowly retracts (or advances) the tractor. The position display 10b moves slowly accordingly. This driving operation is executed while simultaneously viewing the rearview mirror and the display operation panel 10. When the position display 10b is exactly at the position set on the dial 10a, the device automatically detects the coincidence and the illumination lamp 10c is in a blinking state. At the same time, the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 6 is automatically discharged, and the locking means 3 is locked to fix the position of the coupler member 2.

The driver now applies the parking brake and goes out of the vehicle to see if the condition of the coupling device is as desired. When the confirmation is completed, the operator returns to the driver's seat and operates the slide lock release switch 9 to turn off. Then go out of the car again and raise the trailer's landing gear. This completes all operations for changing the connection position,
The driver can return to the driver's seat and start driving the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the logical operation of the control circuit 4 at this time. Since the contents of each step overlap with the above description and can be understood from the expression of each step in the drawings, detailed description will be omitted here. With this configuration, even when a plurality of types of trailers are reconnected to the tractor and towed, it is possible to set the position of the coupler member to a safe and rational position for traveling.

While the above description has described the use of an ultrasonic distance measuring sensor to measure the position of the coupler member, it is also possible to use other means for measuring mechanical displacement as an electrical signal. It can be realized similarly. Means for this purpose include a device that detects a mechanical position by a resistance change, a device that detects a mechanical position by a change in electromagnetic induction, a device that detects a mechanical position by a change in capacitance, and a mechanical device. The present invention can be implemented in the same manner by using a device that detects various positions by an optical signal, or the like.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coupled traction device capable of increasing the movable range of the coupler member, enhancing the effect of the movement, and improving the operational safety. . That is, by enlarging the movable range of the coupler member, it is possible to change the number of trailers to be connected to one tractor, and to appropriately change the axial load distribution of the tractor. . When the position of the coupler member is moved beyond the allowable movement range, the driver is warned of this and automatically controlled so that the vehicle cannot be driven in that state to improve safety. You can Further, the present invention makes it possible to comply with legal regulations. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of standards of the coupled traction device to be designed and manufactured, enhance the mass production effect, and provide the coupled traction device at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an electric circuit of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the mechanical structure of the device according to the embodiment of the present invention and the arrangement of the devices.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a tractor and a trailer mounted with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a driver who operates the device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the logical operation of the control circuit of the device of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 base rail 2 coupler members 3 locking means 4 control circuit 5 control valve 6 Pneumatic cylinder 7 Parking brake 8 Parking brake detector 9 Slide lock release switch 10 Display operation panel 10a dial 10b Position display 10c lighting 10d Allowable movement range display 11 Distance sensor 12 Reflector 13 Distance measuring circuit 14 Trailer emergency brake control valve 15 alarm lamp 16 Alarm buzzer 17 base plate 18 Pneumatic fittings for trailer brakes 19 Trailer model setting key 21 tractor 22 trailer

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A base rail fixedly attached to a chassis of a tractor, a coupler member movably attached to the base rail in the front-rear direction of the tractor, and the coupler member locked to the base rail. In a slide-type coupled traction device having lock means for setting the state, a measuring means for detecting the position of the coupler member with respect to the base rail as an electric signal is provided, and the position information obtained at the output of the measuring means is used. Correspondingly, the position allowable range is preset for one or more types of trailers that can be connected to the tractor, and means for displaying an alarm on the driver's seat of the tractor when the position information exceeds the allowable range. A slide-type connecting and pulling device characterized in that 2. A base rail fixedly attached to the chassis of the tractor, a coupler member movably attached to the base rail in the front-rear direction of the tractor, and the coupler member locked to the base rail. In a slide-type coupled traction device having a locking means for setting to a state, a measuring means for detecting the position of the coupler member with respect to the base rail as an electric signal, and a program control circuit for inputting output information of the measuring means. In this program control circuit, means for storing the allowable range of the position for one or more trailers connectable to the tractor, means for inputting the type of trailer to be connected, And means for issuing an alarm when the output of the measuring means exceeds the allowable range according to the type. Slide-type coupling traction device characterized and. 3. The slide-type coupling and traction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for prohibiting setting the lock means in the locked state when the means for issuing the alarm is in the alarm state. 4. The slide type coupling / traction device according to claim 1, wherein the allowable range of the position includes the allowable range regulated by the law. 5. The program control circuit takes in a signal indicating that the trailer is connected, and when the signal disappears, means for automatically deleting the type of trailer inputted by the inputting means. Claim 2 including
The slide-type coupled traction device described. 6. The slide type coupling / traction device according to claim 2, wherein the program control circuit includes means for storing and setting the permissible range of the relative position for one or more types of trailers that can be coupled to the tractor by an input operation. 7. The slide-type coupled traction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for controlling the trailer connected thereto to a braking state when the means for issuing the alarm is in the alarm state.