CH704962A2 - Device support. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a support means (1), comprising a rail - guided connecting arm (5), a sealed electric cylinder (3) with a guided spindle in a piston rod (4) and integrated freewheel and a controller (17), with current monitor and time relay, which serve to drive down and raise a swivel lever (6) and to simultaneously activate the four electric motors (16) by means of a 2 x 2 software and a tilt sensor and to always activate two electric motors (16) for leveling in order to quickly and safely turn a device into such as a caravan to support and level.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a motor-driven retractable support for devices with leveling and height adjustment, according to the preamble of the first claim.

State of the art

Extendable supports, mobile cranes or vehicles or trailers are widely used and can be operated manually as a motor. They are usually used to support an asymmetrically loaded device or for horizontal attitude of a single or tandem axle trailer as shown, inter alia, in US Pat. No. 4,103,869 and can also be used as a leveling agent on uneven ground as shown, inter alia, in the patent EP 1 257 450th Such Post facilities can also be used as height adjustment, so that a device to another device at the same level or can be placed on a corresponding staircase or the like accurately at the same height.

Presentation of the invention

The invention has for its object to operate a motor-driven and slide-guided, extendable support means to operate by means of a self-contained active agent and to level by means of a simple software devices quickly and precisely or to adjust in height, according to the preamble of the first claim.

The invention is exemplified on a mobile device, e.g. a caravan explained, which is placed in a place where the ground may not be flat and may not be absolutely solid. Most caravans have 4 supports, which are extended at the site and each support is then individually set so that the caravan is ultimately leveled as possible. The extension of the supports can be done manually or by motor, the manual is time-consuming, but inexpensive. The embodiment described here relates to a motor design, which may be hydraulic or electric, wherein the electrical version is given priority, because at the same time an important safety means is incorporated by means of an encapsulated and self-locking spindle, namely that the support means so statically secured and waterproof and dirt-tight, the described overall design also represents a cost support system and to enable by means of software and a smartphone, a very comfortable and playful horizontal position of the caravan.

To realize these requirements, the electric cylinder is a self-contained apparatus, which comprises at least the electric motor, the gearbox, the spindle and a piston rod in a housing. This can be sealed by means of sealing rings on the housing outlet to the piston rod, as known from the hydraulic cylinders and the piston rod to which a spindle nut is fastened, is retracted by an internal spindle and extended. The spindle nut is connected to a reduction gear and this in turn with an electric motor which is powered by the mostly 12 or 24 V onboard battery of the towing vehicle of the caravan or a separate unit. Thus, the electric cylinder is a compact, fully sealed working cylinder, which has receptacles for bearing bolts at both ends, so that it can be installed or removed in a few steps in the support means. The spindle has an additional cage with two-sided drivers and recirculating balls lying therein and the spindle has transverse pins on both ends, so that when a driver on the additional cage with the cross pin at the end of the spindle stops, rotate the orbital balls in the additional cage and thus rotates the spindle and empty the piston rod can not be further retracted or extended and thus represents a simple freewheel means. Thus, the electric cylinder requires no limit switches, which would otherwise be mandatory in a self-locking spindle. In addition, the electric cylinder may have a sensor with which the spindle speed and in this way also the stroke can be detected, which is evaluated by a controller.

The controller is connected to a current monitor for limiting the load on the electric motor, an electronic spirit level, a time relay and a remote control, e.g. using a smartphone with a built-in spirit level and software that allows you to quickly level a caravan. In this case, the smartphone is localized, because the operator must be where the tilt sensor is currently, for a high quality of leveling is achieved. This controls all electric cylinders at the same time, instead of each cylinder individually as usual and thus have the supports four times faster ground contact. Thereafter, always two electric cylinders are simultaneously used for the final leveling, by means of a so-called 2 x 2 cycle. By means of the remote control, the entire caravan can be synchronously raised and lowered by means of the four electric cylinders.

The best software and a smart working cylinder uses little, if not the basic mechanics and kinematics is well executed. Again, the invention is new ways in which one of the levers is rotatably mounted on a carriage and the carriage is rail-guided, thus representing optimal stability of the extending support and the active cylinder, here the electric cylinder, the spindle integrated in a piston rod undergoes no side loads. The whole thing can be additionally secured by means of a gas spring or the electric drive with this help does not have to provide such a high performance to put the feet of the supports on the ground, but a part of the force is provided by means of the gas spring. Furthermore, instead of the usual hand crank, if necessary, by means of an emergency bolt, the supports are folded up.

This is achieved by the features of the first claim according to the invention.

Core of the invention is, by means of a rail-guided lever and a guided spindle in a piston rod, which is in a self-sufficient and sealed working cylinder with integrated freewheel, as well as current monitor and time relay, down a support and start up and by means of software, first The four supports are activated simultaneously and for leveling then always two of the supports are activated, so quickly and safely a device, such as a caravan to support and level.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

In the following, embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. The same elements are provided in the various figures with the same reference numerals.

[0012] FIG. <Tb> FIG. 1 is a schematic three-quarter view of a support device with the electric cylinder attached to the console, which is connected to the rail-guided connecting arm and this actuates the pivot lever to which the foot is attached, and the controller, which is connected to the electric cylinder 3 <Tb> FIG. 2 <sep> is a schematic plan view of a smartphone, which displays an electronic dragonfly with control buttons, automatic button and height control and data information in its touch-sensitive screen.

Only essential elements for the immediate understanding of the invention are shown schematically.

Way to carry out the invention

Fig. 1 shows a schematic three-quarter view of a support means 1 with the attached to the console 2 electric cylinder 3, which is connected by means of the piston rod 4 with the rail-mounted connecting arm 5 and this actuates the pivot lever 6, to which the foot 7 attached is, wherein the rail guide 8.9 is a carriage 8 and a rail 9. If necessary, a gas spring 10 supports the electric cylinder 3. For emergency operation, an emergency drive is available on the electric motor 16 with an Allen key, which is ready by means of an emergency key 11 or elsewhere an emergency bolt 12, which can be operated in an emergency. The bolts 13 serve as fastening means and as a pivot bearing for the kinematics of which one has a rubber bearing 14. The cable 15 of the electric motor 16 mounted in the electric motor 3 leads to the controller 17.

The console 2 of the support means 1 is attached to the substructure of a device, e.g. of a caravan, usually four pieces are mounted in the outer corners, but also three support means 1 are a good solution. On the bracket 2 is the suspension 2a for the electric cylinder 3 and the rail 9, to which the carriage 8 can be moved back and forth with little friction, which has a bolt 13, so that between the bolt 13 of the suspension 2a and the bolt 13 on Carriage 8, the electric cylinder 3 can be mounted. The bolt 13 on the carriage 8 can at the same time record the connecting arm 5, which is a kink-resistant, lightweight and cover-friendly U-profile, rotatably mounted, which is rotatably connected to the opposite side to the pivot lever 6 and can be a double arm for reasons of rigidity, on the is rotatably mounted at one end of the foot 7 and the support means 1 is a wide foundation and at the other end of the pivot lever 6 rotatably connected to the console 2 is connected. When the piston rod 4 of the electric cylinder 3 is extended, the connecting arm 5, which is guided in the rail 9 by means of the carriage 8, pulls the pivoting lever 6 high until it practically extends to the console 2. Thus, the support means 1 is raised elegantly and takes up little height and is in the extended mode, due to the rail guide 8.9, even against side forces extremely robust. A bellows can additionally protect the piston rod 4 against salt dryness and road dirt.

An electric cylinder 3 with a self-locking spindle, unlike a hydraulic cylinder, locked at rest per se and needs no further locking devices to keep the support means 1 in a certain position - even over a long time - perfect. The electric cylinder 3 described here additionally has an integrated freewheel at the respective stroke end of the piston rod 4, so that the electric cylinder 3 does not need any limit switches. For this, the electric cylinder 3, which is coupled to the controller 15, has a time relay, so that e.g. at startup of the pivot lever 6 according to arrow b, respectively. Extend the piston rod 4 according to arrow a, at the stroke end of the electric motor 16 is not stopped due to the freewheel, because no resistance opposes, but continues to rotate and thus after a certain time the power is turned off for thermal reasons. When lowering the pivot lever 6, the foot sets at a point on the ground, which would probably long before the freewheel would come into action, so suddenly a high load on the entire mechanics of the electric cylinder 3 acts and the electric motor 16 would come to an abrupt halt and without Therefore, a current monitor on the controller 15 is mounted, which immediately stops the electric motor 16 at a defined increase in the current. As an additional measure, the electric cylinder 3 is equipped with a rubber bearing 14 on a bolt 13 carrying the electric cylinder 3, so that when the current increases the rubber bearing 14 is first pressed as damping means and the electric motor 16 is thus braked harmlessly during the subsequent power take-off. Instead of a rubber bearing 14 and a metal spring can absorb the sudden change in pressure.

Unlike hydraulic cylinders, in the case where the lifting force is insufficient there, the hydraulic pressure can be raised slightly and thus the problem is often solved. In an electric cylinder 3, an additional power is a little more complex and can not be done simply by more power, but usually it requires a larger electric motor 16, this may need a different reduction, or and another spindle, in short, the individual parameters must be balanced with each other, on the one hand more lifting power should be available and on the other hand, the same lifting speed can be maintained. Optionally suitable for this purpose is a gas spring 10, depending on the configuration, a compression or a tension spring, in this case a gas tension spring, which engages the electric cylinder 3 when retracting the piston rod 4, i. supported during extension of the pivot lever 6. Gas springs 10 are inexpensive, have proven themselves millions of times and can afford large lifting forces. Such a gas spring 10 can thus be clipped quickly and easily laterally to the bolts 13 with appropriate means, or such a gas spring 10 can also be integrated directly into an electric cylinder 3. This can be achieved with little effort, a much higher lifting capacity. It is important to ensure that the gas springs 10 does not produce more lifting power than the electric cylinder 3, because the electric cylinder 3 must be able to apply a force which ensures that the gas spring 10 can be pushed back into the starting position. Elaborate, but very efficient is the use of a lockable gas spring 10. Thus, a non-self-locking spindle can be used, thus the electric motor 16 needs to be much less powerful, since he no longer has to overcome the high friction between the spindle and spindle nut and builds therefore much smaller. The reduction gear can be made smaller, it requires an unlocking device which releases the gas spring 10 from the blockage and locks again at the end of the lifting operation. Blockable gas springs 10 are blocked until the material is broken. The corresponding unlocking means is state of the art and will therefore not be explained further here.

Should the unlikely event happen once that the electric cylinder 3 is no longer functional, it can be operated with the known methods of manual operation, the support means 1. Here is shown a version which at the end of the electric cylinder 3 projects from the electric motor 16, e.g. Allen has hexagonal, which means Allen key called an emergency key 11, the stroke of the piston rod 4 can be adjusted in the electric cylinder 3, or to fold up the pivot lever 6, by means of extract or unscrew the emergency bolt 12, which one of the two bolts 13th is, which hold the electric cylinder 3 and fix the pivot lever 6 at the top of the console 2 by means of a device not shown here. In the first emergency device, the electric motor 16 is rotated, therefore, a diode is mounted, which dissipates the generated generator current.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic plan view of a smartphone 18, which has a touch-sensitive screen 19, in which an electronic dragonfly 20 with control buttons 21, automatic button 22 and height controller 23 and data information 24 is shown.

The whole can also be represented with the device to be leveled as 3-D, e.g. a caravan with the appropriate animation. The visualization of the background with your own caravan can be designed accordingly attractive - there are no limits.

The well-known on the market support means 1 all work according to the same procedure, namely, that each support means is extended individually to the ground contact, then each support means 1 is further individually extended accordingly further until the caravan is leveled as possible. This can be done by means of a remote control on which there are control buttons or it can be done automatically by an inclination sensor is integrated in the controller 17 and this leaves the program independently.

The invention presented here has its own algorithm and uses a smartphone 18 such as a smartphone. the i-phone which has at the same time integrated an excellent inclination sensor and the leveling not only can be performed very technically very precise, but the operation is also playful by the smartphone 18 to a desired level, which should be horizontal after the leveling operation , such as a step or the saloon table, etc. Thus, the user can decide for himself what should be absolutely horizontal for him and not a somewhere attached to the caravan controller 17 with a tilt sensor on which a predetermined angle was determined as a horizontal. It is advantageous to keep the smartphone 18 aligned with the support means 1 as shown in the layout and drawing. The controller 17 is Bluetooth or Wifi capable and thus can communicate with the smartphone 18 directly. Thus, the user can his smartphone 18, which is so localized, but the place of the desired, ultimately optimized leveling can be followed directly and thus exemplarily place the smartphone 18 on the entry stairs level, the automatic button 22 on the touch-sensitive screen 19 tap, which as Command is forwarded to the controller 17 and all four electric cylinders 3 are activated simultaneously and thus drive the support means 1 from. As soon as the respective electric cylinder 3 experiences a corresponding current load and reaches a defined threshold, e.g. 10 A, the electric motor 16 stops its activity, because it is an indication that the foot 7 has not only touched the ground, but a corresponding force acts on the ground. This force is factory defined and is an important factor, e.g. If the ground is softened grass, the foot 7 continues to move accordingly until finally a safe, predefined pressure of the piston rod 4 and thus the electric motor 16 counteracts. If this is not possible by no corresponding pressure in the form of increased power consumption at the electric motor 16, the smartphone 18 sounds an alarm and in the window of the data information 24, the text is what triggered the alarm and thus the problem can be solved accordingly, e.g. a corresponding wood between the ground and the foot 7 is highlighted. Are all four electric cylinder 3 finally stopped due to the correspondingly high power consumption, which is usually done in a few seconds, the program changes and now takes into account the integrated tilt sensor of the smartphone 18 in the controller with. If the dragonfly 20 is e.g. outside the center at the location of the dragonfly 20a, so the two electric cylinders 3c, 3d go out and the dragonfly 20a "rolls" on the broken line x1 until the line of the longitudinal axis X is reached, then the electric cylinders 3a, 3c are extended, so the dragonfly 20a on the broken line y1 "rolls" up to the line of the transverse axis Y in place of the dragonfly 20 and thus the caravan is already leveled. Of course, you can also reverse the procedure by first looking at the Y axis. By means of the control buttons 21, the stroke of the electric cylinder 3 can be adjusted individually still at its own discretion. Also located on the screen 19 is the height adjuster 23 which allows the user to keep the level 20 centered by synchronously adjusting all four electric cylinders 3 in order to raise or lower the caravan and to lower it, e.g. to be aligned with a corresponding object. At the window of the data information 24, which can appear depending on the activity in another place, the degrees of degree of leveling can be read, the condition of the on-board battery and much more.

The height controller 23 with the centered remaining dragonfly 20 works particularly well when in the electric cylinder 3, a sensor is mounted, which detects the rotational speed of the spindle or the electric motor 16, because thus the individual electric cylinder 3 by means of the controller 17 with respect to exactly speed be tuned to each other and thus can also be the hub in eg Calculate centimeters. The user can thus say exactly how many inches the caravan should be raised or lowered.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0025] <tb> 1 <sep> supports medium <Tb> 2 <sep> Console <Tb> 2 <sep> suspension <Tb> 3 <sep> Electric Cylinders <Tb> 4 <sep> piston rod <Tb> 5 <sep> linkage <Tb> 6 <sep> pivoting lever <Tb> 7 <sep> foot <Tb> 8 <sep> sled <Tb> 9 <sep> rail <Tb> 10 <sep> gas spring <Tb> 11 <sep> emergency <Tb> 12 <sep> Notbolzen <Tb> 13 <sep> Bolts <Tb> 14 <sep> rubber bearings <Tb> 15 <sep> Cables <Tb> 16 <sep> electric motor <Tb> 17 <sep> Controller <Tb> 18 <sep> Smartphone <Tb> 19 <sep> Screen <Tb> 20 <sep> dragonfly <Tb> 21 <sep> control button <Tb> 22 <sep> Automatic key <Tb> 23 <sep> treble controls <Tb> 24 <sep> data information <Tb> X, Y <sep> tilt axes

Claims (10)

1. support means (1), characterized in that the support means (1) has a rail guide (8,9) on which the electric cylinder (3) with integrated freewheel and the self-locking spindle in the piston rod (4) is mounted and on the opposite side the suspension (2a), by means of a rubber bearing (14) and bolts (13), and the electric motor (16) is connected to a controller (17) having a current monitor and a time relay and the 2 x 2 software. Second support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (17) with a localized smartphone (18) is in communication and the smartphone (18) has an integrated tilt sensor and a touch-sensitive screen (19) and by means of Bluetooth or Wifi virtual buttons (21, 22, 23) can be actuated and on the screen (19) a virtual dragonfly (20) as feedback of the tilt axes (X, Y) and data information (24) are visible. 3. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (17) has a 2 x 2 algorithm, which activates the four electric motors (16) at the same time on actuation of the automatic key (22) and switches off each individual at a predetermined power consumption and After all four electric motors (16) no longer complete stroke the inclination sensor of the smartphone (18) is consulted and by activation of two electric motors (16) the dragonfly (20) is driven on a line of the tilt axis (X, Y) and thereafter, by activation of two electric motors (16) simultaneously on the other line of the tilt axis (X, Y) is driven until the dragonfly (20) is located in the crosshairs of the two tilt axes (X, Y). 4. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the smartphone (18) for the leveling operation and height control is positioned longitudinally or transversely to the layout of the electric motors (16). 5. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that by means of the height controller (23) all four electric motors (16) are simultaneously raised or lowered and by means of integrated sensors in the four electric motors (16), the rotational speed of the electric motors (16) or the spindles can be detected and by means of the controller (17) the electric motors (16) are hereby synchronized with each other and by means of the knowledge of the reduction and spindle pitch so that the lifting height is known. 6. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric cylinder (3) is waterproof at least IP 65. 7. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that on or in the electric cylinder (3) a gas spring (10) is mounted and this is blocked in connection with a non-self-locking spindle or a hydraulic cylinder and the blockage ensured by means of an unlocking or repealed can be. 8. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric cylinder (3) may also be a hydraulic cylinder. 9. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric motor (16) is a receptacle for an emergency key (11) or and instead of a bolt (13) an emergency bolt (12) is mounted. 10. support means (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rail guide (8, 9) is a carriage (8) and a rail (9).