DE102021106409A1 - Tractor unit and semi-trailer truck - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tractor unit (20) with a chassis (22) and a driver's cab (26) arranged on the chassis (22). The tractor unit (20) has an air guiding device (60) with at least one air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) for blowing air out into the environment, the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) being located behind the driver's cab (26th ), is arranged on one side of the driver's cab (26) and/or on the roof (29) of the driver's cab (26).

Description

The present invention relates to a semi-trailer tractor and a semi-trailer truck.

Articulated trains consist of a tractor unit as the pulling vehicle and a semi-trailer (also known as a trailer) as the towed vehicle.

It is known from the prior art that the gap between the tractor unit and the trailer has a negative effect on fuel consumption. the US 6,428,084 B1 therefore discloses a system which includes covers that are intended to largely close or cover the gap space. A top cover can be moved by a cylinder. The disclosed system provides that whenever reverse gear is engaged, the top cover is moved upwards to prevent the top cover from hitting the trailer and being damaged during the coupling operation. The top cover is then moved down, resting on the trailer.

the DE 10 2009 054 570 A1 discloses a system with wind deflectors bridging the gap to minimize turbulence between a tow vehicle and a trailer vehicle. It is also disclosed that the wind deflector is not folded out until a minimum speed stored in a control unit is reached.

The known systems from the prior art lead to a reduction in flow resistance and fuel consumption. However, there is a need to further optimize the coverage of the gap space.

The object of the invention was therefore to reduce the negative effects of the gap between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle.

This problem is solved by the tractor unit according to the invention.

The tractor unit according to the invention has a chassis and a driver's cab arranged on the chassis. The semi-trailer tractor has an air guiding device with at least one air outlet nozzle for blowing out air into the environment, the air outlet nozzle being arranged behind the driver's cab, on one side of the driver's cab and/or on the roof of the driver's cab.

The solutions known from the prior art disclose physical wind deflectors which are arranged in some way so that the gap space is partially covered. The invention takes a completely different approach and provides that the air flow produced during travel is influenced by blowing out air in such a way that there is less turbulence in the gap space.

An air outlet nozzle means, in particular, a device which is suitable for influencing, in particular deflecting or changing the flow rate, air as it passes out of a pipe or a pipe-like system into the free space.

The air guiding device or parts thereof, in particular the air outlet nozzle, are preferably arranged on or above the chassis.

The air outlet nozzle has a blow-out direction that is essentially defined by its internal geometry. A change in the discharge direction can be made, for example, by changing the inner deflectors.

The blowing direction of the air outlet nozzle preferably forms an angle φ of 70°≦φ<180° to the direction of travel of the tractor unit when driving straight ahead. The discharge direction is therefore slanted backwards, upwards or to the side. An angle φ of 80°≦φ<130° is particularly preferred. With these angles, the air flow can be directed particularly well around the gap space S, resulting in less turbulence.

The air outlet nozzle is preferably arranged on a rear wall of the driver's cab or in the vicinity of the driver's cab, in particular at a maximum distance of 1 m from the driver's cab. The rear wall of the cab is always furthest from the semi-trailer, which prevents the semi-trailer from damaging the air outlet nozzle.

The air outlet nozzle may be flush with one or more edges of the cab. Alternatively, the air outlet nozzle can also be arranged at a distance 0<A<1 m from an edge of the driver's cab. The closer the air outlet nozzle is to the edge, the more influence it can have on the air flow. A distance of 0<A<0.5 m is therefore particularly preferred.

In advantageous developments, the semitrailer tractor has at least one air inlet which is conductively connected to the air outlet nozzle. In principle, the air blown out through the air outlet nozzle can also come from other sources, for example from an air reservoir. However, it is of particular advantage to have an air intake see, through which the air can flow in, in order to then be forwarded to the air outlet nozzle and blown out there. In this way there is always enough air to blow out and the deflection of the air flow around the gap space does not break off.

The air inlet is preferably arranged at a front or at a side of the driver's cab. In front of the semi-trailer tractor, there is a large dynamic pressure while driving, which is used by the invention to generate a strong air flow, which flows out of the air outlet nozzles.

In some cases, the dynamic pressure is not sufficient or no air intake can be provided at the front, for example for reasons of space. In advantageous developments, a compressor or a blower is therefore provided, which is/are arranged in front of the air outlet nozzle in the flow direction. The compressor or blower can be arranged in a duct of the air-guiding device or between the duct and the air outlet nozzles. The compressor draws in additional air and compresses it or accelerates an existing flow. From the compressor, the compressed air goes to the air outlet nozzle, where it is blown out into the area behind the cab.

The compressor is preferably arranged on the rear wall of the driver's cab or in the vicinity of the driver's cab. In this way the compressor can be placed close to the air outlet nozzle. In order to protect the compressor particularly well from damage, the compressor can also be arranged in a line which is connected to the air inlet and the air outlet nozzle.

Several air outlet nozzles are preferably provided. The air outlet nozzles each have a blow-out direction, with the blow-out directions not being identical.

In advantageous developments, the air guiding device comprises an air outlet device which has a plurality of air outlet nozzles. In this way, a central air flow can easily be divided into several and blown out through the air outlet nozzles.

The blowout directions of several of the air outlet nozzles can run in parallel. For example, several air outlet nozzles can be arranged along one edge of the driver's cab, all of which blow air out in parallel. In this way, along the entire edge, the air flow is prevented from leading to turbulence behind the edge in the gap space.

The blow-out direction of at least one air outlet nozzle preferably has an angle φ of 0°<φ≦90° to the blow-out direction of at least one adjacent air outlet nozzle. In this way, air can be blown out in a fan-like manner, in particular in a fan-like manner in one plane, as a result of which air can be blown in all directions to the side of the tractor unit from a central point. This gives a compact air guiding device.

It is expressly also possible for the blowout directions of some air outlet nozzles to run parallel to one another and for the blowout direction of at least one air outlet nozzle to run at an angle φ of 0°<φ≦90° to these blowout directions.

The air outlet nozzle preferably has a rectangular, elongated outlet opening. Such an air outlet nozzle is also referred to as an air blade. Other outlet openings are also possible, in particular a circular outlet opening. Both an air blade and a circular outlet opening cause a strong air flow with high flow speeds, which effectively prevents the air flow from flowing into the gap space.

The air outlet nozzle preferably has a deflector which deflects the air flow within the air outlet nozzle. The blow-out direction can be influenced with a deflector, whereby the air can be blown out exactly in the desired direction, so that the air flow is optimally redirected around the gap space.

The air outlet nozzle preferably has a throttle. A throttle increases the flow speed of the air blown out of the air outlet nozzle. As a result, the air flow can be better prevented from flowing into the gap space and causing turbulence there.

In advantageous developments, the compressor, the blower, the deflector, the throttle and/or the nozzle geometry and/or the blowing direction of the air outlet nozzle can be adjusted, particularly preferably electronically by a control unit. In this way, the components and thus the air flow blown out can be adapted to different driving situations and environmental conditions. As a result, the gap space can always be kept optimally free of turbulence.

• - die Fahrgeschwindigkeit der Sattelzugmaschine
• - die Druckverhältnisse, insbesondere der Luftdruck, im Spaltraum
• - die Druckverhältnisse, insbesondere der Luftdruck, an der Front der Sattelzugmaschine
• - die Druckverhältnisse, insbesondere der Luftdruck, über, unter und/oder seitlich neben der Sattelzugmaschine

The control unit is particularly preferably set up, the compressor, the blower, the deflector, the throttle and/or the nozzle geometry and/or adjust the discharge direction depending on at least one of the following parameters:

• - the driving speed of the tractor unit
• - the pressure conditions, in particular the air pressure, in the gap space
• - the pressure conditions, in particular the air pressure, at the front of the tractor unit
• - the pressure conditions, in particular the air pressure, above, below and/or to the side of the tractor unit

These parameters enable the individual components of the air deflector to be adjusted in a targeted manner, which means that turbulence can be reduced at any time while driving.

The semi-trailer according to the invention comprises a semi-trailer tractor and a semi-trailer, with a gap being formed between the semi-trailer tractor and the semi-trailer. An air guiding device with at least one air outlet nozzle for blowing air out into the environment is arranged in the gap space. This prevents the air flow from penetrating into the gap space while driving and causing turbulence there. The air guiding device and the air outlet nozzle can have any of the features described above.

The articulated lorry preferably has an articulated lorry according to the description above.

The invention can also be used in other towing vehicles than in semitrailer tractors.

A towing vehicle with a chassis and a body is therefore also disclosed, with at least one air outlet nozzle for blowing out air into the environment being provided, with the air outlet nozzle being arranged behind the body, on one side of the body and/or on the roof of the body .

The towing vehicle can have all of the features described above.

The towing vehicle can be, for example, a truck or a semi-trailer truck to which a trailer is attached, thereby forming an articulated train. A gap is formed between the truck and the trailer, the negative effects of which on fuel consumption can be avoided by the invention in the same way.

• 1 schematisch einen Sattelzug gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform in einer Seitenansicht
• 2 schematisch den Sattelzug der 1 in einer Draufsicht
• 3 schematisch einen Sattelzug gemäß einer zweiten Ausführungsform in einer Seitenansicht
• 4 schematisch eine Luftleiteinrichtung des Sattelzugs der 3 in einer Ansicht in Fahrtrichtung
• 5 schematisch einen Sattelzug gemäß einer dritten Ausführungsform in einer Seitenansicht

The invention is illustrated and explained below by way of example with reference to the drawings. It shows

• 1 schematically a semitrailer according to a first embodiment in a side view
• 2 schematic of the articulated lorry 1 in a top view
• 3 schematically a semitrailer according to a second embodiment in a side view
• 4 schematically an air guiding device of the semitrailer 3 in a view in the direction of travel
• 5 schematically a semi-trailer according to a third embodiment in a side view

the inside 1 and 2 tractor 10 shown includes a tractor 20 and a semi-trailer 40. The tractor 20 has a running gear or chassis 22 with wheels 24 and a driver's cab 26. the 1 shows the articulated truck 10 driving straight ahead. When driving straight ahead, the semitrailer tractor 20 and semitrailer 40 are aligned along a common main axis H and move along this main axis H in the direction of travel F.

The tractor includes a fifth wheel 28 which is arranged on the chassis 22 behind the driver's cab 26 . The trailer 40 has a king pin 48 (see 2 ) on. The tractor unit 20 and the semi-trailer 40 are coupled to one another by means of the fifth wheel coupling 28 and the king pin 48 .

The semi-trailer 40 also includes a chassis 42 with wheels 44 and a body 46.

A gap space S is formed between the semi-trailer 40 and the semi-trailer tractor 20, more precisely between the driver's cab 26 and the structure 46. The gap space S is bounded by the chassis 22 of the tractor 20 at the bottom.

Air L flowing past the side of the driver's cab 26 would be swirled in the gap space S while driving. This turbulence leads to increased fuel consumption of the articulated truck 10, which is disadvantageous.

The semitrailer tractor 10 therefore includes an air guiding device 60, by means of which the air L flowing past the driver's cab 26 while driving is prevented from entering the gap space S and leading to turbulence there.

The air guiding device 60 comprises three air outlet nozzles 70a, 70b, 70c, which are arranged on a rear wall 27 of the driver's cab 26 and above the chassis 22. The air outlet nozzles 70a, 70b, 70c can be referred to as left air outlet nozzle 70a, upper air outlet nozzle 70b and right air outlet nozzle 70c according to their position or their blowing direction. The left air outlet nozzle 70a and the right air outlet nozzle 70c can also be collectively referred to as lateral air outlet nozzles 70a, 70c.

The air outlet nozzles 70a, 70b, 70c are each elongated and arranged together in an inverted U-shape on the rear wall 27. The air outlet nozzles 70a, 70b, 70c each have a rectangular, elongated, ie slot-shaped, outlet opening.

The outlet opening of the upper air outlet nozzle 70b is on its upper side. The upper air outlet nozzle 70b is formed in such a way that its blowing direction Rb is directed obliquely upwards and backwards. There is an angle φb of 135° between the direction of travel F and the discharge direction Rb (see Fig 1 ).

The outlet openings of the lateral air outlet nozzles 70a, 70c are arranged laterally on the outside. The blow-out directions Ra and Rc of the lateral air outlet nozzles 70a,c are thus aligned horizontally away from the articulated lorry 10. There is an angle φa, φc of 90° between the direction of travel F and the blow-out directions Ra and Rc (see Fig 2 ).

The air outlet nozzles 70a, 70b, 70c are arranged flush with edges on the side surfaces or the roof surface of the driver's cab 26.

While driving, air flows out of the air outlet nozzles 70a, 70b, 70c, which deflects the air L flowing around the semitrailer tractor 20 in such a way that there are fewer turbulences in the gap space S, or no turbulence at all.

The in the 3 and 4 illustrated truck 10 also includes a tractor 20 and a semi-trailer 40, which are designed similar to the corresponding parts of the truck 10 of 1 and 2 .

The air guiding device 60 of the second embodiment has an air outlet device 62 (see FIG 3 ), which includes a plurality of air outlet nozzles 70. Each air outlet nozzle 70 has a circular outlet opening. The blow-out directions R of the air outlet nozzles 70 extend like a fan within a plane E perpendicular to the main axis H (see 3 ). Examples are in 4 only three air outlet nozzles 70 are shown with their blow-out directions R. Each outflow direction R is offset by an angle φ=15° to the outflow direction R of adjacent air outlet nozzles 70 .

The air guiding device 60 also includes an air inlet 64 which is arranged on a front 25 of the driver's cab 26 . During the journey, air L* passes through the air inlet 64 into a line 65 and then to a compressor 66 arranged in the line 65. The compressor 66 additionally draws in the air L* and compresses it. From the compressor 66, the compressed air reaches the air outlet nozzles 70, where it is blown out into the area behind the driver's cab 26. The air inlet 64 is therefore conductively connected to the air outlet nozzles 70 .

During the journey, air L* thus reaches the air outlet nozzles 70 from an area in front of the articulated lorry 10 and is blown out there. As a result, the air L flowing around the semi-trailer tractor 20 is deflected in such a way that fewer or no turbulences occur in the gap space S.

The tractor-trailer 10 of the third embodiment again comprises a tractor-trailer 20 and a semi-trailer 40, which are configured similarly to the corresponding parts of the tractor-trailer 10 of FIG 1 and 2 .

The air guide device 60 of the third embodiment is arranged on a roof 29 of the driver's cab 26 and comprises an air inlet 64 which is arranged at the front end of the air guide device 60 and an air outlet nozzle 70 which is arranged at the rear end of the air guide device 60. Air inlet 64 and air outlet nozzle 70 are directly conductively connected to one another. A deflector (not shown) is arranged within the air guiding device 60, which deflects the air flow within the air guiding device 60 in such a way that the air, after exiting the air outlet nozzle 70, flows away from the vehicle combination to the outside, thereby reducing turbulence in the gap space S.

In this embodiment, the blow-out direction R of the air outlet nozzle 70 is at an angle φ of approximately 160° to the direction of travel F.

In other embodiments, air outlet nozzles 70 according to the third embodiment can also be attached to the sides of the cab.

Reference List

10

articulated lorry

20

tractor unit

22

chassis

24

wheel

25

front

26

cab

27

back panel

28

fifth wheel

29

roof

40

semi-trailer

42

chassis

44

wheel

46

Construction

48

kingpin

60

air deflector

62

air outlet device

64

air intake

65

Management

66

compressor

70

air outlet nozzle

70a

left air outlet nozzle

70b

upper air outlet nozzle

70c

right air outlet nozzle

E

level

f

driving direction

H

main axis

L

Air

L*

Air

R

discharge direction

Ra

discharge direction

Rb

discharge direction

rc

discharge direction

S

gap space

φa

angle

φb

angle

φc

angle

φ

angle

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• US 6428084 B1 [0003]
• DE 102009054570 A1 [0004]

Claims (20)

Semitrailer tractor (20) with a chassis (22) and a driver's cab (26) arranged on the chassis (22), characterized by an air guiding device (60) with at least one air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) for blowing air into the Environment, wherein the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) is arranged behind the driver's cab (26), on one side of the driver's cab (26) and/or on the roof (29) of the driver's cab (26). Tractor unit (20) after claim 1 , characterized in that a blowing direction (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) of the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) forms an angle φ of 70° ≤ φ < 180° to the direction of travel (F) of the tractor unit (20) when driving straight ahead forms. Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) is arranged on a rear wall (27) of the driver's cab (26) or in the vicinity of the driver's cab (26). Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) is flush with one or more edges of the driver's cab (26) or at a distance A < 1 m from an edge of the driver's cab ( 26) is arranged. Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one air inlet (64) which is conductively connected to the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c). Tractor unit (20) after claim 5 , characterized in that the air inlet (64) is arranged on a front (25) or on a side of the driver's cab (26). Semitrailer tractor (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a compressor (66) or a blower which is/are arranged upstream of the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) in the direction of flow. Tractor unit (20) after claim 7 , characterized in that the compressor (66) or the blower is arranged in a line (65) of the air guiding device (60). Tractor unit (20) after claim 7 or 8th , characterized in that the compressor (66) or the fan is arranged on the rear wall (27) of the driver's cab (26) or in the vicinity of the driver's cab (26). Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several air outlet nozzles (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) are provided. Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blowing directions (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) of several of the air outlet nozzles (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) run parallel. Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge direction (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) of at least one air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) forms an angle ϕ of 0° < ϕ ≤ 90° to the discharge direction (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) of at least one adjacent air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c). Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) has a rectangular, elongate outlet opening (air blade). Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) has a deflector which deflects the air flow within the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c). Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) has a throttle. Tractor unit (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the compressor, the fan, the deflector, the throttle and/or the nozzle geometry and/or the blowing direction (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) of the air outlet nozzle (70, 70a , 70b, 70c) are adjustable. Tractor unit (20) after Claim 16 , characterized in that the compressor, the blower, the deflector, the throttle and/or the nozzle geometry and/or the blow-out direction (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) can be adjusted electronically by a control unit. Tractor unit (20) after Claim 17 , characterized in that the control unit is set up to set the compressor, the deflector, the throttle and/or the nozzle geometry and/or the blowing direction (R, Ra, Rb, Rc) depending on at least one of the following parameters: - the driving speed of the tractor unit (20) - the pressure conditions in the gap space (S) - the pressure conditions at the front (25) of the tractor unit (20) - the pressure conditions above, below and/or to the side of the tractor unit (20) Semi-trailer truck (10) with a semi-trailer tractor (20) and a semi-trailer (40), a gap space (S) being formed between the semi-trailer tractor (20) and the semi-trailer (40), characterized in that in the gap space (S) an air outlet nozzle (70, 70a, 70b, 70c) for blowing out air to the surroundings. articulated lorry (10) to claim 19 , characterized in that the tractor (20) is a tractor (20) according to one of Claims 1 until 18 is.

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