FR2561590A1 - Hitching device allowing the connection between a tractor vehicle and a trailer with one or more live axles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of mechanics and its subject is a coupling device for elements such as for example tractor and trailer. According to the invention a device incorporating a spider 1 and comprising, equidistant on its circumference, bearings 2, 3, 4, 5 receiving spindle journals such as 6 supported at their other end by respective bearings 2', 3', 4', 5' securely fastened in twos to pairs of arms 10 and 11, 12 and 13, is mainly characterised in that the part 1 is provided with a central slot 7 allowing the passage of members, such as a drive power transmission shaft between tractor and trailer whilst allowing the latter a very large excursion. Application to tractor vehicles coupled to a trailer with driving wheels, such as ''all-terrain'' hitching.

Description

 The present invention is in the field of mechanics and its object is a coupling member of elements such as for example tractor and trailer.

 In particular, agricultural machinery is known for coupling between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, comprising at the same time three-point type coupling members and mechanical drive members constituted by a so-called shaft. by force or by so-called hydraulic connection pipes. In the field of agriculture, we will rather seek to keep the alignment of the tractor and the trailer and in any case we will be satisfied with a relatively low misalignment of the two vehicles; Also, the problem of power transmission to the towed vehicle is not very difficult.

 In addition, there is known one swivel coupling of a trailer and a towing vehicle; such ball joints are widely used for towing trailers by passenger vehicles; in these cases we do not try to transmit power to the wheels of the trailer.

 Also known in the art of flecanique, the torque transmission device, said cardan joint or cardan or spider coupling in which a torque is transmitted from a first arbre to a second shaft, the two axes of these two trees having a point of convergence but may be non-aligned; such a device incorporates two axes of articulation generally perpendicular and coplanar on each of which is articulated on either side of the other axis each of the trees; the axes of articulation are materialized by a piece independent of the trees and having roughly the shape of a Greek cross.

 It seems that such a means of transmission of the torque reproduces, during a rotation of the trees, only imperfectly the speed of the leading tree: this coupling is said to be heterokinetic; C-n also knows by the appropriate arrangement of two such couplings and make the whole homo-kinetic.

The object of the present invention is to propose a device for coupling two elements, for example a tractor and a trailer, by means of which it would be possible to transmit a driving power from the tractor to the trailer, while allowing very large movements of the latter as well. well on itself than with respect to the tractor and while avoiding a significant fatigue of the power transmission members
The application that motivated the Applicant in his research is that of the coupling of a vehicle and a trailer to eIfuge under heavy load travel "all terrain", such as these movements are sometimes imposed military vehicles or civil or rural engineering.

 According to the present invention a connecting device, or coupling device, between first element and a second element, said device incorporating a coupling mechanism with crossed axes of articulation, said "brace" or "cardan" in which each coupled element is hinged around. of one of the two axes of the spider by means of bearings and bearing arm, is generally characterized in that a passage is formed in the vicinity of the superposition location of said axes.

 It will be noted that by superposition of said axes, one understands as well their point of intersection as a perpendicular which joins them.

 It results from this arrangement the possibility of passing in this passage any organs, including a drive power transmission shaft, while tolerating a very large movement of the trailer.

 According to a secondary feature of the device of the invention an intermediate coupling member is disposed between at least one of the coupled elements and one of the axes of articulation of the spider, said intermediate coupling being free in rotation-around an axis of rotation, and being provided with an axial recess. It follows from this arrangement that the coupled elements are also free to rotate about their longitudinal axis relative to each other. Preferably the intermediate coupling member is a set of cylindrical parts having in their center a recess for the passage of the power transmission members.

 According to a first preferred form of embodiment of the device of the invention, the "spider" is a flat part comprising a central lumen forming said passage, said flat piece having, arranged in four cardinal directions, bearings, each bearing having an axis in the extension of the axis of another bearing, the axes of the bearing pairs thus formed being substantially perpendicular to one another.

 According to a second embodiment, the spider is a cylindrical piece whose central recess forms a bearing axis perpendicular to each of said hinge axes, this bearing housing a short shaft having at each of its ends a cardan coupling.

 Following. a preferred application of a device as above described the first coupled element is a towing vehicle, the second coupled element is a trailer and the member passing through the passage of the cross is a transmission shaft of the tractor driving force has a drive axle of the trailer. It will be noted that the member passing through the passage could also be and advantageously for it, a bundle of hydraulic conduits, electric cables, etc.

The present invention will be better understood and details will be apparent from the description which will be made of embodiments, and an example of application, in connection with the figures of the attached plates in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coupling device of the invention according to its preferred embodiment,
FIG. 2 is a detail in section of the device of the preceding figure,
FIG. 3 is an application of the device of FIG. 1 to a tractor-trailer hitch "off-road"
FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of a second embodiment, and
- Fig.5 is a side view of the device of the previous figure.

FIGS. 6, 6a illustrate an attachment irode of the device of the preceding figures at the rear of the vehicle,
In FIG. 1, a device of the invention according to a first embodiment consists of a cross-member 1 in the form of a circular flat piece comprising, on its periphery, bearings 2,3,4,5 receiving trunnions. such as 6 supported at their other end by bearings respectively 2 ', 3', 4 ', and 5' integral two by two pairs of arms such as 10 and 11 for the bearings 2,2 ', 4,4 and 12 and 13 for the 3,3 ', 5, 5' bearings.

 According to the invention the part 1 to function of a spider is provided with a central passage 7 forming and still according to the invention the arms 10 to 13 are connected in pairs to vehicle coupling elements such as tractor and trailer; these elements are not represented in this figure. Therefore, the light 7 can serve as a passage for driving power transmission members between the towing vehicle and its trailer, such bodies shown schematically by 9 may be a universal joint shaft.

 The arms 10 and 11 are integral with a hollow cylindrical part 14 (FIG. 2), a shoulder flange 15 is engaged under a shoulder 16 of an outer ring 7 itself extending a cylindrical part 18 attached to a sole 19; all of these cylindrical pieces are hollow about the axis 20 which is their axis of symmetry, and it constitutes an intermediate coupling member allowing free rotation about the axis 20 of the coupling piece 14 and its arms 10 and 11. All parts of this coupling, including the sole 19, being hollow along the axis, an axial passage for the transmission members is formed through them.

 In fig.3 an all-terrain vehicle coupling -includes a tractor 21 and a trailer 22; a link device designated 8 as a whole connects the two vehicles; dashed power transmission members from the vehicle engine to the vehicle wheels and to the drive axle of the trailer; these transmission members pass through the passage of the cross-over described.

 The trailer 22 can pivot relative to the tractor 21 in all directions including around the alignment axis of the two vehicles.

 With this coupling device the hitch can progress, tractor and trailer heavily loaded on terrain that, by their rugged nature, would not be accessible to a trailer not provided with drive wheels.

 In figs. 4 and / or 5, a variant of the coupling device of the invention essentially consists of two arm parts 30 and 31 and a spider 32 provided with a central recess 33; the arms of the parts 30 and 31 are connected to the cross following axes of articulation 34 and 35 by means of journals such as 36.

 The recess 33 serves as a bearing for a short shaft 37 itself provided at its ends with spider couplings connected to transmission shafts 38 and 39.

 The parts 30 and 31 may be adapted to be connected to an intermediate coupling allowing their rotation about their axis in the manner of the part 14 of Fig.l and 2 or to receive arms similar to the arms 12 and 13 of these figures.

 In Fig.6 and 6a, the part 18 of Fig.l is fixed by welding, for example on a plate 19 'having on each of its sides of the tubular parts 40 and 41; a hinge 42- sölid ire the chassis of the tractor ~ Comivrte, ~ 5sculptésou reported, symmetrical shoulders 43 and 44 for centering and immobilize in its plane the plate 19 '; tubular parts 40 'and 40 "and 41' and 41" are welded to the shoulders and the plate 42 at locations such that their inner recess is in the extension of the inner recess of the parts 40 and 41 when the plate 19 'is in place between the shoulders; it is then possible to pass inside the tubular parts pins such as 45 and 46 which secure the coupling of fig.l to the chassis of the towing vehicle; pins such as 47 hold the pins in place; the disassembly is easily done by removing the pins.

 It will be noted that, although of different structure, the devices of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, fulfill similar functions, namely: allowing a coupling with a large clearance of the vehicles at the same time as the passage of power transmission shafts without imposing on the latter significant variations in length during movements of movements.

Claims (1)

CLASS I CAT IONS 1.- Connecting device, or coupling, enters into  first element and a second element, said device  forming a coupling mechanism with articula axes  crossed, said to "cross" or "cardan"  in which each coupled element is articulated around  of one of the two axes of the spider via  bearing and bearing arm, characterized ::  in that a passage (7) is provided  in the vicinity of the superposition location of said axes,  hence the possibility of  pass in this passage any organs, no  including a drive power transmission shaft,  while tolerating a very large travel of the trailer 2.- Device according to claim 1, characterized  by an inter-coupling member  mediate (14,17,18) arranged between at least one of the ele  coupled couplings and one of the axes of articulation  groove, said intermediate coupling being free in  rotation about an axis of rotation (20), and being for  seen from an axial recess,  it follows that the elements  coupled are also free to rotate around their  longitudinal axis relative to each other 3.- Device according to claim 1, characterized  in that 16 "brace" is a  flat part (1) comprising a central lumen (7) for  said passage, said flat part comprising, say  placed in four cardinal points of the bearings (2 to 5),  each bearing having an axis in the extension of the axis  of another bearing, the axes of the bearing pairs as well as  formed being substantially perpendicular to each other 4.- Device according to claim 1, characterized  in that the brace is a  cylindrical piece (32) whose central recess (33)  form a bearing axis perpendicular to each of said  axes, this bearing housing a tree (37) of  short length with at each end  a cardan coupling; 5.- Device according to any one of claims 1 to  4, characterized  in that the first element accou  ple is a tractor vehicle (21),  in that the second element accou  plé is a trailer (22), and  in that a body passing through the  passage of the cross is a transmission shaft (9,  38,39) of the driving force of traction to an  6.- Device according to claims 2 and 5, characterized  in that a piece (18) of said ac  intermediate coupling is fixed on a plate (19,  19 ') comprising on each of its sides Xubu parts  (40,41),  in that a platinum (42) solid  of the tractor chassis comprises shoulders (43,  44) for centering said aforesaid plate (19, 19 ')  and tubular pieces (40 ', 40 ", 41', 41") arranged  in locations such as their inner recess  is in the extension of the inner recess  aforementioned tubular parts (40,41) when the  that (19 ') is in place between said shoulders, and  in that pins (45,46) not  in the recesses of the tubular parts in prolon  are intended to secure the plate and the  tine and therefore the coupling device to the tra  tor.