JP2002331971A - Slide type coupling traction device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the safety in operation of a device for changing the position of the coupler member of a slide type coupling traction device as a trailer is connected to a tractor by allowing the monitoring of whether or not the coupling traction device is operated according to a driver's operation in a driver' s seat, and emitting an alarm when the operation of the device is not matched to the driver's operation. SOLUTION: The operating state of the slide lock means of the slide type coupling traction device is physically detected, and the operating state is read as input information for a control circuit. When the operating state is not matched to the driver's operation, the alarm is emitted, and an emergency brake is automatically controlled to a braking state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a connecting device provided on a tractor side for towing a trailer.
The present invention relates to an improvement in a slide-type connecting and pulling device that can move a position of a coupler member of a connecting device in a front-rear direction of a tractor. The present invention relates to an improvement for improving the operability of a slide-type connected traction device and for improving its safety.

[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-rear direction of a tractor.
For example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-1626663 (applicant: Holland Hitch). This device is an excellent device that reduces the weight of the connecting traction device and simplifies its handling. This device includes 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 with respect to the base rail. I have. Then, after the coupler member is set at a desired position with respect to the base rail, the slide lock means is operated to set the operation from the movable state of the coupler member to the locked state of fixing the coupler member to the base rail. It is constituted in.

[0003] The use of such a slide-type connected traction device increases the degree of freedom with respect to the structural limitation of a trailer that can be tracted by one tractor. In other words, it becomes possible to connect and trail many types of trailers to one tractor. This reduces restrictions on arranging tractors for dispatching to the user, and has a great economical advantage of improving the tractor operation rate.

[0004] The applicant of the present application has studied a device capable of changing the position of the coupler member even when the trailer is connected, and applied for a patent (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-2000). 376391,
Unpublished at the time of filing the present application, hereinafter referred to as “prior invention”). According to the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Holland Hitch publication, the position of the coupler member of the slide-type connecting and pulling device can be changed only when the trailer is not connected in principle. . The above-mentioned prior invention has improved the above-mentioned invention, and has a structure in which the position of the coupler member can be changed even when the trailer is connected. As a result, it is possible to tow many types of trailers as described above, and in addition to the advantage of improving the tractor operation rate, after loading the trailer, the load distribution to the plurality of axles of the tractor is performed. Can now be properly adjusted. With this improvement, the driving safety could be improved.

In the prior application, a program control circuit (computer) is introduced for controlling the setting and release of the slide lock means, so that the driver can safely perform the operation for releasing and setting the slide lock means in the driver's seat. And it can be performed easily. Further, in the prior invention, the emergency brake of the connected trailer is simultaneously controlled by the program control circuit so that the trailer starts moving when the slide lock means of the slide-type connected traction device is released. There is no such equipment.

[0006]

The inventor of the present invention has conducted a number of tests to commercialize the slide-type connecting and pulling device of the prior invention. I experienced the following problems. That is, even if the driver operates the lock state of the slide lock means or releases the lock state by remote control from the driver's seat, the driver's seat cannot recognize whether the device is correctly responding to the operation. In the above-mentioned prior invention,
After the driver performs the operation of releasing the lock state of the slide lock means or performing the operation of setting the lock state, it is necessary to go out of the cab and go to see that the slide lock means is operating correctly. .

This operation may be annoying to the driver. At the same time, when the trailer is connected, the connected traction device is located below the floor of the trailer, and it may be difficult to visually observe the mechanical operation state of the slide lock unit. In particular, when sufficient lighting cannot be obtained at night or in a warehouse, it is necessary to carry a flashlight or other lighting equipment for observation.

[0008] Under such circumstances, the driver of the vehicle equipped with the above-mentioned prior invention sometimes fails to go out of the cab and check the operation state after operating the slide lock means. I came to think that I had to think about it. In particular, when the device is operating normally without any trouble, the operation of confirming the operation after performing the operation may be routinely omitted, which is not desirable from the viewpoint of safety.

The present invention has been made in such a background, and an object of the present invention is to improve the operational safety of a remotely operated slide-type connected traction apparatus. The present invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of remotely monitoring an operation state of a slide lock unit. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that automatically detects and issues an alarm when an operation state of a slide lock unit is different from a driver's operation. The present invention is directed to a device which cannot automatically start the vehicle by automatically detecting when the operation state of the slide lock means is different from the driver's operation and automatically setting the vehicle to the braking state. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention physically (mechanically and electrically) detects that a slide lock means for inhibiting movement of a coupler member is in a locked state, and detects the result of this detection in a driver's seat. The biggest feature is that it is displayed on the display.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that when the result of the physically detected detection is inconsistent with the driver's operation, an alarm is generated in the driver's seat.

That is, the present invention provides a base rail (1) fixedly mounted on a tractor, and a coupler member (2) connected to a coupler on a trailer side and movably mounted in the front-rear direction with respect to the base rail. And a slide for setting the locked state in which the coupler member (2) is fixed to the base rail in accordance with the operation (or the unlocked state in which the coupler member (2) is slidable with respect to the base rail). In the slide-type connected traction device provided with lock means (3, 4, 5, 6), the slide lock means includes a detection means (31) for physically detecting the locked state; Display means (10, 15) for displaying the output of the means on the driver's seat.

The numerals in the parentheses are reference numerals for the drawings of the embodiments described later. This is added for easy understanding of the configuration of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the configuration of the present invention to the embodiments. The same applies to the following description.

With this configuration, the driver can remotely control the slide lock means in the driver's seat and can recognize the operation state in the driver's seat.

More specifically, the slide lock means includes a control circuit (4) and a control output of the control circuit for fixing or releasing the coupler member (2) to or from the base rail. The display means includes mechanical means (5, 6) and an operation switch (9) provided in a driver's seat and whose operation output is input to the control circuit. The display means operates the operation switch (9) in a locked state. It is preferable to include a warning means (16) for generating a warning when the detection means (31) does not detect the locked state.

According to this configuration, if the slide lock means is not locked for some reason even though the driver has operated the slide lock means in the locked state, an alarm is generated in the driver's seat. Will pursue the cause, and it is possible to prevent the vehicle from starting without the slide lock means being locked.

Further, the present invention can be configured to include means for automatically maintaining the brake of the trailer in the braking state when the warning means is in the alarm state. With this configuration, when the vehicle is in the alarm state, it is impossible to physically start the vehicle, and the safety is further improved.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view for explaining the mechanical structure of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention and the arrangement of each member. FIG. 2 is a main block diagram showing the configuration of the electric circuit of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a mechanism for physically detecting the operation state of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an external view of a tractor and a trailer equipped with the device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is a connecting and towing device provided on a tractor 11 for towing a trailer 12 as shown in FIG. 4, and the center of rotation of the connection about the vertical direction is shown in FIG. As indicated by the arrow, the tractor 11
Can be moved in the front-back direction. This specific structure is disclosed in the gazette described in the above prior art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-1 / 5-1).
626263) is basically equivalent to that disclosed in detail. This structure will be described briefly.

As shown in FIG. 1, a base plate 13 of the connecting and pulling device is fixedly mounted on a chassis frame of the tractor 11. A pair of base rails 1 are similarly fixedly provided on the surface of the base plate 13. A coupler member 2 coupled to the coupler on the trailer side is mounted on the pair of base rails, and the coupler member is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the base rail. The base plate 13 is mounted on the chassis frame of the tractor 11 so as to be substantially horizontal with respect to the ground surface. In FIG. 1, for easy understanding of the structure, only the base plate portion is shown as a top view from above so that the base plate 13 is turned 90 degrees and the surface thereof is shown in the same single figure. When mounted on the tractor 11, the position of the coupler member 2 is at the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG.

The movable range of the coupler member 2 with respect to the base rail 1, that is, the range indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4 is several tens of centimeters, and more specifically, 62 cm in this embodiment. By changing the position of the coupler member, the position of the center of rotation of the connecting and pulling device can be substantially changed. Thus, one tractor can operate by connecting a plurality of different types of trailers. This provides the user with a large number of tractors and trailers, such as the transportation industry, with more flexibility in the combination of tractors and trailers, and has an excellent economical advantage that the vehicle and the driver can operate efficiently. This is as described in the section of the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pneumatic cylinder 6 is mounted on the coupler member 2. At both ends of the pneumatic cylinder 6, a lock member 3 is mounted at the tip of the piston rod. When air pressure is sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6, the lock member 3 is disengaged from the base rail 1 and the coupler member 2 is in a movable state. When the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 6 is lost, the piston rod is pushed back by the action of a spring, and the lock member 3 bites into the unevenness formed on the base rail 1, and the coupler member 2 is fixed to the base rail. Although the pneumatic cylinder 6 is drawn on the surface of the coupler member for convenience in FIG. 1, the pneumatic cylinder 6 is actually mounted in a space behind the coupler member 2, and
Cannot be seen.

The control system of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The control circuit 4 is a program control circuit, and its hardware unit is arranged behind the driver's seat. The control circuit 4 receives, as inputs, a parking brake detector 8 for detecting an operation state of the parking brake 7, an operation switch 9 operated by a driver in a driver's seat, and a detection switch 31 which will be described in detail later. It is connected via an output interface I / O. The control output of the control circuit 4 includes a control valve 5 for controlling the pneumatic pressure supplied to the pneumatic cylinder 6, a control valve 14 for controlling an emergency brake of a connected trailer, a warning lamp 15, and two warning buzzers 10 and 16. Each is connected via an input / output interface I / O.

Here, the detection switch 3 which is a feature of the present invention is described.
1 will be described. The detection switch 31 is for mechanically detecting the displacement of the piston rod of the pneumatic cylinder 6 and extracting the displacement as an electric signal.
The detection switch 31 is provided adjacent to the pneumatic cylinder 6, and the electric circuit of the detection switch 31 is connected to the control circuit 4 via a cable. FIG. 1 is very schematically depicted for the sake of illustration.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the main part in more detail. The positional relationship in FIG. 3 is a view of the left side portion of the mechanism located below the coupler member 2 of the coupling and traction device, as viewed from above the tractor. The detection switch 31 is mounted in front of the pneumatic cylinder 6 on the vehicle. Then, the bracket 32 is attached to the piston rod 22 of the pneumatic cylinder 6, and the tip of the bracket 32 is arranged to contact the detection end 31 a of the detection switch 31 when the air pressure is not sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6. . With this structure, when air pressure is sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6, the piston rod 22 is displaced rightward in FIG.
Away from the detection end 31a. When the air pressure in the pneumatic cylinder 6 disappears, the piston rod 22 is pushed back to the left in the drawing by the action of the spring 21, and the bracket 32 contacts the detection end 31 a of the detection switch 31. The on / off state of the detection switch 31 is taken into the control circuit 4 as input information as described above.

Although not directly related to the features of the present invention, the operation of the lock member 3 shown in FIG. 3 will be described for reference. When air pressure is sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6, the lock member 3 locks against the repulsive force of the spring 21. The member 3 moves to the right in FIG. Thereby (according to the sliding structure not shown), the tip of the lock member 3 is detached from the unevenness (not shown) of the base rail 1. When the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 6 is released, the piston rod 22 is pushed back into the pneumatic cylinder 6 by the action of the spring 21.
Accordingly, the lock member 3 moves leftward in FIG. 3 by the action of the spring 21 and bites into the unevenness of the base rail 1. This structure is described in detail in the above-mentioned prior art publication, so that further detailed description is omitted here.

The characteristic operation of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention thus configured will be described. Now, consider a case where the trailer 12 is already connected to the tractor 11, and in this state, the driver performs an operation of changing the position of the coupler member 2 of the slide-type connected traction device. The driver stops the vehicle and applies the parking brake 7 to prevent the vehicle from moving. The driver gets off the cab and lowers the trailer landing gear. The landing gear is located near the front end of the trailer and serves as a jack mechanism. By operating the jack mechanism, the load on the front side of the trailer can be moved from the connecting traction device to the landing gear.

When the load applied to the connecting and pulling device is reduced, the driver returns to the driver's seat and operates the operation switch 9 disposed near the rearview mirror in the room to release the slide lock means from the locked state (L). Switch to state (U). The control circuit 4 controls the control valve 5 in response thereto to send air pressure to the pneumatic cylinder 6. At the same time, the control valve 14 is controlled to control the trailer to an emergency brake state. When air pressure is sent to the pneumatic cylinder 6, the piston rod 22
Moves and the connected traction device is released from the locked state as described above. At this time, the detection switch 31 is turned on according to the movement of the piston rod 22. The alarm lamp 15 is turned on to indicate that the locked state of the connected traction device has been released. At the same time, the control circuit 4 recognizes that the operation is normal.

In this state, the driver releases the parking brake and moves the tractor forward or backward at a very low speed, thereby changing the position of the coupler member 2 with respect to the base rail 1. Stop at the desired position and apply the parking brake. The driver operates the operation switch 9 to operate the slide lock means from the released state (U) to the locked state (L). As a result, the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 6 is discharged, the piston rod 22 returns to the original position by the action of the spring 21, and the locking member 3 bites into the unevenness of the base rail 1 to lock the connecting and pulling device. At this time, the bracket 32 comes into contact with the detection end 31a of the detection switch 31 (OFF state), and the control circuit 4 recognizes that the pneumatic cylinder 6 has returned.

Here, when the driver operates the operation switch 9 from the lock state (L) to the release state (U), or operates the release switch (U) to the lock state (L), the pneumatic cylinder 6 In response to the piston rod 2
During the time (about 1 second) until 2 is displaced, the state of the operation switch 9 and the state of the detection switch 31 do not match.
At this time, the control circuit 4 sounds the alarm buzzer 16 and notifies the driver of this. However, if the entire operation is normal, the state of the operation switch 9 matches the state of the detection switch 31 after this short time elapses, so that the alarm buzzer 16 stops sounding. If something goes wrong,
For example, if a state occurs in which the lock member 3 is caught by something and does not return to the home position, the state in which the operation switch 9 is operated and the state detected by the detection switch 31 do not match for a long time. The alarm buzzer 16 keeps ringing. At the same time, the control circuit 4 controls the control valve 14 to keep the trailer in an emergency brake state. When the sounding of the alarm buzzer 16 does not stop, the driver recognizes that there is an abnormality in the operation and can take an action such as checking the state of the connected traction device. Even if the vehicle is to be moved in this state, it is impossible to move the vehicle because the trailer is in an emergency braking state.

The following table shows the operation logic of the control circuit 4. The operation of the control valve 5, the control valve 14, the buzzer 10, and the alarm buzzer 16 with respect to the operation switch 9 and the detection switch 31 which are input information is shown for each mode.

[0031]

[Table 1] Mode (1) is a normal case in which the driver operates the operation switch 9 in the locked state and the detection switch 31 detects that the slide lock means is also in the locked state.

In the mode (2), the driver operates the operation switch 9 to the release state, and the detection switch 31 detects the release state of the slide lock means, which is also normal. At this time, the buzzer 10 displays that the slide lock means is released, but the alarm buzzer 16
Does not ring.

In the mode (3), the operation switch 9 operated by the driver is in the locked state while the detection switch 3 is in the locked state.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a case where the state in which the slide lock means is released is detected. At this time, the operation and the state do not match, and the alarm buzzer 16 sounds. The emergency brake on the trailer side is automatically brought into a braking state in accordance with the operation of the control valve 14, and the vehicle cannot move.

In the mode (4), although the driver has operated the operation switch 9 to the release state, the detection switch 31
Is the case where the slide lock means remains in the locked state. Also at this time, since the operation and the state do not match, the alarm buzzer 16 sounds. Also at this time, the emergency brake on the trailer side is in the braking state, and the vehicle cannot move.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the driver can remotely monitor the operation state of the slide lock means in the driver's seat, and when the operation state of the slide lock means is different from the driver's operation, This is automatically detected and an alarm is generated. Further, when the operation state of the slide lock means is different from the operation of the driver, this can be automatically detected and the vehicle can be automatically set to the braking state, so that the vehicle cannot be started. .
Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, the operational safety of a slide-type connected traction device that can be remotely operated is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanical structure of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and an arrangement of each member.

FIG. 2 is a main block diagram showing the configuration of an electric circuit of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a mechanism for physically detecting an operation state of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external view of a tractor and a trailer equipped with the device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base rail 2 Coupler member 3 Lock member 4 Control circuit 5 Control valve (for pneumatic cylinder control) 6 Pneumatic cylinder 7 Parking brake 8 Parking brake detector 9 Operation switch 10 Alarm buzzer 11 Tractor 12 Trailer 13 Base plate 14 Control valve (for trailer (For emergency brake control) 15 alarm lamp 16 alarm buzzer 21 spring 22 piston rod 23 rod 24 hinge 31 detection switch 31a detection end of detection switch 32 bracket

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A base rail fixedly mounted on a tractor, a coupler member connected to a coupler on a trailer side and movably mounted in the front-rear direction with respect to the base rail. A slide-type connecting and retracting device including a slide lock means for setting a lock state to be fixed to the base rail; wherein the slide lock means includes a detection means for physically detecting that the lock state is established; Display means for displaying the output of the means on the driver's seat. 2. The slide lock means includes: a control circuit; mechanical means for fixing or releasing the coupler member to or from the base rail according to a control output of the control circuit; 2. An operation switch serving as an input of a circuit, wherein the display unit includes an alarm unit that generates an alarm when the operation switch is operated in a locked state and the detection unit does not detect the locked state. The slide-type connected traction device according to the above. 3. When the warning means is in a warning state,
3. A slide-type connected traction device according to claim 2, further comprising means for automatically maintaining a brake of the tractor and / or the trailer.