WO2009041865A1

WO2009041865A1 - A drive unit for a heavy vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2009041865A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000864
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran LEVIN
Original assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar Ab
Priority date: 2007-09-26
Filing date: 2007-09-26
Publication date: 2009-04-02

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive unit (1) for a heavy vehicle (12), comprising at least two first conduits (5a, 5b, 5c) for transferring media between the drive unit (1 ) and further components of the vehicle (16), each first conduit (5a, 5b, 5c) having a connection means (6a, 6b, 6c) for connection to the respective further component (16). According to the invention, said at least two first conduits (5a, 5b, 5c) are routed to a first connecting position, said connection means (6a, 6b, 6c) having the first connecting position in common for connection to respective further component (16).

Description

TITLE:

A drive unit for a heavy vehicle,

TECHNICAL FIELD: The invention relates to a drive unit for a heavy vehicle, comprising at least two first conduits for transferring media between the drive unit and further components of the vehicle, each first conduit having a connection means for connection to the respective further component.

STATE OF THE ART:

In the field of heavy motor vehicles, such as load-carrying commercial vehicles in the form of trucks or semi-tractors, a drive unit comprising an engine, a transmission and other associated components is used. Today, it is common practice to provide the drive unit with a number of conduits for various types of media (such as for example water, air and oil) to be guided between the drive unit and other components of the vehicle.

According to prior art, these conduits can be in the form of tubes and hoses for water, hydraulic oil, compressed air etc., i.e. in the form of fluid connections which are necessary in order to provide various technical functions in the vehicle. Such conduits could also be in the form of electrical cables arranged for transferring electrical signals and for supplying electrical power to different components of the vehicle. In this field of technology, all the substances which are arranged to be transferred by means of the above- mentioned conduits, such as oil, water, air etc., as well as electricity, can be referred to as "media." , '

Furthermore, each of the conduits for the above-mentioned media is provided with some type of connection means for connection to further components in the vehicle. In this manner, each of these further components can be supplied with the appropriate media. For example, it is increasingly important to provide a truck with connections which can be arranged between a drive unit and components in a driver's cab, and also between a drive unit and components in the vehicle chassis, respectively.

It has been noted that in today's vehicles, a time-consuming and costly wiring and mounting procedure for these types of connections, i.e. between the cab, the drive unit and the vehicle chassis, has to be carried out during assembly of a vehicle. This problem is emphasized by the fact that today's vehicles can normally be supplied with a large number of optional and alternative equipment, which adds to the complexity of the layout and design of the conduits and wires in the vehicle. Also, it can be noted that the number of electrical components such as switches, actuators, sensors, lamps, computerized control units and the like, is constantly increasing due to the development of vehicle electronics systems. For this reason, complex wiring systems for connecting electrical components in vehicles may pose serious problems in the form of a costly and complex manufacturing and assembly process for the vehicles.

With reference to the above, it can be noted that there is an increased demand for cost-effective solutions in vehicles, in particular heavy trucks, which are provided with a number of connections which must be designed and positioned in a satisfactory manner so as to allow a simple and cost- effective assembly of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: An object of the present invention is to provide a drive unit which addresses the above-mentioned requirement for flexible, cost-saving and simple solutions to the problem of mounting conduits for media in vehicles, and by means of which the above-mentioned drawbacks associated with previously known devices can be overcome.

This object is achieved by means of a drive unit of the type mentioned initially wherein said at least two first conduits are routed to a first connecting position, said connection means having the first connecting position in common for connection to respective further component.

A number of advantages can be obtained by means of the invention. For example, the complexity of conduits and connections for vehicles can be greatly reduced. This means that the assembly process for a vehicle such as a load-carrying commercial vehicle can be simplified. In other words, there will be fewer variations involved in the positioning of conduits leading to various vehicle components when mounting such components in the vehicle. In particular, due to the fact that the invention is based on the use of the above-mentioned connecting position which is common to a number of connection means, a common interface is formed which constitutes a predetermined connection point for conduits of different types. This contributes to the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the invention.

In the context of the present invention, the term "media" can be defined as an entity or substance intended to be transferred or conveyed through a suitable conduit. Suitably, the invention is based on the use of conduits for media in the field of vehicles, i.e. where such conduits can be in the form of tubes and hoses and similar connections for media in the form of fluids and gases, but also in the form of electrical cables wherein the media is constituted by electric current.

The invention also relates to a heavy vehicle comprising a ,drive unit according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to a preferred exemplary embodiment and to the drawings attached, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a drive unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of a vehicle in which the invention can be used; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a vehicle comprising an alternative embodiment of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:

With reference to Fig. 1 , there is shown a simplified perspective view of a drive unit 1 to be used in a vehicle, for example in the form of a heavy commercial vehicle. The entire vehicle in which the drive unit 1 is intended to be mounted is not shown in Fig. 1 , but will be described in greater detail below and with reference to Fig. 2. In a conventional manner, the drive unit 1 comprises certain components such as an internal combustion engine 2, a transmission unit 3, a radiator 4 and other associated components which are not described in detail herein.

According to the embodiment shown, the drive unit 1 is associated with a number of conduits 5a, 5b, 5c. As an example only, Fig. 1 shows an embodiment comprising three different conduits 5a, 5b, 5c. As mentioned initially, the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c can be in the form of tubes, pipes and hoses for water, air, hydraulic oil, i.e. fluid and gas connections. The conduits .5a, 5b, 5c could also comprise one or more electrical cables for transferring electrical signals to or from various electrical components in the vehicle or for supplying electrical power to electrical components. The conduits 5a, 5b, 5c are consequently arranged for transferring various types of media between the drive unit 1 and other parts of the vehicle in question.

The three conduits 5a, 5b, 5c form together a set of conduits which are intended to cooperate with further conduits and components in the vehicle, as will be described below. Furthermore, it should be apparent that the number and types of conduits to be used in each given application and defining such a set of conduits may vary. As an example only, it can be assumed that the first conduit 5a is a rubber hose for transferring water, the second conduit 5b is a rubber hose for transferring compressed air, and the third conduit 5c shown is an electrical cable. The invention is not limited to such an embodiment only, but can be varied as regards the function and type of conduits and the type of media to be transferred by each conduit- It should also be noted that Fig. 1 is a schematical drawing and that the actual dimensions, design and layout of the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c, may vary depending on various factors such as vehicle type and the available space in the vehicle.

According to the shown embodiment, the conduits 5a, 5b and 5c are arranged for transferring media to and from other components in thd vehicle, such as electrical components, an air inlet, a fuel tank, pneumatic brakes and many other types of equipment known, to the person skilled in the art and being used in the field of vehicles. Furthermore, the conduits 5a, 5b, 5b are arranged to terminate at a common connecting position, preferably in the form of a given position in space in which all the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c terminate. The purpose of this connecting position is to serve as an interconnection or interface point between the drive unit 1 and further components in the vehicle.

As indicated in Fig. 1, each one of the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c terminates with a corresponding connector 6a, 6b, 6c. These connectors 6a, 6b, 6c can be in the form of threaded connectors, quick-couplings, electrical plugs or any suitable connecting device allowing e^Φ, of, the , conduits 5a, 5b, 5c to be connected to an associated component or a further conduit. Preferably, the end sections of the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c are also mounted on a common connection module 7, which consequently defines an interface which is positioned in the above-mentioned common connecting position. This connection module 7 will be positioned at a predetermined position at the drive unit 1 , or close to the drive unit 1 , which means that during assembly of the vehicle, the connections to each conduit 5a, 5b, 5c will be situated at a known position, which will simplify the assembly of the vehicle.

Each of the three conduits 5a, 5b, 5c is arranged to be connected to further, corresponding conduits, i.e a fourth conduit 8a, a fifth conduit 8b and a sixth conduit 8c. These latter conduits 8a, 8b, 8c are in turn connected to different components in the vehicle. They are preferably also mounted on a second connection module 9, which consequently also defines an interface in which the fourth conduit 8a, the fifth conduit 8b and the sixth conduit 8c are mounted. In this manner, all the corresponding conduits can be interconnected in a simple manner during assembly of the vehicle, since the position of the first connecting position, i.e. the position in space of the first connection module 7 is Known and predetermined, and since the second connection module 9 is designed in ^fa manner which matches the first connection module 7 as regards the arrangement of the fourth conduit 8a, the fifth conduit 8b and the sixth conduit 8c.

Also, each of the fourth conduits 8a, the fifth conduit 8b and the sixth conduit 8c is provided with connectors 10a, 10b, 10c, in a manner which is analogy with the first set of conduits 5a, 5b, 5c.

According to a preferred embodiment, the design and set-up of the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c and the corresponding first connection module 7 as shown in Fig.

I , is suitable for connecting the drive unit 1 with certain further components in the chassis of the vehicle, as will be described further below. The. chassis of the vehicle is symbolically indicated in Fig. 1 by means of reference numeral

I 1 , pointing to a frame beam forming part of said vehicle chassis.

With reference to Fig. 2, there is shown a simplified side view drawing of a vehicle in the form of a truck 12 having a chassis 11 and a driver's cab 13.

The invention is suitably used in heavy load-carrying vehicles, but is not limited to this use only, As described above, the truck 12 comprises a drive unit 1 with an engine 2, such as a conventional internal combustion engine, a transmission 3 and a radiator 4.

The driver's cab 13 is mounted with respect to the chassis 11 by means of supporting mounting means 14, 15 arranged in the front section and rear section, respectively, of the truck 12. Although not shown in detail, the driver's cab 12 can be arranged to be tipped forwards, i.e. displaced in a pivotable manner, in order to gain access to a drive unit 1 mounted in the chassis 11 under the cab 13. In order to achieve this, the front mounting means 14 is suitably arranged for allowing such a pivotal displacement of the driver's cab 13. This means that the front mounting means 14 defines a tipping axis about which the cab 13 is rotated during tipping.

As mentioned above with reference to Fig. 1 , the drive unit 1 is equipped with a number of conduits 5a, 5b, 5c, shown here as three different conduits.

However, the invention is not limited to any number or type of conduits but can be varied depending on the specifications for each given vehicle 12. The conduits 5a, 5b, 5c are arranged to terminate in a connection module 7 which, as described above, is positioned at a given connecting position at the drive unit 1 or in the close vicinity thereof. This means that the connecting position is common for all the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c shown,

The drive unit 1 is connected, via said conduits 5a, 5b, 5c, to further components in the vehicle 12. The design shown in Fig. 2 is particularly suitable for connecting the drive unit 1 with components in the vehicle chassis 11. For example, such further chassis components can be in the form of an air suspension unit, a fuel tank, a hydraulically operated power steering module, body building control unit, a braking system and also various electrical components. All these further components are mounted at various positions along the chassis. One such further component in the chassis 11 is symbolically indicated by means of reference numeral 1.6. in Fig. 2, which consequently is connected to the drive unit 1 via the conduit 5c and the associated conduit 8c. It should be apparent that the remaining conduits 5a, 5b; βa, 8b are also connected to other further components (not shown).

The second connection module 9 is shown in Fig. 2 in a schematical manner in order to illustrate how the drive unit 1 is interconnected with further components in the vehicle chassis 11, It is obvious that the dimensions, design and layout of the connection modules 7, 9 and the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c, 8a, 8b, 8c may vary within the scope of the invention. It should be noted, however, that the invention is based on the principle that the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c which are connected to the drive unit 1 are routed to a connecting position which is preferably defined by the position of the first connection module 7, in a manner so that the connecting position is common for the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c, for connection to the further components in the chassis.

With reference to Fig. 3, there is shown a simplified side view drawing of a truck 12 in which the invention is used in an alternative manner. The components shown in Fig. 3 which are also shown in Fig. 2 are indicated with the same reference numbers. The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is primarily intended to explain the connection of the drive unit 1 and various components in the driver's cab 13. More precisely, and in a manner which is analogy to the connection between the drive unit 1 and components in the chassis 11 , the driver's cab 13 is equipped with a number of components, for example electrical components such as lamps, sensors, gauges and actuators. The components can also be constituted by water coolers, oil coolers, air conditioning units, a device for tilting the driver's cab 13, an air cleaning unit and other components. One such component is schematically indicated by means of reference numeral 17 in Fig. 3.

In a manner which corresponds to Fig. 2, the drive unit 1 as shown in Fig. 3 is connected to various components, such as the shown component 17, in the driver's cab 13, via a second set of conduits 5'a, 5'b, 5'c. As described above, these conduits 5'a, 5^'b, 5'c are in the form of tubes, pipes and hoses for water, air, hydraulic oil and similar, or electrical cables for feeding electric current. The conduits 5'a, 5'b, 5'c are consequently arranged for transferring various types of media between the drive unit 1 and components in the driver's cab 13.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is based on the principle that the drive unit 1 is connected via the conduits 5'a, 5'b, 5'c to the first connecting module 7'. in contrast to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the first connecting^' module 7' is suitably arranged so as to define a connecting position which is adapted for interconnection of the drive unit 1 and components in the driver's cab 13. The connecting position is suitably chosen on, or in close vicinity of, the radiator 4. This means that the connecting module T. is preferably mounted at (or near) the radiator 4, The drive unit 1 is. consequently interconnected to further components in the driver's cab 13 via the connecting module T and also via a further connecting module 9' which is associated with further conduits 8^'a, 8'b, 8'c which in turn are connected to said further components.

According to the embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the drive unit 1 is arranged for independently supporting a bundle or set of conduits 5a, 5b, 5c (5^'a, 5^'b, 5^'c). This means that all the conduits can be laid out and connected in an efficient manner and also that the drive unit 1 can be pre-assemb!ed with all necessary connections already attached thereto. In this manner, the drive unit lc-and the set _;of conduits will, together function as a "module" system wherein the drive unit 1 supports -its own conduits in a pre-assembled way before the drive unit 1 is actually mounted in the vehicle. This contributes to a cost-effective assembly process for the vehicle. -^■■, ^{■■ ■} >^■

In summary, the invention is based on the definition of a first connecting position for a set of conduits 5a, 5b, 5c which are consequently routed: to said first connecting position and wherein the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c have connecting means 6a, 6b, 6c which have the connecting position in common for connecting to each corresponding further component.

According to a first embodiment, this first connecting position is arranged for interconnection of the drive unit 1 and the further components (for example the component 16 shown in Fig, 2) being parts of the chassis 11. According to a second embodiment, the first connecting position is arranged for interconnection of the drive unit 1 and further components (for example the component 17 shown in Fig. 3) being parts of the driver's cab 13.

In the first embodiment, the first connecting position is suitably arranged on the engine 2 forming part of the drive unit 1. In the latter embodiment, the first connecting position is suitably arranged on or close to the radiator 4 forming part of the drive unit 1. The invention is however not limited to these positions only.

According to a further embodiment which is not shown in the ^'drawings, a drive unit can be used comprising two sets of conduits, i.e. a first set of conduits corresponding to the conduits 5'a, 5'b, 5'c shown in Fig. 2 and also a second set of conduits corresponding to the conduits 8 ^'a, 8'b, 8'c shown to Fig. 3. In other words, the vehicle 12 is then provided with both a first connecting position, being defined by the position of a first connection module (corresponding to connection module 7 of Fig. 2), and a second connecting position, being defined by the position of a second connection module (corresponding to connection module 9' of Fig. 3). Consequently, according to this further embodiment, two different sets of conduits are used, for interconnection of the drive unit 1 and further components of the chassis 11 and the driver's cab 13, respectively. ^" -^■ ,

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims below. For example, the invention is suitably used in heavy commercial vehicles but is not limited to this use only.

Furthermore, the conduits used in the inventive concept could be of many difference types. Conduits of different types, material and dimensions, for fluids, gases and electricity have been mentioned, but other types of conduits could also be used, such as cables for optical signals.

It should be noted that according to an alternative embodiment, one or more of the connection modules 7, 9, 7^', 9^' can be omitted. This means that the various conduits need not necessarily be mounted in an interface in a hardware form. The inventive concept is however based on the fact that the conduits which are connected to the drive unit 1 (such as the conduits 5a, 5b, 5c in Fig. 1) are routed to a common connecting position.

Furthermore, according to a further alternative embodiment, the drive unit 1 may be provided with more than one common connecting position. For example, the drive unit 1 may be provided with a first set of conduits arranged to be routed to a first connecting position on the engine 2 such as that shown in Fig. 2, and also with a further set of conduits being. routed to a further connecting position somewhere else on, or close to, the engine or other parts of the drive unit, A similar concept of more than one common connecting position can also be applied to the conduits being routed to the radiator 4 (cf. Fig. 3).

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A drive unit (1) for a heavy vehicle (12), comprising at least two first conduits (5a, 5b, 5c) for transferring media between the drive unit (1) and further components of the vehicle (16), each first conduit (5a, 5b, 5c) having a connection means (6a, 6b, 6c) for connection to the respective further component (16), characterized in that said at least two first conduits (5a, 5b, 5c) are routed to a first connecting position, said connection means (6a, 6b, 6c) having the first connecting position in common for connection to respective further component (16).

2. A drive unit (1 ) according to claim ^characterized in that the first connecting position is arranged for interconnection of the drive unit (1) and the further components (16) being parts of a chassis (11) of the vehicle.

3. A drive unit (1 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first connecting position is arranged for interconnection of the drive unit (1 ) and the further components (17) being parts of a driver's cab (13) of the vehicle.

4. A drive unit (1 ) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the first connecting position is arranged on an engine (2) forming part of the drive unit (1 ),

5. A drive unit (1) according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that the first connecting position is arranged on a radiator (4) forming part of the drive unit (1).

6. A drive unit (1 ) according to any preceding claims, c h a r a c t e ffø e d i n that said at least two first conduits (5a_f 5b, 5c) are conduits chosen from a group consisting of liquid conduits, electrical conduits and pneumatic conduits.

7. A drive unit (1) according to any preceding claims, cha ra cterized i n that said at least two first conduits (5a, 5b, 5c) are conduits chosen from at least two of the following three categories of conduits; liquid conduits, electrical conduits and pneumatic conduits.

8. A drive unit (1 ) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the drive unit (1) comprises at least three said first conduits (5a, 5b, 5c) constituting at least one liquid conduit, at least one electrical conduit and at least one pneumatic conduit.

9. A drive unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit further comprises at (east two second conduits (5^'a, 5^'b, 5^'c) for transferring media between the drive unit (1) and further components (17) of the vehicle (12), each second conduit (5^'a, 5'b, 5'c) having a connection means for connection to the respective further component (17), said at least two second conduits (5'a, 5'b, 5'c) being routed to a second connecting position, said connection means having the second connecting position in common for connection to respective further component (17).

10. A drive unit according to claim 9, characterized in that the first connecting position is arranged for interconnection of the drive unit (1) and the further components (16) being parts of a chassis (11 ) of the vehicle (12), and the second connecting position is arranged for interconnection of the drive unit (1) and the further components (17) being parts of a driver's cab (13) of the vehicle (12).

11. A heavy vehicle comprising a drive unit according to any of claims 1-10.