WO2018078569A1 - Béquille de parcage motorisée couplée électriquement - Google Patents

Béquille de parcage motorisée couplée électriquement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2018078569A1
WO2018078569A1 PCT/IB2017/056676 IB2017056676W WO2018078569A1 WO 2018078569 A1 WO2018078569 A1 WO 2018078569A1 IB 2017056676 W IB2017056676 W IB 2017056676W WO 2018078569 A1 WO2018078569 A1 WO 2018078569A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
gear
landing gear
drive
powered
trailer
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2017/056676
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Gregory A. Laarman
Brian E. OESTREICH
Original Assignee
Jost International Corp.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Jost International Corp. filed Critical Jost International Corp.
Priority to US15/877,075 priority Critical patent/US11059461B2/en
Publication of WO2018078569A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018078569A1/fr

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60S9/00—Ground-engaging vehicle fittings for supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring the vehicle, wholly or in part, e.g. built-in jacks
    • B60S9/02—Ground-engaging vehicle fittings for supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring the vehicle, wholly or in part, e.g. built-in jacks for only lifting or supporting
    • B60S9/04—Ground-engaging vehicle fittings for supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring the vehicle, wholly or in part, e.g. built-in jacks for only lifting or supporting mechanically
    • B60S9/06—Ground-engaging vehicle fittings for supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring the vehicle, wholly or in part, e.g. built-in jacks for only lifting or supporting mechanically of screw-and-nut type
    • B60S9/08—Ground-engaging vehicle fittings for supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring the vehicle, wholly or in part, e.g. built-in jacks for only lifting or supporting mechanically of screw-and-nut type the screw axis being substantially vertical

Definitions

  • the present invention is directed to a powered semitrailer landing gear, and in particular to a powered landing gear that is electrically coupled with the trailer for connection with a tractor.
  • Semitrailers include landing gear for supporting the forward portion of the semitrailer when disconnected from a truck, with the landing gear including legs that raise and lower the semitrailer when connecting or disconnecting to the fifth wheel of the truck.
  • the landing gear legs are raised for road travel when the semitrailer is connected to a truck, in which case the legs are retracted without a load.
  • Landing gear includes high and low gears for extension/retraction of the legs based on whether the legs are supporting a load or unloaded.
  • a powered landing gear system mounted to a trailer comprises a multi-pin electrical connector mounted to a trailer that is configured to receive a jumper cable connected to a truck for supplying electrical power to the trailer, a wiring harness mounted to the trailer and electrically coupled to the connector, and a landing gear assembly mounted to the trailer, with the landing gear assembly including a housing member, a telescoping leg member, a gear assembly configured to extend and retract the leg member relative to the housing member, and a drive system including a drive motor operatively engaged with the gear assembly.
  • a controller is disposed on the trailer, with the controller being configured to selectively operate the drive system, with the drive system being operatively electrically powered through the connector and wiring harness, and with power being additionally supplied through the electrical connector to at least one light on the trailer.
  • up and/or down limit switches are electrically coupled with the controller, with the limit switches configured to being tripped by the landing gear assembly.
  • the down limit switch may be tripped when the leg member is moved into an extended position, with the controller operating the drive motor for a predetermined time after the down limit switch is tripped by the landing gear assembly.
  • the up limit switch is configured to being tripped when the leg member is moved into a retracted position, with the controller configured to stop operation of the drive motor after the up limit switch is tripped.
  • a rechargeable power supply is operatively electrically coupled to the wiring harness with the drive system being operatively electrically coupled to the rechargeable power supply.
  • a manually operated switch and/or a remote control device may also be provided to raise and lower the leg of the landing gear.
  • a powered landing gear mounted to a trailer comprises an electrical connector mounted to a trailer, with the connector configured to receive a jumper cable connected to a truck for supplying electrical power to the trailer, with a wiring harness mounted to the trailer and electrically coupled to the connector.
  • a powered landing gear mounted to the trailer includes a housing member, a telescoping leg member, a gear assembly configured to extend and retract the leg member relative to the housing member, and a drive system including a drive motor operatively engaged with the gear assembly, with the landing gear being operatively electrically powered through the connector and the wiring harness.
  • the drive motor is operatively electrically coupled to the wiring harness.
  • a rechargeable power supply such as a battery pack or capacitor, may be provided that is operatively electrically coupled to the wiring harness, where the drive motor of the drive system is operatively electrically coupled to the rechargeable power supply.
  • the rechargeable power supply may be charged while the truck is connected with the trailer and used to extend and retract the leg when the trailer is electrically uncoupled from or disconnected with the truck.
  • the landing gear may additionally include one or more sensors, such as limit switches for sensing movement of the leg member, with the sensors being operatively connected to the wiring harness.
  • the connector of the trailer may include multiple connections, such as pins, for providing electrical power to the trailer, such as to running, brake and/or turn lights, as well as other components of the trailer.
  • the connector comprises an SAE J560 connector.
  • a controller is provided that is electrically coupled to a drive motor for driving the gear assembly to extend and retract the landing gear legs.
  • a switch connected with the controller may be provided to selectively activate the drive motor, and one or more limit switches may be provided to control operation of the drive motor in conjunction with the controller.
  • the controller may be further configured to operate the drive motor for a predetermined time, such as after a limit switch has been activated.
  • a remote control device such as a wireless key fob, may also be provided to selectively actuate the controller to operate the drive motor.
  • the controller comprises an electrical circuit.
  • an actuator is provided that is configured to trip a limit switch when a leg member is moved by the drive system into an elevated position, with limit switch configured to stop operation of the drive motor when tripped.
  • a limit switch actuator is provided that is configured to trip a limit switch when the leg member is moved by the drive system into an extended position, with the limit switch configured to stop operation of the drive motor when tripped.
  • the landing gear assembly includes an elevation member interconnected with the housing member and the leg member, with the elevation member configured to both shift the internal gear assembly into the low speed setting and move the limit switch actuator when the leg member engages a support surface upon being moved by the drive system into an extended position, wherein the limit switch actuator is configured to trip the limit switch when the limit switch actuator is moved by the elevation member.
  • the internal gear assembly may include an actuator member for shifting the internal gear assembly into the low speed setting, with the elevation member configured to move the actuator member when the leg member engages a support surface and with the actuator member configured to move the limit switch actuator to trip the limit switch.
  • the actuator may be further configured to prevent an internal ring gear from rotating to shift the internal gear assembly into the low speed setting, and the limit switch actuator may be attached to the actuator member.
  • one or more limit switches may be electrically coupled to a controller with the controller operating the drive motor for a predetermined time period upon said limit switch being tripped.
  • the system of the present invention enables the powered landing gear to be readily powered by a truck through the trailer, including by way of operator buttons. Moreover, when used with a rechargeable power supply the system can be recharged during normal operation, such as while in transit.
  • FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a truck and trailer in accordance with an aspect of the present invention showing a jumper cable connection there between;
  • FIG. 1A is a layout of the electrical connection of the truck and trailer of FIG. 1,
  • FIG. IB is a schematic diagram of the seven- way connector in accordance with the present invention used to provide power to the landing gear of the trailer of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pair of interconnected landing gear removed from the semitrailer of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a powered landing gear in accordance with the present invention shown with the power drive system engaged whereby it can selectively drive the internal gear assembly of the landing gear;
  • FIG. 3B is a close up partial perspective view of FIG. 3A;
  • FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the power drive system disengaged from the gear assembly such that the gear assembly may be driven by the hand crank;
  • FIG. 4B is a close up partial perspective view of FIG. 4A;
  • FIG. 5 is a partial upper perspective view of the powered landing gear of FIG. 3
  • FIG. 6 is a partial front view of the powered landing gear of FIG. 3 ;
  • FIG. 7 is a partial right side view of the powered landing gear of FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a controller for controlling operation of the power drive system; [0026] FIG. 8A is a partial front view of an embodiment of a wirelessly controlled powered landing gear in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
  • FIG. 8B is a controller for operating the powered landing gear of FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8C is a wiring control diagram for the powered landing gear of FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8D is a circuit board for the powered landing gear of FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the gear assembly of FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 10A is a side cross sectional view of the landing gear of FIG. 5 operating in a high gear setting.
  • FIG. 10B is a side cross sectional view of the landing gear of FIG. 5 operating in a low gear setting.
  • FIG. 1 discloses a truck or tractor 21 to which is connected a trailer 26, with trailer 26 including a forwardly located powered landing gear assembly 28, with FIG. 2 disclosing the assembly 28 removed from semitrailer 26.
  • Assembly 28 includes a powered landing gear 30 connected with a second landing gear 31 via transverse shaft 40 that are both connected to trailer 26 by flanges 29, with each landing gear 30, 31 including a housing 32 and a telescoping leg 34 having a pad or foot 36 for contacting a support surface.
  • Powered landing gear 30 includes a power drive system or assembly 600 that can be selectively engaged or disengaged that, when engaged, may be selectively activated by an operator to extend and retract legs 34 from housings 32.
  • Power drive system 600 is connected to a wiring harness 701 that is wired to connector 703 mounted on the trailer 26, where a jumper cable 705 extends from a connector 707 on the tractor 21 to connector 703.
  • connector 707 is powered by tractor 21 such that the connection of truck 21 with trailer 26 by way of jumper cable 705 provides power to operate powered landing gear 30 by way of providing power to drive system 600.
  • electrical power from truck 21 may thus be provided to motor 602 of system 600, as well as to sensors or switches 634, 636 of system 600.
  • Trailer 26 may additionally or alternatively be provided with a rechargeable power supply 709 that is in turn wired to power drive system 600 and wired, such as by way of harness 701, to receive power from trailer 26 through connectors 703, 707 and cable 705.
  • a rechargeable power supply 709 that is in turn wired to power drive system 600 and wired, such as by way of harness 701, to receive power from trailer 26 through connectors 703, 707 and cable 705.
  • Tractor 21 may then be used to recharge power supply 709 whereby power drive system 600 may operate to extend and retract legs 34 from housings 32 when tractor 21 is disconnected from trailer 26.
  • wiring harness 701 may be operatively connected or electrically coupled with power supply 709 and/or power drive system 600, such as to provide power to a controller 638, such an electrical circuit or the like, a motor 602 and/or sensors of system 600, such as limit switches 634, 636, as discussed below.
  • the operative connection of wiring harness 701 with power drive system 600 and/or power supply 709 may be by way of either a direct connection or indirectly through additional electrical connectors or the like.
  • connectors 703 and 707 comprise seven-way connectors configured to receive plug in connectors 711 and 713, respectively, of jumper cable 705, where the connectors are configured to meet the Society of Automotive Engineers ("SAE") J560 standard.
  • SAE Society of Automotive Engineers
  • connector 703 includes seven connectors or pins 715a, 715b, 715c, 715d, 715e, 715f and 715g for providing power to various equipment on trailer 26.
  • pin 715a is used for stop or brake lights 23 (FIG. 1) and antilock devices
  • pin 715b is used for left turn lights 25 (FIG. 1) and hazard lights
  • pin 715c is used for
  • pin 715d is a ground pin
  • pin 715e is for tail
  • license and running lights such as 25c
  • pin 715f is for right turn and hazard lights, with pin 715g being used to provide power to the power drive system 600 and/or to the rechargeable power supply 709.
  • Comparable connections are provided on connector 707 of truck 21 whereby when jumper cable 705 is installed to electrically couple connectors 703, 707, truck 21 may be used to supply electrical power directly to power drive system 600 and/or rechargeable power supply 709.
  • rechargeable power supply 709 may comprise one or more rechargeable batteries, or alternatively may comprise a capacitor.
  • rechargeable power supply 709 may comprise one or more rechargeable batteries, or alternatively may comprise a capacitor.
  • the connection of pin 715g with power supply 709 may be used to recharge the power supply 709, such as via a charging system.
  • wiring harness 701 is connected both with power supply 709 and power drive system 600. It should be appreciated that in an alternative embodiment, however, wiring harness 701 may not be connected with power drive system 600, and instead be connected with power supply 709, with power supply 709 in turn connected to drive system 600. In such an embodiment, drive system 600 would operate to raise and lower legs 34 based on power supplied by power supply 709.
  • Powered landing gear 30 includes power drive system 600 that can be selectively
  • gear assembly 42 located internally of housing 32 for extending and retracting leg 34 from housing 32.
  • hand crank 38 may be used to drive gear assembly 42 for raising and lowering leg 34.
  • Leg 34 of landing gear 31 is correspondingly extended and retracted relative to its housing 32 via shaft 40.
  • Landing gear 30 thus enables an operator to extend and retract legs 34 automatically or by hand.
  • gear assembly 42 provides both a high gear or high speed for rapidly extending and retracting leg 34 when there is no load on leg 34, as well as a low gear or low speed that is reduced from the input rotation provided to gear assembly 42 for extending and retracting leg 34 when loaded.
  • Gear assembly 42 moreover, automatically switches between high and low gears based on gear assembly 42 sensing or reacting to whether or not a load is applied to leg 34.
  • Gear assembly 42 in the illustrated embodiment may comprise a planetary gear assembly or system that is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. patent application serial no. 14/096,731 entitled DUAL- SPEED AUTO-SHIFT LANDING GEAR, and corresponding international patent application PCT/US2013/073134, both of which were filed on December 4, 2013 and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
  • Landing gear 31 can also include an internal gear assembly 42, or alternatively can comprise a single speed slave landing gear.
  • power drive system 600 of powered landing gear 30 includes a drive motor 602 and a power gearbox 604.
  • drive motor 602 comprises a 12V motor having a worm gear that drives a ring gear (not shown) that is operatively mounted in parallel to a drive gear 608 on shaft 609, discussed below. It should be appreciated that alternative arrangements, constructions and sizes of a drive motor may be used within the scope of the present invention.
  • gearbox 604 includes a housing 606 having a
  • Shaft 72 extends into housing 606 at bushing 605, with housing 606 enclosing the drive gear 608, a driven gear 610 and a connecting or transfer gear 612 that is disposed between the drive gear 608 and driven gear 610.
  • Driven gear 610 is operatively connected or mounted to shaft 72, and rotation of shaft 72 provides input torque to internal gear assembly 42 of landing gear 30 for extending and retracting leg 34.
  • Drive gear 608 is operatively connected to drive motor 602 whereby motor 602, when activated, can drive shaft 72 through the connection of drive gear 608 with connecting gear 612 and, in turn, driven gear 608.
  • Motor 602 may be driven in either direction to thereby rotate drive gear 608 in either direction to extend or retract leg 34 relative to housing 32 of landing gear 30 via gear assembly 42, where gear assembly 42 is discussed in more detail below.
  • leg 34 of landing gear 30 may alternatively be extended and retracted relative to housing 32 independently of power drive system 600 by disengagement of power drive system 600 from shaft 72 and use of crank 38 to manually rotate shaft 72.
  • Power drive system 600 includes a disengagement member for disconnecting power drive system 600, which in the illustrated embodiment comprises a knurled knob or handle 614 connected or attached with connecting gear 612 via a shaft 616.
  • a disengagement member for disconnecting power drive system 600 which in the illustrated embodiment comprises a knurled knob or handle 614 connected or attached with connecting gear 612 via a shaft 616.
  • Power drive system 600 is conversely disengaged from shaft 72 by selectively disengaging connecting gear 610 from drive gear 608 and driven gear 610 by pulling handle 614 out relative to housing 606, as shown in FIG. 4, where pulling handle 614 out moves connecting gear 610 relative to its axis of rotation to thereby disengage the teeth of connecting gear 610 from the teeth of drive gear 608 and driven gear 610.
  • gearbox 604 includes a biasing member, which in the illustrated embodiment comprises a spring 618 that presses against an inside surface of housing 606 to normally bias connecting gear 610 into engagement with drive gear 608 and driven gear 610.
  • Housing 606 further includes an external protuberance or projection 620 disposed about the opening 622 in housing 606 through which shaft 616 of handle 614 extends, with projection 620 including notches or slots 624 (one shown in FIGS. 3 and 4).
  • Handle 614 correspondingly includes radial projections or keys 626 that are positioned within slots 624 when connecting gear 612 is engaged with drive gear 608 and driven gear 610.
  • handle 614 When handle 614 is pulled out to disengage power drive system 600 by disengaging connecting gear 612 from drive gear 608 and driven gear 610, handle 614 may be rotated, such as ninety degrees, to misalign keys 626 from slots 624 to thereby prevent spring 618 from unintentionally reengaging connecting gear 612 with drive gear 608 and driven gear 610.
  • Crank 38 is connected to shaft 72 by a slip ring connector 628 that allows shaft 72 to rotate without movement of crank 38.
  • Crank 38 can therefore be retained in holder 630 mounted to housing 32 while leg 34 is extended and retracted via power drive system 600.
  • crank 38 may be moved into the orientation of FIG. 4 for manually raising and lowering leg 34.
  • Limit switch 634 is associated with the upward movement of leg 34 and thereby comprises an "up" limit switch that is actuated by a limit switch actuator 640 that includes a sleeve or guide 642 held by a retainer 644 to the floor base 148 that is fixedly mounted within housing 32, with guide 642 being mounted at an aperture in base 148.
  • a pin 646 having a head 648 and a lower end 650 is movably contained within guide 642 and extends through base 148.
  • a biasing member in the form of spring 652 is provided that operates to bias pin 646 vertically downward relative to its axial length.
  • Landing gear 30 includes a lift nut 146 that is affixed to leg 34 within which the elevation screw for the landing gear 30 rotates to raise and lower leg 34, where FIGS. 5-7 shown lift nut 146 in its elevated orientation associated with leg 34 having been raised up such that lift nut 146 contacts lower end 650 of pin 646.
  • Limit switch 636 is associated with downward movement of leg 34 and thereby
  • actuator 654 is formed as a tab attached to and extending from an actuator member 56 associated with gear assembly 42, where actuator member 56 moves to shift the gear assembly 42 between a high gear and low gear operation when leg 34 contacts a support surface.
  • down limit switch 636 is connected with circuit 638.
  • Circuit 638 includes a timer portion or component that is triggered by down limit switch 636 when actuator 654 actuates the down limit switch 636. Upon triggering the timer portion of circuit 638, circuit 638 will continue to operate drive motor 602 for a predetermined period of time sufficient to extend leg 34 from housing 32 of landing gear 30. For example, the predetermined period of time can be established to ensure that trailer 26 is appropriately raised or disengaged from the fifth wheel of a truck.
  • power drive system 600 may be any power drive system 600.
  • switch 632 may or may not be included with an alternative controller being employed.
  • a wireless controller or remote control 656 is illustrated in FIG. 8B for operation of landing gear 30, where controller 656 is constructed in the form of a handheld key fob that may be used to hold or carry vehicle keys, with controller 656 including multiple buttons 658a, 658b, 658c and 658d. Controller 656 may thereby be used by an operator to remotely raise and lower leg 34 of landing gear 30.
  • Button 658a comprises an up or lift button, wherein the pressing of button 658a by an operator initiates lifting or raising of leg 34 by way of drive motor 602.
  • leg 34 will continue to raise until actuator 640 trips limit switch 634 to cease motion of leg 34.
  • an operator may press button 658b to automatically stop the lifting of leg 34 prior to leg 34 having reached its fully raised position, where pressing of button 658b during the lifting cycle will cause motor 602 to be shut off.
  • leg 34 will be automatically lowered, such as from the fully up position or otherwise. Once activated, as discussed above, leg 34 will continue to be lowered until actuator 654 triggers down limit switch 636, at which point circuit 638 will continue to operate drive motor 602 for a predetermined period of time sufficient to extend leg 34 from housing 32 of landing gear 30. Alternatively, while leg 34 is being lowered, an operator may press button 658d to
  • Controller 656 and circuit board 638 may be conventionally constructed, with controller
  • FIG. 8A discloses the inclusion of circuit board 638 mounted internally of housing or cover 660, where cover 660 comprises an enclosure that is mounted to the exterior of housing 32 of landing gear 30.
  • Limit switches 634, 636 are mounted to the exterior of housing 32 and connected with circuit board 638, with housing 32 including slots through which limit switches 634, 636 are able to be actuated by actuators 640, 654, respectively.
  • Cover 660 thereby protects circuit 638 and limit switches 634, 636 from damage, moisture and the like.
  • FIGS. 8C and 8D discloses a wiring or control diagram 662 and circuit or control board
  • buttons 658a-658d are indicated in association with the various control relays identified as "CR.”
  • one or more buttons for operating landing gear 30 may be disposed at the landing gear 30, or may be located within the cab of truck 21.
  • landing gear 30 includes automatically shifting gearbox or gear assembly 42, with gear assembly 42 being contained within housing 32.
  • gear assembly 42 provides both a high gear or high speed for rapidly extending and retracting leg 34 when there is no load on leg 34, as well as a low gear or low speed that is reduced from the input rotation provided by crank 38 for extending and retracting leg 34 when loaded.
  • gear assembly 42 automatically switches between high and low gears based on gear assembly 42 sensing or reacting to whether or not a load is applied to leg 34.
  • gear assembly 42 operates in a low gear when foot 36 is on a support surface and landing gear 30 is supporting weight of the semitrailer 26 and, conversely, gear assembly 42 operates in a high gear when foot 36 is not in contact with the support surface and landing gear 30 is not supporting the weight of the semitrailer 26, such as when the semitrailer 26 is joined to a fifth wheel of a truck and leg 34 is being retracted for road travel or when lowering the leg 34 prior to contact with the support surface when disconnecting semitrailer 26 from a truck.
  • the shifting between high and low gears occurs automatically based on the state of the loading, without input from or adjustment by an operator of crank 38.
  • gear assembly 42 comprises a planetary gear system or assembly 44 to achieve the necessary reduction in the low gear state, as well as an associated cylindrical ring gear 46 that is directly or concurrently driven when operating in the high gear state, with a set of drive gears comprising bevel gears 48, 50 being used to transmit torque to an elevation member configured as an elevation or jack screw 52 connected with landing gear let 34 to thereby extend and retract leg 34.
  • ring gear 46 is selectively actuated by way of an engagement member or shift member 54 that axially moves relative to ring gear 46 in connection with automatic shifting between high and low gears.
  • gear assembly 42 When gear assembly 42 is in high gear, ring gear 46 concurrently rotates when an operator turns crank 38, whereby there is no reduction because bevel gears 48, 50 power elevation screw 52 by direct drive. (See FIG. 10A).
  • gear assembly 42 Upon foot 36 of leg 34 contacting the support surface, gear assembly 42 automatically shifts into low gear by elevation screw 52 translating axially relative to the orientation of housing 32, with elevation screw 52 driving an actuator member 56 to move shift member 54 into engagement with actuator mount 58 to thereby prevent rotation of shift member 54.
  • shift member 54 remains engaged with ring gear 46 such that ring gear 46 is also prevented from rotating.
  • rotation of crank 38 then causes components of gear assembly 42 to operate within the interior 60 of ring gear 46 to provide the gear reduction needed under loaded conditions. (See FIG. 10B).
  • the planetary gear assembly 44 of gear assembly 42 includes both a primary planetary gear assembly 62 and a secondary planetary gear assembly 64 that are interconnected via the sharing of a gear member 74 and are assembled within ring gear 46.
  • Primary planetary gear assembly includes multiple primary planet gears 66 that are each mounted for rotation on separate axles 68 and mesh with a primary sun gear 70 formed on the end of the input shaft 72, where crank 38 is selectively attached to the opposite end of input shaft 72 for imparting driving rotation to gear assembly 42.
  • four primary planet gears 66 are utilized, but alternative numbers could be utilized.
  • Axles 68 are mounted at one end to gear member 74 that comprises a combined primary carrier 76 and secondary sun gear 78, with axles 68 being mounted within holes 80 of primary carrier 76 to extend outwardly from face 82 of carrier 76. As discussed in more detail below, the opposite ends of axles 68 extend beyond primary planet gears 66 whereby the axles are selectively engaged by shift member 54.
  • Secondary planetary gear assembly further includes multiple secondary planet gears 84 that are each mounted for rotation on separate axles 86 and mesh with secondary sun gear 78. Axles 86 are mounted within holes on face 90 of input drive bevel gear 48, whereby input bevel gear 48 comprises a secondary carrier 92 of the secondary planetary gear assembly. In the embodiment shown six secondary planet gears 66 are utilized, but alternative numbers could be utilized.
  • a pair of support rings 94, 96 are additionally provided that receive the axles 68 and 86.
  • Support ring 94 includes multiple holes for receiving the axles 68 of the primary planetary gear assembly 62 on the opposite side of primary planet gears 66 relative to primary carrier 76.
  • support ring 96 includes multiple holes for receiving the axles 86 of the secondary planetary gear assembly 64 on the opposite side of secondary planet gears 84 relative to secondary carrier 92 of input bevel 48. Rings 94, 96 operate to provide rigidity to the assembly of the primary and secondary planetary gear assemblies, respectively.
  • gear assembly 42 further includes shift member 54, where shift member 54 comprises and operates as a shift dog or dog clutch.
  • Shift member 54 is shown to include a central through hole 98 whereby it is slidingly mounted to input shaft 72.
  • Shift member 54 further includes a first geared end 100, a second geared end 102 and a circumferential groove 104 located between geared ends 100 and 102, where groove 104 is formed in a central location of shift member 54 that has a smaller diameter than either of geared ends 100, 102.
  • geared end 100 includes teeth and geared end 102 includes teeth, with teeth of geared end 102 engaging internal circumferentially disposed gear teeth 47 located within the interior 60 of ring gear 46.
  • ring gear 46 comprises an internal gear. Still further, teeth of geared end 100 selectively engage with a lock member or receptacle formed as a mating gear that in the illustrated embodiment is formed as part of actuator mount 58, where the mating gear comprises a spline gear. It should be appreciated that the lock member need not be constructed as a mating spline gear in order to operate and that alternative shapes, structures and configurations on shift member 54 and lock member may be employed for preventing rotation of shift member 54. Shift member 54 further includes multiple elongate apertures located on a face of first geared end 102 where the apertures selectively receive ends of axles 68 extending beyond primary planet gears 66 mounted thereon.
  • Actuator mount 58 includes a pair of extending tabs or flanges 114 with holes 115 with actuator 56 being joined to actuator mount 58 between flanges 114.
  • actuator 56 includes mounting holes 116 where a pivot pin or shaft 118 (FIG. 9) is positioned within holes 115 on flanges 114 and mounting holes 116 of actuator 56 when actuator 56 is positioned between flanges 114 to retain actuator 56 to actuator mount 58.
  • a biasing member constructed as a torsion spring 120 is joined to actuator mount 58, with spring 120 including arms, coiled openings and members 126. The coiled openings are disposed over ends of pin 118 with the arms engaging flanges 114 whereby members 126 of spring 120 press against portions of actuator 56 to provide a downwardly pivoting biasing force to actuator 56.
  • actuator 56 further includes a pair of arms with inwardly disposed projections 130, where the arms define an opening there between for receiving shift member 54 when assembled.
  • Actuator further includes an additional outwardly projecting tab or arm 132 where the arms form an approximately 110 degree angle relative to tab 132 in the illustrated embodiment.
  • Spring 120 is assembled to actuator mount 58 such that members 126 are disposed between plate 112 and arms 128 whereby members 126 act on the arms of the actuator to pivot the actuator 56 about shaft 118 such that tab 132 is downwardly biased.
  • Spring 120 thus correspondingly biases shift member 54 to be disengaged from the mating gear of the actuator mount 58 via projections 130 acting on shift member 54 in groove 104.
  • geared end 102 of shift member 54 is disposed within ring gear 46 such that spring 120 biases shift member 54 into ring gear 46.
  • shift member 54 engages the axles 68 of the primary planet gears 66, with the ends of the axles 68 being received within the apertures 108 of shift member 54 in the high gear position.
  • input shaft 72 includes a cavity 136 into which an end
  • landing gear 30 includes a lift nut 146 that is fixedly mounted to leg 34 with elevation screw 52 rotating within lift nut 146 to extend and retract leg 34. Also included is a floor base 148 that is fixedly mounted within housing 32, with a thrust washer 150 being positioned between floor base 148 and output drive bevel gear 50 when assembled.
  • Output bevel gear 50 includes a cavity or slot 152 within which a drive pin 154 is located, where drive pin 154 is passed through a hole 156 in shaft 158 of elevation screw 52 with drive pin 154 operating to transmit rotational torque from output bevel gear 50 to elevation screw 52.
  • cavity 152 is sufficiently deep relative to the bottom surface 160 to enable shaft 158 to move transversely relative to output bevel gear 50 between a first position illustrated in FIG. 10A associated with high speed operation and a second position illustrated in FIG. 10B associated with low speed operation.
  • planetary gear assemblies are positioned within the interior 60 of ring gear 46.
  • a retaining ring 162 is positioned between the primary planet gears 66 and secondary planet gears 84.
  • Ring gear 46 includes an internal groove formed in teeth 47 with retaining ring 162 being positioned within groove 164.
  • retaining ring 46 comprises a conventional internal spiral retaining ring.
  • shift member 54 In the high gear orientation of FIG. 10A, shift member 54 is in a first position biased out of engagement with mating gear 106 of actuator mount 58 by spring 120 and teeth 103 of geared end 102 of shift member 54 are engaged with internal teeth 47 of ring gear 46. Shift member 54 is additionally biased into engagement with axles 68 of primary planetary gears 66, with the axles 68 being received within elongated apertures 108. Of note the elongated construction of apertures 108 aids in receiving axles 68 therein when shift member 54 is moved into engagement with axles 68.
  • Primary sun gear 70 on input shaft 72 is engaged with primary planet gears 66 such that, with axles 68 engaged with shift member 54, as well as because axles 68 are mounted to gear member 74, rotation of input shaft 72 causes direct drive rotation of the planetary gear assembly to input bevel gear 48. That is ring gear 46 rotates as does gear member 74 without relative rotation of planetary gears 66, 84 such that input bevel gear 48 rotates on a one-to-one rotational basis with input shaft 72 by way of the mounting of secondary planet gears 84 to secondary carrier 92 of input shaft 72 to thereby raise and lower leg 34 when not under load.
  • input bevel gear 48 and output bevel gear 50 are approximately the same size such that the ratio of rotation of input shaft 72 to elevation screw 52 is one-to-one or approximately one-to-one.
  • output bevel gear 50 and input bevel gear 48 may be alternatively sized relative to each other to obtain alternative high gear ratios.
  • output bevel gear 50 may be sized to be smaller than input bevel gear 48 whereby the ratio of input shaft 72 revolutions in high speed to output bevel gear 50 revolutions is less than one, including, for example, in the range of four to one.
  • elevation screw 52 axially translates upward relative to output bevel 50, with upper portion 134 of shaft 158 acting on tab 132 to pivot actuator 56 upwards against the force of spring 120.
  • the upward axial movement is caused by continued rotation of elevation screw 52 when pad 36 contacts the support surface and is enabled by way of the cavity 152 in output bevel gear 50.
  • Shift member 54 is thereby moved into a second position by actuator 56, with arms 128 axially shifting or moving shift member 54 by way of projections 130 disposed within groove 104 to simultaneously disengage shift member 54 from axles 68 such that axles 68 are no longer contained within apertures 108, as well as to engage teeth 101 of geared end 100 of shift member 54 into engagement with mating gear 106 of actuator mount 58. Teeth 103 of geared end 100, however, remain engaged with teeth 47 of ring gear 46. As understood from FIG. 5B, the axial shifting or movement of shift member 54 when switching between high gear and low gear is transverse to the telescopic movement of leg 34.
  • secondary sun gear 78 is larger than the primary sun gear 70, and the primary planet gears 66 are larger than the secondary planet gears 84. It should be appreciated, however, that these size differences could be reversed, or the gears of the primary and secondary planetary gear assemblies could be the same.
  • the provision of both primary and secondary planetary gear assemblies 62, 64 enables desired gear ratios to be provided in the low gear setting.
  • a planetary gear assembly in accordance with the present invention may be constructed to have, for example, a ratio of between 20 to 1 to 40 to 1.
  • Actuator member 56, shift member 54 and actuator mount 58 thus operate as an
  • automatic shifting occurs without any additional action from an operator of landing gear 30 with the input shaft 72 not requiring to be moved, such as in an axial direction or otherwise, to accomplish shifting.
  • automatic shifting of the gear assembly 42 may alternatively be accomplished by way of a solenoid or linear motor, such as to axially move shift member 54.
  • automatic shifting between high and low speeds may alternatively be accomplished by way of either an increase or decrease in the input or output torque involved in extending and retracting leg 34.
  • input shaft 72 may be connected with gear assembly 42 in similar manner to the construction of a torque wrench whereby upon reaching a particular increase in input torque required to extend leg 34, such as when pad 36 contacts the support surface, automatic shifting to low gear occurs by way of shifting shift member 54.
  • the telescoping legs of the landing gear may be extended when the crank is turned clockwise, with the high gear ratio being minimized to rapidly extend and retract the telescoping leg and thereby minimize the amount of time required for turning of the crank, and the low gear ratio being maximized to decrease the required torque input to facilitate turning of the crank when under loaded conditions.
  • the high and low gear ratios were 2.5 turns and 34 turns, respectively, for a one-inch displacement of the telescoping leg.
  • a method of automatically shifting a landing gear thus comprises axially displacing an elevation member within a housing member via a drive motor by raising or lowering an associated telescopic leg into contact with a support surface, and preventing rotation of a ring gear of a planetary gear assembly as a result thereof.
  • the method further including moving an actuator by the axially displacing of the elevation member, and in turn moving a shift member to prevent rotation of the ring gear.
  • a planetary gear system may be provided with more or fewer primary and/or secondary planet gears.
  • Various flanges, gussets or brackets may also be used for connecting landing gear to a semitrailer, as may be required.
  • rotational input motion may be provided by an electric or hydraulic motor. Additional changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Vehicle Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, Refitting, And Outriggers (AREA)

Abstract

Béquille de parcage motorisée (28) montée sur une remorque (26) comprenant un connecteur électrique (703) monté sur la remorque (26) qui est conçu pour recevoir un câble de pontage (705) connecté à un camion (21) pour apporter de l'énergie électrique à la remorque (26), avec un faisceau de câblage (701) monté sur la remorque (26) qui est électriquement couplé au connecteur (703). Une béquille de parcage (30) comprend un élément de boîtier (32), un élément de pied télescopique (34), un ensemble engrenage (42) conçu pour étendre et rétracter l'élément de pied (34) par rapport à l'élément de boîtier (32), et un système d'entraînement (600) comprenant un moteur d'entraînement (602) fonctionnellement en prise avec l'ensemble engrenage (42), le train d'atterrissage (30) étant alimenté fonctionnellement par de l'électricité fournie par le biais du connecteur (703) et du faisceau de câblage (701) partant du camion (21). Le faisceau de câblage (701) peut être fonctionnellement électriquement couplé au moteur d'entraînement (602) et/ou à une alimentation électrique rechargeable (709) qui est à son tour couplée électriquement au moteur d'entraînement (602), y compris par l'intermédiaire d'un dispositif de commande (638).
PCT/IB2017/056676 2014-02-12 2017-10-26 Béquille de parcage motorisée couplée électriquement WO2018078569A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

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US15/877,075 US11059461B2 (en) 2014-02-12 2018-01-22 Electrically coupled powered landing gear

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US201662413101P 2016-10-26 2016-10-26
US62/413,101 2016-10-26

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US15/877,075 Continuation US11059461B2 (en) 2014-02-12 2018-01-22 Electrically coupled powered landing gear

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Cited By (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2020055399A1 (fr) 2018-09-12 2020-03-19 Saf-Holland, Inc. Ensemble train d'atterrissage motorisé

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US3402915A (en) * 1966-08-01 1968-09-24 Westran Corp Power package for semi-trailer support
US6224103B1 (en) * 1998-11-16 2001-05-01 Edwin Bruce Hatcher Control system for electrically-operated trailer landing gear
US20050073130A1 (en) * 2003-10-03 2005-04-07 Mcb Sales & Installation Services, Inc. Method and apparatus for raising and lowering a trailer
US20050168327A1 (en) * 2003-01-14 2005-08-04 De Wilde Eric D. Simplified truck tractor socket wiring
US20150224838A1 (en) 2014-02-12 2015-08-13 Jost International Corp. Powered landing gear

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3402915A (en) * 1966-08-01 1968-09-24 Westran Corp Power package for semi-trailer support
US6224103B1 (en) * 1998-11-16 2001-05-01 Edwin Bruce Hatcher Control system for electrically-operated trailer landing gear
US20050168327A1 (en) * 2003-01-14 2005-08-04 De Wilde Eric D. Simplified truck tractor socket wiring
US20050073130A1 (en) * 2003-10-03 2005-04-07 Mcb Sales & Installation Services, Inc. Method and apparatus for raising and lowering a trailer
US20150224838A1 (en) 2014-02-12 2015-08-13 Jost International Corp. Powered landing gear

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2020055399A1 (fr) 2018-09-12 2020-03-19 Saf-Holland, Inc. Ensemble train d'atterrissage motorisé
CN112969617A (zh) * 2018-09-12 2021-06-15 塞夫-霍兰德公司 动力着陆齿轮组件
EP3849858A4 (fr) * 2018-09-12 2021-09-08 SAF-Holland, Inc. Ensemble train d'atterrissage motorisé
AU2018440799B2 (en) * 2018-09-12 2023-09-28 Saf-Holland, Inc. Powered landing gear assembly

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