Agricultural vehicle trailer with a pendulum axle

Abstract

Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) with a load-bearing body (2) and at least one pivoting axle (3) formed by at least two axle bodies (4, 5) pivoting about a common central axis (MA), wherein the axle bodies (4, 5) are steerable by means of steering bearings (6, 7), steering levers (8, 9) and steering arms (10, 11) being articulated to the respective axle body (4, 5) and being connected to each other via a tie rod (12), wherein the steering bearings (6, 7) lie on an imaginary axis (GA) perpendicular to a longitudinal axis (LA) of the vehicle and the distance between the steering bearings (6, 7) on the imaginary axis (GA), the steering levers (8, 9) and the tie rod (12) form a steering trapezoid, wherein the shorter parallel side of the steering trapezoid is formed by the tie rod (12), which is connected between the imaginary axis (GA) by the steering bearings (6, 7) and the common central axis (MA) of the oscillating axle bodies (4, 5) is arranged, characterized in thatthat the pendulum axle (3) is designed as a single pendulum axle (3'), and that at least one spring and / or damper element (13, 14) is arranged between each of the axle bodies (4, 5) and the support body (2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an agricultural vehicle trailer with a support body and a pendulum axle according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of such an agricultural vehicle trailer.

[0002] Trailers and axles are known, for example, from DE 20 2004 000 605 U1, DE 10 2021 206 365 A1 and DE 37 36 627 A1.

[0003] It is also known to equip agricultural trailers with a load-bearing body and a pendulum axle formed by two axle bodies pivoting around a common central axis. Furthermore, it is known from the generic patent DE 20 2004 000 605 U1 that the axle bodies of a pendulum tandem axle can be steerable and even form a steering trapezoid. This is not feasible due to the design of conventional independent wheel suspensions of such agricultural trailers.

[0004] A disadvantage of the known systems is, for example, that pendulum tandem axles can sometimes cause a higher point load on the unsprung, swinging axle section into the floor, whereas with independent wheel suspensions, for example, compression or rebound affects the steering angle.

[0005] The object of the present invention can therefore be considered to be to improve the handling of an agricultural vehicle trailer in a simple way, in particular to enable a combination of a tire-friendly and soil-friendly effect of a steering trapezoid in combination with a very even distribution of ground load and equally large ground clearance.

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of independent claim 1, as well as by the use according to independent claim 10. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0007] The invention is based on the general idea of ​​equipping an agricultural vehicle trailer with a steerable pendulum axle, which is designed as a pendulum single axle.

[0008] According to the invention, the agricultural vehicle trailer has a load-bearing body and a pendulum axle formed by two axle bodies that pivot about a common central axis. The axle bodies are steerable, with wheels articulated to the respective axle bodies via steering bearings, steering levers, and steering arms, and connected to each other via a tie rod. The steering bearings lie on an imaginary axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The distance between the steering bearings on this imaginary axis (i.e., an imaginary line along this imaginary axis from one steering bearing to the other), the steering levers, and the tie rod form a steering trapezoid, with the shorter parallel side of the steering trapezoid being formed by the tie rod, which is arranged between the imaginary axis through the steering bearings and the common central axis of the pivoting axle bodies.

[0009] According to the invention, the pendulum axle is designed as a single pendulum axle. This makes it possible to utilize various advantages on one and the same agricultural trailer that are otherwise only achievable with a pendulum tandem axle, as well as various advantages that are otherwise only achievable with independent suspension. For example, it enables steering angle stability during suspension compression, which, although achievable with a pendulum tandem axle, is inherently impossible with conventional independent suspensions due to their design, since the change in angle during compression also affects the tie rod. Similarly, this allows steering cylinders to be positioned significantly closer to the common central axis, in this case the pendulum axle, than with conventional independent suspensions.This allows the steering cylinders to have a smaller diameter and, above all, a greater distance from the road surface or the area being traversed. This more effectively prevents damage from uneven surfaces or, for example, larger stones. In particular, a true steering trapezoid can be achieved while still distributing the ground load very evenly, especially on multi-axle trailers. With a true steering trapezoid, the wheel angles can be adjusted when cornering to the smaller inner circle described by the inner wheel and the larger outer circle described by the outer wheel. Furthermore, the chassis of the agricultural trailer can be easily and flexibly configured by the manufacturer with a number of axles corresponding to the required load capacity, e.g., with only one axle, with two axles, of which, if necessary,only one needs to be steerable, or with three axles, of which only the front and rear axles may need to be steerable.

[0010] Since the pendulum axle is designed as a single pendulum axle, unlike a pendulum tandem axle, rotation of the axle bodies around the common central axis is not prevented by a pendulum axle body perpendicular to the common central axis. Instead, a spring and / or damper element is arranged between each axle body and the load-bearing structure. This allows the manufacturer to specifically influence and adjust the spring and / or damping characteristics, as is otherwise only possible with independent wheel suspension, unlike a pendulum tandem axle. At the same time, the true steering trapezoid enables particularly gentle tire operation on roads and hard surfaces, especially when maneuvering or turning sharply, and particularly soil-friendly operation on agricultural land, especially when cornering.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, the spring and / or damper element is arranged along the vehicle's longitudinal axis between the common central axis and the steering bearing. While this may initially seem to contradict the generally prevalent goal in chassis design of minimizing unsprung mass, it allows, on the one hand, a large possible steering angle range with exceptionally high steering angle accuracy, and on the other hand, very high ground clearance and even more effective prevention of damage from uneven surfaces or, for example, larger stones.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, the spring and / or damper element is arranged above the respective axle body during normal operation. This not only provides particularly effective protection against damage and contamination, but also enables a particularly advantageous force transmission into the respective axle body.

[0013] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, at least one spring and / or damper element has a line connection. This makes it possible for the effect of a road surface irregularity, which in a pendulum tandem axle is transmitted purely mechanically via the pendulum from the preceding or following axle section, to be transmitted hydraulically or pneumatically. The pendulum effect can therefore be generated via a hydraulic connection, for example, between a front axle and a rear axle. Likewise, this facilitates a particularly simple connection to valves or control modules.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, at least one spring and / or damper element is connected to a gas membrane accumulator via the line connection. This allows, for example, the effect of a road surface irregularity to be particularly advantageously temporarily stored or only partially transmitted. Likewise, this enables convenient and very simple adaptation to different load conditions.

[0015] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, at least two spring and / or damper elements are connected to each other and / or to the gas membrane accumulator via their line connections, in particular by means of lines. This not only makes it very easy to achieve a particularly uniform distribution of the ground load and convenient adaptation to different load conditions, but also enables particularly easy adaptation to different ground conditions.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, the steerable axle body has a stabilizing device for straight-line tracking. This allows all the aforementioned advantages to be utilized while simultaneously achieving particularly precise straight-line tracking, in addition to high steering angle accuracy.

[0017] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, the stabilizing device for supporting the steering levers on the axle body comprises at least one pair of pressure elements with interlocking, wave-shaped or trapezoidal sliding surfaces in each steering bearing. These surfaces support the steering levers against a counterforce on the axle body. A wave-shaped design is defined in particular as a sinusoidal or cosine shape, or a design approximating these. Such sliding surfaces allow for a particularly smooth and comfortable transition between driving straight ahead and turning the steering wheel, minimizing stress on the vehicle and reducing wear on the material. A trapezoidal shape is defined in particular as a uniform trapezoid with linear edges, although this does not preclude a non-uniform trapezoidal shape and / or rounded edges and / or rounded surfaces.This makes it very easy to achieve a particularly stable and straight-line driving experience.

[0018] In a further advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, a central axis tube is arranged along the common central axis around which the axle bodies pivot. This not only achieves stiffness of the load-bearing body and the entire axle in a particularly simple and effective manner, but also allows all the other advantages of the particularly robust and equally uncomplicated pendulum bearing of a pendulum tandem axle, which has proven particularly successful in agricultural applications, to be utilized with the steerable pendulum single axle.

[0019] The aforementioned problem is also solved according to the invention by using an agricultural vehicle trailer in accordance with the aspects of the preceding description when driving to or on agricultural land. Not only do most of the aforementioned advantages, individually or in combination, only fully come into play in this context, but above all, the tire- and soil-protecting effect of the true steering trapezoid, in combination with the even distribution of the ground load and the resulting ground clearance, can only be fully utilized in this way.

[0020] Further important features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the drawings and the associated description of the figures based on the drawings.

[0021] It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or individually, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, the features mentioned are not limited to the number stated, so that features mentioned in the singular may well be present multiple times and features occurring multiple times may also be present in the singular.

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar or functionally identical components.

[0023] Each schematically illustrates: Fig. 1: An axle of an agricultural vehicle trailer according to the invention in a perspective side view, in which the left wheel is hidden, Fig. 2: An underside view of an agricultural vehicle trailer with the axle pointing towards Fig. 1, when driving straight ahead, Fig. 3: a bottom view of the axis according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, when driving through a right-hand bend, Fig. 4: a bottom view of the axis according to Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, when driving on a left-hand bend, Fig. 5: a top view of the steering trapezoid that enables the described design.

[0024] One embodiment of the agricultural vehicle trailer 1 according to the invention features, in accordance with the Fig. 1 next to a support body 2, a pendulum axle 3 is mounted, which here is designed as a single pendulum axle 3'. The large arrow next to the reference symbol 2 points forward in the direction of travel. The single pendulum axle 3' is supported by two axles around a common central axis MA (visible in Fig. 4) formed by pivoting axle bodies 4, 5. The axle bodies 4, 5 are designed to be steerable by means of (not specified here) wheels being articulated to the respective axle bodies 4, 5 via steering bearings 6, 7, steering levers 8, 9 and steering arms 10, 11, and being connected to each other via a tie rod 12. The steering bearings 6, 7 lie on an imaginary axis GA perpendicular to a longitudinal axis LA of the vehicle (as shown in Fig. 4) The distance between the steering bearings 6, 7 on the imaginary axis GA, the steering levers 8, 9 and the tie rod 12 form a steering trapezoid (visible in Fig. 5), in which the shorter parallel side of the steering trapezoid is formed by the tie rod 12, which is arranged between the imaginary axis GA through the steering bearings 6, 7 and the common central axis MA of the oscillating axle bodies 4, 5. Since the oscillating axle 3 is designed as a single oscillating axle 3', unlike a tandem oscillating axle, rotation of the axle bodies 4, 5 about the common central axis MA is not prevented by a tandem oscillating axle body perpendicular to the common central axis MA. For this purpose, two spring and damping elements 13, 14, designed as gas pressure dampers, are arranged between each of the axle bodies 4, 5 and the support body 2.This makes it particularly advantageous to utilize various benefits on one and the same agricultural trailer 1, advantages otherwise only achievable with a pendulum tandem axle, as well as various advantages otherwise only attainable with independent wheel suspension. In particular, a particularly tire-friendly and soil-friendly operation can be achieved in a simple and robust manner, with a high degree of manufacturer-side customization flexibility.

[0025] The spring and damper elements are arranged along the vehicle's longitudinal axis LA, each between the common central axis MA and the steering bearing 6, 7. Fig. Figure 1 also shows that the spring and damper elements 13, 14 are arranged above the respective axle bodies 4, 5 during normal operation. The spring and damper elements 13, 14 each have two line connections (not shown). They are connected via one of these line connections to a gas diaphragm accumulator (not shown) and to each other by means of lines (also not shown). In addition, the axle bodies 4, 5 have a stabilizing device for straight-line tracking, which in each steering bearing 6, 7 comprises pairs of pressure elements with trapezoidal, interlocking sliding surfaces that support the steering levers 8, 9 against a counterforce on the axle bodies 4, 5. The straight-line tracking is shown in the underside view of the Fig. 2 shown.

[0026] As in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, a central axis tube is arranged on the common central axis MA, around which the axle bodies 4 and 5 oscillate. The large arrow in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 on the left indicates the direction of travel forwards. Fig. 5, the large upward arrow indicates the direction of travel forward.

[0027] As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the design of the pendulum single axle 3', in addition to all the advantages described above, realizes a true inverted steering trapezoid, as shown in Fig. 5. The steering angles of the inner and outer wheels differ – by the same amount when driving through a right-hand curve, which in Fig. 3 is shown and the left turn, which is in Fig. 4 is shown. However, as is common in vehicle construction, the angular differences are so small that they are not visible in the illustration. Fig. 3 and Fig.4 are not visible to the naked eye. However, these angular differences mean that all the aforementioned advantages can be equally utilized when using the agricultural vehicle trailer 1.

[0028] In particular, the tire-friendly and soil-friendly effect of the genuine steering trapezoid can be fully utilized in combination with the even distribution of ground load and the resulting ground clearance. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1 Agricultural vehicle trailer 2 support structures 3 pendulum axle 3' Pendulum single axle 4, 5 axle bodies 6, 7 Steering bearing 8, 9 Steering lever 10, 11 handlebars 12 tie rod 13, 14 Spring and damper element MA common central axis LA Vehicle longitudinal axis GA imaginary axis

Claims

Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) with a load-bearing body (2) and at least one pivoting axle (3) formed by at least two axle bodies (4, 5) pivoting about a common central axis (MA), wherein the axle bodies (4, 5) are steerable by means of steering bearings (6, 7), steering levers (8, 9) and steering arms (10, 11) being articulated to the respective axle body (4, 5) and being connected to each other via a tie rod (12), wherein the steering bearings (6, 7) lie on an imaginary axis (GA) perpendicular to a longitudinal axis (LA) of the vehicle and the distance between the steering bearings (6, 7) on the imaginary axis (GA), the steering levers (8, 9) and the tie rod (12) form a steering trapezoid, wherein the shorter parallel side of the steering trapezoid is formed by the tie rod (12), which is connected between the imaginary axis (GA) by the steering bearings (6, 7) and the common central axis (MA) of the oscillating axle bodies (4, 5) is arranged, characterized in thatthat the pendulum axle (3) is designed as a single pendulum axle (3'), and that at least one spring and / or damper element (13, 14) is arranged between each of the axle bodies (4, 5) and the support body (2). Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring and / or damper element is arranged along the longitudinal axis (LA) of the vehicle between the common central axis (MA) and the steering bearing (6, 7). Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring and / or damper element (13, 14) is arranged above the respective axle body (4, 5) in normal operation. Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one spring and / or damper element (13, 14) has a line connection. Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one spring and / or damper element (13, 14) is connected to a gas membrane storage via the line connection. Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to claim 4 and / or 5, characterized in that at least two spring and / or damper elements (13, 14) are connected to each other and / or to the gas membrane storage via their line connections, in particular by means of lines. Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the steerable axle body (4, 5) has a stabilizing device for straight-line running. Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the stabilizing device for supporting the steering levers (8, 9) on the axle body (4, 5) has at least one pair of pressure elements with wave-shaped or trapezoidal, interlocking sliding surfaces in each steering bearing (6, 7), which support the steering levers (8, 9) against a counterforce on the axle body (4, 5). Agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a central axle tube is arranged along the common central axis (MA) about which the axle bodies (4, 5) pivot, or parallel thereto. Use of an agricultural vehicle trailer (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 when traveling to or on an agricultural area.

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