BACKWALL DEFLECTOR

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a deflector element for use in the area of ​​a folding rear wall of a tipper vehicle with a ball coupling.

[0002] Folding tailgates of tipper trucks are typically folded downwards when the tipper body is unloaded, creating an opening at the rear of the loading platform for tipping cargo, such as bulk goods. During this process, the tailgate first tilts freely downwards around a tilting axis and then hangs freely in this position.

[0003] It is also known that at least some models of tipper trucks may have a ball hitch installed in the area of ​​the folding tailgate, similar to those used in passenger cars for attaching smaller trailers. Such a ball hitch must be mounted on the vehicle at a specific height above the road surface to allow for the proper coupling of a suitable trailer.

[0004] However, in this constellation it has been shown that in some applications, such as when unloading a large quantity of bulk material where the rear wall rests on the resulting pile of bulk material and is thus deflected from its freely swinging position, it can happen that the Figure 1 The shown jamming of the rear wall on the ball coupling occurs when the tipper body is to be swung back into its horizontal position after unloading has been completed.

[0005] This shows the Figure 1 a tipper vehicle from the prior art, which is generally designated by reference numeral 10, and in which a tipper body 12 with a loading platform is provided, which is formed between side walls 14 and a hinged rear wall 16, which in turn can be pivoted about a hinge axis A for unloading the loading platform.

[0006] Here, the tiltable mounting of the tipper body 12 is achieved about a tilting axis relative to the vehicle body 20, which is in Figure 1 only partially depicted. However, it can also be seen that a ball coupling 22 and a jaw coupling 24 are installed in a known manner at the rear of this vehicle body 20, wherein in the Figure 1In the illustrated constellation, the problematic case described above has occurred: when the tipper body 12 swings back into its horizontal orientation, which is assumed, for example, when the tipper vehicle 10 is driving and transporting goods, the folding rear wall 16 becomes jammed in the undercut formed by the ball coupling 22. This could lead to the rear wall 16 bending or even tearing off in the area of ​​its tipping axis during a further pivoting movement of the tipper body 12. Similarly, when the tipper body is tilted, the folded-down rear wall could swing into the critical area and become jammed, potentially causing damage during a subsequent tilting operation.

[0007] Furthermore, reference is made to the publications DE 296 02 104 U1, DE 36 00 506 A1 and DE 20 2010 001 276 U1, which each also teach devices for use with a ball coupling for similar purposes.

[0008] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device with which the problematic case described above of a hinged rear wall of a tipper vehicle jamming on a ball coupling can be prevented, wherein the element according to the invention to be used for this purpose should be as easy to manufacture and operate as possible and cost-effective.

[0009] For this purpose, the deflector element according to the invention for use in the area of ​​a folding rear wall of a tipper vehicle with a ball coupling comprises a body section which is configured to form a support for the rear wall in its folded-down state when the deflector element is mounted, and a first attachment area which is configured to enable the deflector element to be attached to the ball coupling in order to establish the mounted state, wherein the body section of the deflector element extends at least partially above the ball coupling in the mounted state and covers it at least on the side facing the rear wall.

[0010] Thus, according to the invention, the deflector element described above provides a means of creating a physical barrier in the area of ​​the ball coupling in a state where no trailer is coupled to it, but where the rear wall of the tipper vehicle could be folded down, which prevents the entry of the Figure 1 The problematic condition shown and described above is reliably prevented.

[0011] While it is in principle possible to attach the deflector element to the ball coupling using only the first attachment area and thereby solve the problem according to the invention, or in an alternative embodiment to provide a pure support of the deflector element on another component of the tipper vehicle, a second attachment area can also be provided in a particularly reliable embodiment, which is designed to allow the deflector element to be attached to another component of the tipper vehicle in the assembled state, which is located above the ball coupling.

[0012] In this context, particular consideration can be given to designing the second mounting area in such a way that it allows the deflector element to be attached to a jaw coupling, especially by being designed with a hook element or a coupling eye. Such a design of the rear area of ​​a tipper vehicle with a ball coupling and a jaw coupling provided above it is particularly common in tipper vehicles with relatively low payloads and thus allows the advantageous design of the deflector element according to the invention described above.

[0013] To increase the flexibility of the deflector element according to the invention and to make it usable for tipper vehicles with differently designed rear sections, the body section can be designed to be length-adjustable, for example, telescopic. This makes it possible to adapt both the mounting area, which forms the actual contact surface for the rear wall of the tipper vehicle in its folded-down state, and, for example, the distance between the two mounting areas in corresponding embodiments to the differently designed rear sections of different types of tipper vehicles.

[0014] Similarly, the deflector element according to the invention can further comprise at least one hinge element, which is provided between the first mounting area and the body section, between the body section and the second mounting area, or between two subsections of the body section, and is configured to allow an adjustment of the angle of the corresponding two components. This also results in increased flexibility of a deflector element according to the invention, since this measure allows the angle between the components in question to be adjusted to the respective structural conditions in the rear area of ​​the tipper vehicle to be equipped with the deflector element according to the invention.

[0015] In particular, by jointly providing a length-adjustable body section and at least one hinge element in embodiments of tipper vehicles with both a ball coupling and a jaw coupling, the deflector element can, in principle, be mounted independently of the orientation and distance between the two couplings mentioned, by appropriately adjusting the length of the body section and the angle of the hinge element.

[0016] To prevent damage to the hinged rear panel of the deflector element according to the invention when it comes into contact with the body section or the mounting section, and especially when it impacts the deflector during a free tilting movement, the body section and / or first mounting section can have at least one contact element made of a soft material on its side facing away from the ball-head coupling, which allows the rear panel to come into contact with it without damage. While the soft material can in principle be any material that has a lower hardness than the hinged rear panel, which is usually made of metal and especially steel, the use of suitable plastics is particularly relevant here.Depending on the design of the body section and / or the first attachment section, the attachment element can, for example, be glued to it or fitted into a corresponding recess.

[0017] Furthermore, to enable improved sliding of the rear wall when the tilting area is swung back into its horizontal orientation and to prevent scraping or scratching between the deflector element and the rear wall, this also includes at least one roller element which is rotatably assigned to the body section or the first attachment area about an axis that is essentially horizontally oriented in the mounted state of the deflector element, wherein the roller element preferably consists of a soft material at least on its running surface, and where a plastic suitable for this purpose can also preferably be used.

[0018] To improve the lateral support of the deflector element on the ball coupling, the first mounting area of ​​the deflector can further comprise at least one side wall which, in the mounted state, extends laterally in the vehicle width direction next to the ball coupling.

[0019] An example of a possible embodiment of the first mounting area, which enables secure attachment of the deflector element according to the invention to the ball coupling, can be designed such that the first mounting area further comprises a locking element which engages behind the ball coupling in a locked state. In particular, in embodiments in which the first mounting area comprises two side walls which are opposite each other on both sides of the ball coupling in the mounted state, the locking element can be designed as a plug pin which can be guided through bores in the two side walls and, if necessary, secured against falling out in the locked state.

[0020] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of one embodiment thereof when viewed together with the accompanying figures. These show in detail: Fig. 1 shows the condition of a tipper vehicle without the deflector element according to the invention, as described above, in a side view; Fig. 2 shows the rear area of ​​the tipper vehicle. Figure 1 in an isometric view, with the deflector element according to the invention mounted; Fig. 3 a detailed view of the deflector element according to the invention; and Fig. 4 a similar detailed view Fig. 3 , however, from a modified version of the deflector element shown there.

[0021] In Figure 2 The rear section of the tipper vehicle 10 is again from Figure 1 depicted, however, in the Fig. 2In the depicted state, a deflector element 100 is installed between the ball-head coupling 22 and the jaw coupling 24 arranged diagonally above it, and is attached to both. Furthermore, due to the changed perspective of the Figure 2 opposite Figure 1 In addition to the components of the industrial truck 10 already mentioned, such as the side wall 14 and the side wall 16, further components can be seen, such as an underride guard 26 or the mounting plate 28 provided thereon, which allows the ball head coupling 22 to be attached in different height positions by means of a plurality of holes 30.

[0022] As now in Fig. 2 and especially also in the detailed view Fig. 3As can be seen, the deflector element provided between the ball-head coupling 22 and the jaw coupling 24 comprises a body section 102 with a contact element 104 made of a soft material, which, when the deflector element 100 is mounted, forms a contact for the rear wall 16. Furthermore, the deflector element 100 comprises a first mounting area 106, which enables the deflector element 100 to be attached to the ball-head coupling 22 and for this purpose includes two side walls 106a and a locking element 108 designed as a plug pin, which can be passed through two openings 106b in the two side walls 106a.

[0023] Although in the Fig. 3Although not shown in the illustrated embodiment, in variants of the deflector element according to the invention, the body section 102 could be designed to be length-adjustable, for example telescopically, and / or a hinge element could be provided to adjust the angle between the mounting area 106 and the body section 102, between the body section 102 and the second mounting area 110 described below, or alternatively between two subsections of the body section 102. Such a variant of the deflector element 100 equipped with a hinge element is described further below and is shown in Fig. 4 shown.

[0024] In any case, the aforementioned second mounting area 110 is provided at the end of the deflector element 100 opposite the first mounting area 106. This second mounting area is designed as a hook element and is configured as shown in Figure 2It can be seen that it can be connected to the jaw coupling 24 of the tipper vehicle 10 by simply hooking it on. An alternative version could also provide a coupling eye as a second attachment point, although the in Figure 3 The hook element shown has the advantage that no opening of the jaw coupling is required to attach it.

[0025] It should also be noted that the deflector element 100 in the area of ​​the first mounting area 106 further comprises a roller element 112, which is extended by a roller element in the Fig. 2 In the assembled state shown, the essentially horizontally oriented axis B is rotatable and allows the rear wall 16 to roll off when the tipping body 12 is swung back into its horizontal orientation, in order to avoid rubbing between the rear wall 16 and the deflector element 100 and thus to exclude damage or unwanted noise.

[0026] Finally, let us mention the Fig. 4 Reference is made to a modified version of the deflector element 100, designated by reference numeral 100'. Identical or equivalent components of variant 100' are designated by the same reference numeral as the corresponding components of embodiment 100. Fig.3 , each supplemented by an apostrophe, denotes and a description of these components will be omitted.

[0027] The 100' variant from Fig. 4 differs from the deflector element 100. Fig. 3 The only difference is that the provision of the attachment element 104 has been omitted, but a hinge element 114 has been provided instead to allow adjustment of the angle between the body section 102' and the second mounting area 110'. This variant thus offers increased flexibility in terms of adaptability to differently designed rear sections of vehicles.

Claims

1. Deflector element (100; 100') for use in the area of a hinged rear wall (16) of a dump truck (10) with a ball-head coupling (22), comprising: - a body section (102; 102') which is configured to form a support for the rear wall (16) in its folded-down state when the deflector element (100; 100') is installed; and - a first mounting area (106; 106') which is configured to allow the deflector element (100; 100') to be attached to the ball-head coupling (22) in order to realise the installed state; wherein the body section (102; 102') of the deflector element (100; 100') extends at least partially above the ball-head coupling (22) in the installed state and covers it at least on the side facing the rear wall (16), characterised in that it further comprises at least one roller element (112; 112') which is rotatably associated with the body section (102; 102') or the first mounting area (106; 106') about an axis (B; B') that is substantially horizontally oriented in the installed state of the deflector element (100; 100).

2. Deflector element (100; 100') according to claim 1, further comprising a second mounting area (110; 110') which is configured to enable the deflector element (100; 100') to be attached to a further component of the dump truck (10) in the installed state, and which is located above the ball coupling (22).

3. Deflector element (100; 100') according to claim 2, wherein the second mounting area (110; 110') is configured to allow the deflector element (100; 100') to be attached to a jaw coupling (24), in particular by being formed with a hook element or with a coupling eye.

4. Deflector element (100; 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body section (102; 102') is designed to be length-adjustable, for example is designed to be telescopic.

5. Deflector element (100; 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one hinge element (114) which is provided between the first mounting area (106; 106') and the body section (102; 102'), between the body section (102; 102') and the second mounting area (110; 110'), or between two subsections of the body section (102; 102'), and is configured so as to allow the angle of the corresponding two components to be adjusted.

6. Deflector element (100; 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body section (102; 102') and / or the first mounting area (106; 106') has at least one contact element (104) made of a soft material on its side facing away from the ball-head coupling (22), which allows the rear wall (16) to rest against it without damage.

7. Deflector element (100; 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the roller element (112; 112') consists of a soft material at least on its bearing surface.

8. Deflector element (100; 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first mounting area (106; 106') further comprises at least one side wall (106a; 106a'), which in the mounted state extends laterally in the width direction of the truck next to the ball-head coupling (22).

9. Deflector element (100; 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first mounting area (106; 106') further comprises a locking element (108; 108'), which in a locked state engages behind the ball-head coupling (22).

10. Deflector element (100; 100') according to claims 8 and 9, wherein two side walls (106a; 106') are provided and the locking element (108; 108') is designed as a plug pin which can be passed through bores (106b; 106b') in the two side walls (106a; 106a'), and can if necessary be secured against falling out in the locked state.