Trailer system and trailer

Abstract

To provide a trailer system capable of easily measuring the connection weight of even an existing truck scale.SOLUTION: The trailer 1 has a main frame 10, a front-side wheel 5a and a rear-side wheel 5b are provided at positions on the rear side of the main frame 10, a pair of car weight measuring jacks 50 are provided on the rear side of the main frame and on both the front and right and left sides of the front-side wheel, and the car weight measuring jack has a pressing part 55a movable in the car vertical direction and can apply a load in the vertical direction via the pressing part. In a state where front wheels and rear wheels of a tractor are placed on a truck scale S, a vehicular weight measuring jack pushes up a rear end side of a trailer by bringing a pressing part 55a into contact with an upper surface of the truck scale and applying a load to the truck scale in a vertical direction, and floats front wheels and rear wheels on a rear side of the trailer from a ground surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a trailer system and a trailer. [Background technology]

[0002] Truck scales have traditionally been used to measure the weight of trucks or to measure the weight of a truck loaded with cargo (the weight of the truck plus cargo).

[0003] Currently, most standard truck scales installed in existing facilities have a longitudinal length of 9m. This is because if the longitudinal length of a truck scale is 9m, the front and rear wheels of even a large truck that is 12m long can be placed on the scale and the weight can be measured.

[0004] A vehicle weighing system having the above-described truck scale is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-77433 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, cargo is transported not only by trucks, but also by vehicles in which a trailer is hitched (connected) to a tractor (hereinafter referred to as a "trailer system"). This trailer system, even if it is a small trailer hitched to a tractor, has a load capacity about 1.5 times that of a truck, so compared to transporting cargo by truck, it can reduce the number of transports. As a result, trailer systems are thought to contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions compared to using trucks, and to address the driver shortage. On the other hand, the above trailer system has a problem that even if a small trailer is hitched to a tractor, the length between the front wheels of the tractor and the rear wheels of the trailer exceeds 9 m, so it cannot be loaded onto the above-mentioned existing truck scales. In other words, the above trailer system has a problem that its weight (connected weight) cannot be measured in one go using the above-mentioned existing truck scales with standard length dimensions, and measurement is troublesome. Below, the above problem of the trailer system of the prior art will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0007] As shown in FIG. 5, a conventional trailer system 400 includes a trailer 500 and a tractor 100 that pulls the trailer 500 . The tractor 100 has a cabin 105, a chassis 110 extending from the rear end of the cabin 105, front wheels 151 provided below the cabin 105, and rear wheels 152 provided below and behind the chassis 110. The chassis 110 is also provided with a coupler to which a trailer 500 can be coupled. The trailer 500 has its front end coupled (connected) to a coupler of the tractor 100, and is provided with two wheels 505a, 505b arranged in the front-rear direction at its rear side. Reference numeral 300 denotes a cargo (container) loaded on the trailer 500. Reference numeral S denotes a truck scale having a longitudinal length of 9 m.

[0008] Furthermore, in the trailer system 400 of the prior art, the length between the front wheel 151 of the tractor 100 and the rear wheel 505b of the trailer 500 is greater than 9m, so even if an attempt is made to place the trailer system 400 on top of a truck scale S with a longitudinal length of 9m, the rear wheel 505b of the trailer 500 does not place on top of the truck scale S, but instead comes into contact with the ground surface GL behind the truck scale S, making it impossible to measure the combined weight. The above issue can be addressed by increasing the length of the truck scales S, but as mentioned above, many of the existing truck scales S are 9m long, and replacing them all with longer ones would be unrealistic due to cost and installation space issues.

[0009] The present invention was made in consideration of the above technical problems, and its purpose is to provide a trailer system and a trailer whose connected weight can be easily measured even with a truck scale of standard length dimensions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is a trailer system comprising a trailer and a tractor to which the trailer is coupled and which pulls the trailer, the tractor having front and rear wheels, the trailer having a pair of left and right main frames in a plan view, which are arranged substantially parallel with a predetermined distance between them, front and rear wheels are provided behind the main frames in a line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and further a pair of jacks for measuring the weight of the vehicle are provided behind the main frames and in front of the front wheels on both the left and right sides, The vehicle weight measuring jack has a pressing part that can move in the up and down direction of the vehicle, and is capable of applying a load in the vertical direction via the pressing part. When the front and rear wheels of the tractor are placed on the front side of the truck scale, the vehicle weight measuring jack abuts the pressing part against the upper surface of the truck scale and applies a load in the vertical direction to the truck scale via the pressing part, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer and raising the front and rear wheels on the rear side of the trailer above the ground.

[0011] According to the above configuration, when the front and rear wheels of a tractor are placed on a truck scale of standard length, but the wheels of a trailer connected to the tractor are not placed on the truck scale and are instead in contact with the ground behind the truck scale, the vehicle weighing jack can press the pressing portion against the top surface of the truck scale and apply a load in the vertical direction to push up the rear end of the trailer, thereby lifting the front and rear wheels at the rear of the trailer off the ground. This allows the trailer system to be supported on the truck scale, with the front and rear wheels of the tractor and the pressing portion of the vehicle weighing jack attached to the trailer placed on the top surface of the truck scale. As a result, the entire weight of the trailer system is applied to the truck scale via the front and rear wheels of the tractor and the pressing portion of the vehicle weight measuring jack installed on the trailer, allowing the entire weight of the trailer system to be measured. That is, according to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to easily measure the combined weight of a trailer system that includes a trailer and a tractor to which the trailer is coupled.

[0012] Furthermore, it is desirable that the vehicle weight measuring jack has a hydraulic cylinder arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main frame and a support leg attached to the hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder tube and a piston rod that protrudes and retracts in the vertical direction of the vehicle relative to the cylinder tube, the support leg having the flat pressing portion and a connecting piece erected on the upper surface of the pressing portion, the upper portion of the connecting piece being rotatably connected to the tip of the piston rod, and the vehicle weight measuring jack is configured so that, when the front and rear wheels of the tractor are placed on the front side of the truck scale, the hydraulic cylinder is operated to protrude the piston rod, causing the pressing portion of the support leg connected to the tip of the piston rod to abut against the truck scale, and a vertical load is applied to the truck scale via the pressing portion, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer.

[0013] The present invention also provides a trailer that is coupled to and towed by a tractor having front and rear wheels, the trailer having a pair of main frames arranged substantially parallel to one another in a plan view with a predetermined gap between them, and front and rear wheels are provided rearward of the main frames, lined up in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a pair of vehicle weighing jacks are provided rearward of the main frames, on both the left and right sides of the front wheels, the vehicle weighing jacks have pressing parts that can move in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle and are capable of applying a load in the vertical direction via the pressing parts, and when the front and rear wheels of the tractor are placed on the front side of a truck scale, the vehicle weighing jacks abut the pressing parts against the upper surface of the truck scale and apply a load in the vertical direction to the truck scale via the pressing parts, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer and raising the front and rear wheels on the rear side of the trailer above the ground. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a trailer system and a trailer whose connected weight can be easily measured even with a truck scale having a standard length dimension. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of a trailer system according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a schematic diagram showing the side of the trailer system, (b) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vehicle weight measuring jack provided in the trailer system is contracting a piston rod, and (c) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vehicle weight measuring jack provided in the trailer system is extending a piston rod. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a plan view of a trailer constituting an embodiment of the trailer system of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a traveling state of a trailer system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a measurement state of the trailer system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between a trailer system and a truck scale according to the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, a trailer system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] First, the configuration of the trailer system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0018] Here, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the trailer system of this embodiment, where (a) is a schematic diagram showing the side of the trailer system, (b) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vehicle weight measuring jack provided in the trailer system is contracting a piston rod, and (c) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vehicle weight measuring jack provided in the trailer system is extending a piston rod. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a plan view of a trailer constituting the trailer system of this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the traveling state of the trailer system of this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the measurement state of the trailer system of this embodiment.

[0019] The trailer system of this embodiment is characterized by the addition of a jack for measuring the vehicle weight to the configuration of a conventional trailer. Therefore, in the following explanation, the characteristic configuration of the trailer system of this embodiment will be explained in detail, and explanations of other configurations will be omitted or simplified. In addition, in the description of the trailer system of this embodiment, the same components as those in the conventional trailer system of FIG. 5 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the trailer system W of this embodiment includes a trailer 1 and a tractor 100 to which the trailer 1 is coupled and which pulls the trailer 1. The tractor 100 has a cabin 105, a chassis 110 extending from the rear end of the cabin 105, front wheels 151 provided below the cabin 105, and rear wheels 152 provided behind and below the chassis 110. The chassis 110 is also provided with a coupler 120 for coupling the trailer 500. The coupler 120 is provided at a position approximately above the rear wheels 152 provided at the rear and lower side of the chassis 110, and the coupling pin (kingpin) of the trailer 1 is inserted into the coupler 120, thereby coupling the tractor 100 and the trailer 1.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the trailer 1 includes a pair of main frames 10, 10, arranged substantially parallel to one another at a predetermined distance in plan view. The main frames 10 are fixed by lateral frames 20, which are provided at multiple predetermined locations.

[0022] The main frames 10·10 also include rear-end frame sections 11·11 that extend linearly from their rear ends toward their front ends along the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the trailer 1, middle-end frame sections 12·12 that extend forward from the front ends of the rear-end frame sections 11·11 and have a generally inverted V-shape in plan view so as to gradually widen outward (on both the left and right sides) in plan view, and cobra neck sections 13·13 that extend forward from the front ends of the middle-end frame sections 12·12.

[0023] The cobra neck portion 13 has step portions 13a (see Figures 1 and 2) extending upward at approximately a right angle from the front ends of the intermediate frame portions 12, and tapered portions 13b (see Figure 2) that extend forward from the upper ends of the step portions 13a so as to gradually narrow inward in a planar view and have an approximately V-shape. The tapered portions 13b·13b are formed so as to gradually widen outward in plan view from their front ends toward the stepped portions 13a·13a, and the stepped portions 13a are positioned outward in plan view from the rear end side frame portions 11 of the main frames 10·10 (and the front ends of the tapered portions 13b). In addition, a mounting base is provided on the front end side (front end side of the main frames 10) of the tapered portions 13b / 13b that make up the cobra neck portion 13 for connecting to the coupler 120 of the tractor 100, and a coupling pin protrudes downward from the mounting base.

[0024] Further, at a rear position of the main frames 10, 10, a front wheel 5a and a rear wheel 5b are provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (see FIG. 1). Specifically, on the rear end side of the frame portions 11, 11 of the main frames 10, 10, there is provided an axle with front wheels 5a at both ends and an axle with rear wheels 5b at both ends.

[0025] A pair of jacks 50 for measuring vehicle weight are provided on the rear side of the main frames 10, 10 and on both the left and right sides in front of the front wheels 5a. The vehicle weight measuring jack 50 has a push plate portion 55a that is movable in the vehicle up-down direction (Y direction), and is capable of applying a load in the vertical direction via the push plate portion 55a.

[0026] When the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 is operated with the front wheels 151 and rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 placed on the front side of the truck scale S, the pressing portion 55a comes into contact with the upper surface of the truck scale S and applies a load in the vertical direction to the truck scale S via the pressing portion 55a, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer 1 and raising the front wheels 5a and rear wheels 5b on the rear side of the trailer 1 above the ground surface.

[0027] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1(b) and (c), the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 includes a hydraulic cylinder 51 arranged in a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the main frames 10·10, and a support leg 55 attached to the hydraulic cylinder 51.

[0028] The hydraulic cylinder 51 has a cylinder tube 51a and a piston rod 51b that protrudes and retracts relative to the cylinder tube 51a in the vehicle up-and-down direction (Y direction). The hydraulic cylinder 51 is connected to a hydraulic pump (electric hydraulic pump) and a tank (a tank for storing oil), which are not shown. The hydraulic cylinder 51 is put into an extended state (the state shown in FIG. 1(c)) in which the piston rod 51b protrudes relative to the cylinder tube 51a, or into a contracted state (the state shown in FIG. 1(b)) in which the piston rod 51b is retracted relative to the cylinder tube 51a, by oil (hydraulic oil) supplied from a hydraulic pump (not shown).

[0029] The support leg 55 has a flat pressing portion 55a and a connecting piece 55b standing on the upper surface of the pressing portion 55a, and the upper portion of the connecting piece 55b is rotatably connected to the tip of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 51.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, in the trailer system W of this embodiment, the length between the front wheels 151 of the tractor 100 and the rear wheels 5b of the trailer 1 is longer than "9 mm." The vehicle weight measuring jack 50 is provided on the vehicle front side of the wheels 5a on the front side of the trailer 1. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the trailer system W has a length dimension of 7765 mm between the front wheels 151 of the tractor 100 and the center of the vehicle weight measuring jack 50.

[0031] When the trailer system W is not measuring the vehicle weight (for example, when traveling), the piston rod 51b of the hydraulic cylinder 51 of the vehicle weighing jack 50 is contracted (FIG. 1(b)). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 3, the pressing portion 55a of the vehicle weighing jack 50 is positioned above the ground contact surfaces of the wheels (front wheels 151, rear wheels 152, front wheels 5a, rear wheels 5b), and is spaced apart from the ground contact surfaces.

[0032] On the other hand, when measuring the vehicle weight of the trailer system W, for example, the following procedure may be taken. Here, it is assumed that the piston rod 51b of the hydraulic cylinder 51 of the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 is in the contracted state (FIG. 1(b)).

[0033] First, the user drives the tractor 100, aligning the vehicle front-to-rear direction of the trailer system W along the longitudinal direction of the truck scale S, and places the front wheels 105 of the tractor 100 on the upper surface of one end (front end) of the truck scale S. At this time, the rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 are also placed on the upper surface of the truck scale S. Furthermore, the front wheels 5a of the trailer 1 are disposed at the other end (rear end) of the truck scale S, but the rear wheels 5b of the trailer 1 do not rest on the truck scale S but protrude from the truck scale S and are in contact with the ground surface behind the truck scale S.

[0034] Next, the user operates the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 provided on the trailer 1, and causes the piston rod 51b of the hydraulic cylinder 51 to transition from the contracted state (see FIG. 1(b)) to the extended state (see FIG. 1(c)). Due to the operation of this hydraulic cylinder 51, the piston rod 51b housed in the cylinder tube 51a of the hydraulic cylinder 51 pops out of the cylinder tube 51a and extends downward, and the pressing portion 55b of the support leg 55 connected to the tip of the piston rod 51b comes into contact with the upper surface of the truck scale S and applies a load in the vertical direction (downward) to the truck scale S via the pressing portion 55b, pushing up the rear end side of the trailer 1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the front wheels 5a that had been in contact with the upper surface of the truck scale S are separated from the upper surface of the truck scale S and become floating above the truck scale S, and the rear wheels 5b that had been in contact with the ground surface at the rear side of the truck scale S are separated from the ground surface and become floating above the ground. The "Truck Scale S" shown in Figure 4 has a longitudinal length of 9 m.

[0035] In this way, the trailer system W is supported on the truck scale S with the front wheels 151 and rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 and the support leg 55 (pressing portion 55a) of the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 provided on the trailer 1 placed on the top surface of the truck scale S. As a result, the entire weight of the trailer system W is applied to the truck scale S via the front wheels 151 and rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 and the support legs 55 of the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 provided on the trailer 1, allowing the entire weight of the trailer system W to be measured.

[0036] As described above, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the front wheels 151 and rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 are placed on a truck scale S having a standard length. However, in cases where the wheels (rear wheels 5b in the illustrated example) of the trailer 1 connected to the tractor 100 are not placed on the truck scale S and the wheels of the trailer 1 are in contact with the ground surface behind the truck scale S, the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 can be operated to bring the pressing portion 55a into contact with the upper surface of the truck scale S and to apply a load in the vertical direction to the truck scale S via the pressing portion 55a, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer 1 and raising the front wheels 5a and rear wheels 5b on the rear side of the trailer 1 above the ground surface. As a result, the trailer system W is supported with the front wheels 151 and rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 and the pressing portion 55a of the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 provided on the trailer 1 placed on the upper surface of the truck scale S. As a result, the entire weight of the trailer system W is applied to the truck scale S via the front wheels 151 and rear wheels 152 of the tractor 100 and the pressing portion 55a of the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 provided on the trailer 1, and the entire weight of the trailer system W can be measured.

[0037] In this way, according to the trailer system W of this embodiment, even if the truck scale S currently installed has a length dimension of 9 m, the connected weight of the trailer system W can be measured in one measurement.

[0038] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a trailer 1 and a trailer system W that can easily measure the connected weight of even a truck scale S with a standard length dimension.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0040] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the main frames 10 are configured to include rear-end frame sections 11 extending linearly, intermediate frame sections 12 extending forward from the front ends of the rear-end frame sections 11 and gradually widening outward (on both the left and right sides) in a plan view and having a generally inverted V shape in plan view, and cobra neck sections 13 extending forward from the front ends of the intermediate frame sections 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if a pair of main frames are arranged parallel to each other in a plan view across the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the same effects as those of the present invention can be achieved as long as the vehicle weight measuring jack 50 of this embodiment is provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] W...Trailer system 1...Trailer 5a…Front side / Wheel 5b…Rear side / Wheel 10...Mainframe 11...Rear end side - frame section 12...Intermediate frame section 13...Cobra neck 13a...Step 13b...Tapered section 20...Horizontal frame 50...Vehicle weighing jack 51...Hydraulic cylinder 51a...Cylinder tube 51b...Piston rod 55...Support leg 55a...Pressing part 55b...Connecting piece 100...Tractor 105…Cabin 110...Chassis 120... Coupler 151...Front wheel 152...rear wheel

Claims

1. A trailer system including a trailer and a tractor to which the trailer is connected and which pulls the trailer, The tractor has front and rear wheels, The trailer has a pair of left and right main frames in a plan view, which are arranged substantially parallel to each other with a predetermined gap between them, Front wheels and rear wheels are provided at a rear position of the main frame, aligned in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, Furthermore, a pair of jacks for measuring vehicle weight are provided on the rear side of the main frame and on both the left and right sides in front of the front wheels, The vehicle weight measuring jack has a pressing part that can move in the up and down direction of the vehicle, and is capable of applying a load in the vertical direction via the pressing part, The vehicle weight measuring jack is configured so that, when the front and rear wheels of the tractor are placed on the front side of the truck scale, the pressing portion abuts against the upper surface of the truck scale and applies a load vertically to the truck scale via the pressing portion, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer and raising the front and rear wheels on the rear side of the trailer above the ground.

2. The vehicle weight measuring jack has a hydraulic cylinder provided in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main frame, and a support leg attached to the hydraulic cylinder, The hydraulic cylinder has a cylinder tube and a piston rod that protrudes and retracts in the vehicle up-and-down direction relative to the cylinder tube, the support leg has the flat pressing portion and a connecting piece standing on an upper surface of the pressing portion, and an upper portion of the connecting piece is rotatably connected to a tip end portion of the piston rod, 2. The trailer system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle weight measuring jack operates the hydraulic cylinder to extend the piston rod when the front and rear wheels of the tractor are placed on the front side of the truck scale, causing the pressing portion of the support leg connected to the tip of the piston rod to abut against the truck scale, and applying a vertical load to the truck scale via the pressing portion to push up the rear end of the trailer.

3. A trailer that is connected to and pulled by a tractor having front and rear wheels, a pair of main frames arranged substantially parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in a plan view; Front wheels and rear wheels are provided at a rear position of the main frame, aligned in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, Furthermore, a pair of jacks for measuring vehicle weight are provided on the rear side of the main frame and on both the left and right sides in front of the front wheels, The vehicle weight measuring jack has a pressing part that can move in the up and down direction of the vehicle, and is capable of applying a load in the vertical direction via the pressing part, The vehicle weight measuring jack is configured so that, when the front and rear wheels of the tractor are placed on the front side of the truck scale, the pressing portion is brought into contact with the upper surface of the truck scale and a load is applied vertically to the truck scale via the pressing portion, thereby pushing up the rear end of the trailer and raising the front and rear wheels on the rear side of the trailer above the ground.

Images