Commercial Vehicle Cab Mount Resilient Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional commercial vehicle driver's cabs exhibit rolling and pitching movements due to resilient mounting, causing vibrations to be transmitted to headlights, leading to driver fatigue, especially during long night drives.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece driver's cab design with an integrated apron carrying headlights, mounted on longitudinal rails for horizontal displacement, and an underrun protection system that suppresses pitching movements by attaching to the chassis frame, combined with damping elements and hydraulic support for improved stability and access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the driver's cab is resiliently mounted relative to the chassis frame, then the driver's cab can be decoupled from chassis vibrations, but rolling and pitching movements occur during braking and acceleration, transmitting vibrations to the headlights
Solution Approach 1:
The driver's cab is separated from the chassis frame through resilient mounting, creating independent vibration isolation zones. The cab structure is divided into the cab itself and the apron with headlights, allowing selective damping of different vibration modes.
Solution Approach 2:
Resilient mounting elements are pre-installed between the driver's cab and chassis frame to cushion against vibrations before they reach the cab. Damping elements are integrated into the apron structure to preemptively reduce vibration transmission to the headlights during braking and acceleration.
2Ease of operation
If the driver's cab is resiliently mounted, then comfort is improved, but pitching movements occur during hard braking and acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
Damping elements are integrated into the apron structure to preemptively counteract pitching movements during braking and acceleration, reducing the energy of these movements before they affect the driver and headlights.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient mounting that causes pitching movements is transformed into a beneficial feature by adding damping elements that convert the harmful kinetic energy of pitching into heat through controlled deformation, thereby reducing the overall impact on driving comfort.
3Ease of manufacture
If the driver's cab is designed as a one-piece structure with integrated apron, then manufacturing is simplified, but access to the drive unit becomes restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The driver's cab is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to be shifted horizontally along longitudinal rails. This enables the cab to move between a driving position that covers the drive unit and a maintenance position that provides access, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to different operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the driver's cab and chassis frame is segmented through guide means and locking mechanisms, allowing the cab to be displaced horizontally while maintaining structural integrity. This segmentation enables easy access to the drive unit without compromising the one-piece manufacturing advantage.
4Ease of repair
If the driver's cab can be displaced horizontally along longitudinal rails, then maintenance access is improved, but the guiding and locking mechanisms become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding and locking mechanism is segmented into separate functional components: guide means for horizontal displacement and locking mechanisms for positioning. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall complexity while maintaining functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanisms are designed to automatically engage and disengage at predetermined positions along the longitudinal rails, reducing the need for complex manual operation. The system serves itself by using the movement of the cab along the rails to trigger automatic locking and unlocking actions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces driver fatigue by minimizing vibrations and oscillations, enhances maintenance accessibility, and prevents unwanted pitching and rolling movements during braking and acceleration.
Implementation Method 1
In front of the front axle and below the driver's cab, a driver's cab apron protrudes approximately vertically downwards in the direction of the roadway from about the height of the chassis frame. The apron is at least indirectly connected to the chassis frame.
Implementation Method 2
the driver's cab is resiliently mounted relative to the chassis frame
Implementation Method 3
On each side of the vehicle, there is an energy-absorbing underride protection made up of the elements buckling, cantilever beams and a transversely reinforced vehicle frame. Depending on the amount of kinetic energy of the passenger car in the event of a crash with one of the commercial vehicles mentioned, the elements mentioned can be plastically deformed one after the other.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
The vehicle has a drivers cab (2) elastically supported with respect to a chassis frame (1). A spatial position of the drivers cab changes a drive operation position (4) to an open position with respect to the chassis frame. A drive unit (3) covers the drive operation position, and releases the open position. The drive unit includes an underride guard (7) in an area of a front side streamlining (6). The drivers cab is placed on two longitudinal rails (8) that are controlled in a guide (9) of the chassis frame, and the underride guard is attached on the streamlining.