Commercial Vehicle Chassis Rear Cross Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing commercial vehicle chassis designs for container transport lack flexibility, leading to inefficient load distribution and increased production costs due to complex components, while failing to meet legal regulations for load positioning and underrun protection.
Innovation Solution
A commercial vehicle chassis with a pivotable or displaceable outer beam on the center beam allows for closer placement of the payload to the rear axle, enabling flexible load positioning and unloading flush with the rear, while maintaining compliance with legal regulations through integrated underrun protection and reducing component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rear cross member is positioned at a distance from the rear wheels to comply with underrun protection regulations, then safety regulations are met, but the structural complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the underrun protection function with the existing rear cross member structure. The rear cross member is positioned to serve dual purposes: maintaining required safety distance for underrun protection while also functioning as the structural support element, thereby eliminating the need for separate underrun protection components
Solution Approach 2:
The rear cross member is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the chassis, ensures underrun protection by maintaining appropriate distance from rear wheels, and serves as a mounting position for locking elements. This multi-functionality reduces overall component count and simplifies the chassis structure
2Adaptability or versatility
If the chassis frame is designed with fixed locking positions for containers, then load positioning is constrained, but the structural complexity increases due to multiple chassis frames or telescoping mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable rear cross member that can be displaced along the longitudinal axis of the chassis. This dynamic element allows the locking elements to be repositioned to different locations, enabling flexible load positioning for containers of various sizes without requiring multiple fixed chassis frames or complex telescoping mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The chassis frame is divided into fixed front and middle sections and a movable rear section containing the rear cross member. This segmentation allows the rear portion to be independently displaced, providing adaptability for different loading scenarios while keeping the overall structure simple and avoiding the complexity of completely movable or telescoping chassis frames
3Productivity
If the container is positioned away from the rear of the chassis frame for even load distribution, then axle load compliance is improved, but the ability to unload flush with the rear is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The movable rear cross member allows the container to be positioned at different locations along the chassis. For transport, the cross member is positioned to achieve even load distribution across axles. For unloading, the cross member can be displaced rearward to allow the container to extend flush with the rear of the chassis, enabling efficient unloading without compromising load distribution during transport
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a commercial vehicle chassis (1) comprising a chassis frame with longitudinal cross members (4) and transverse cross members (5, 5.1) comprising wheel axles with associated wheels (2), one of which is a rear transverse cross member (5.1) closing off the rear of the chassis frame and is part of a chassis frame rear (7), and the rear transverse cross member (5.1) and at least one further transverse cross member (5) have locking elements (5.2) for locking a payload, in particular a container. In order to make this commercial vehicle chassis more compact and to allow for rear-flush loading and unloading, the chassis frame rear (7) comprising the rear cross member (5.1) is designed as a compact rear with a central beam (9) arranged at a distance below the rear cross member (5.1) and extending between two rear wheels (2) and/or between two wheel covers (3) associated with the rear wheels (2), wherein the rear cross member (5.1) is located at least partially above rear wheels (2) and/or wheel covers (3) associated with the rear wheels.