Towing Coupling Follower Mount for Multi-Axis Angle Sensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor devices for towing vehicle couplings lack flexibility in movement, as they are primarily designed for rotation about a single axis, which limits their ability to accurately detect the angular position of trailers relative to towing vehicles, especially during complex maneuvers like cornering or pitching.
Innovation Solution
The sensor device incorporates a follower with additional degrees of freedom, such as rotational and linear movement, allowing it to float and interconnect with the coupling counter element, providing enhanced contact and movement compatibility, and is mounted on a bearing body that can pivot and rotate, ensuring accurate position detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the follower is rotatably mounted on the coupling element about a single follower rotational axis, then the sensor device can detect rotation about that axis, but the follower lacks flexibility to accommodate complex movements during cornering or pitching
Solution Approach 1:
The follower is mounted on a bearing body with multiple degrees of freedom, allowing it to dynamically adapt its orientation during complex maneuvers. The bearing body enables the follower to rotate about the follower rotational axis while simultaneously accommodating movements in other directions through the bearing's inherent flexibility, thus maintaining both adaptability and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a single-axis rotational mounting to a multi-dimensional mounting system. The bearing body provides rotational freedom about the follower rotational axis while the coupling element's spherical interface adds additional rotational degrees of freedom, effectively moving the system into three-dimensional space to accommodate complex trailer movements during cornering and pitching.
2Ease of operation
If the follower is rigidly mounted on the coupling element, then the structure is simple and stable, but the follower cannot float into abutment with the coupling counter element during complex maneuvers
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing body introduces controlled dynamics to the mounting structure. It allows the follower to rotate freely about the follower rotational axis while maintaining a stable connection to the coupling element. This dynamic mounting enables the follower to float into abutment with the coupling counter element during complex maneuvers without requiring complex mechanical modifications to the coupling system itself.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional degrees of freedom are added to the follower mounting, then the follower can accommodate complex movements, but the mounting structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into distinct functional components: the bearing body that provides rotational freedom about the follower rotational axis, and the spherical coupling element interface that provides additional rotational degrees of freedom. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, achieving high adaptability without excessive overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing body serves multiple functions: it mounts the follower to the coupling element, provides rotational freedom about the follower rotational axis, and simultaneously accommodates complex movements through its inherent bearing flexibility. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor device for a towing vehicle coupling or as a component of a towing vehicle coupling, with which a trailer vehicle, in particular a semi-trailer, can be coupled to a towing vehicle wherein the towing vehicle coupling has a coupling element for detachably coupling a coupling counter element, which are/can be secured to the towing vehicle and the trailer vehicle, and in the coupled state forming a joint, where they can rotate relative to one another about at least one joint rotational axis, wherein the sensor device has a follower, which is mounted on a bearing body where it can rotate relative to the coupling element about a follower rotational axis, which can rotate about the follower rotational axis by rotationally following the coupling counter element in a rotation about the at least one joint rotational axis, and which is for detecting a rotation of the coupling counter element relative to the coupling element about the at least one joint rotational axis, and wherein the sensor device has at least one sensor for detecting a respective rotational position of the follower relative to the bearing body in relation to the follower rotational axis. The follower is mounted such that it moves relative to the coupling element for providing or maintaining a follower coupling to the coupling counter element with at least one degree of freedom of movement that is different to the rotatability about the follower rotational axis.