Fifth Wheel Sensor Displacement for Trailer Position Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road tractor semi-trailer combinations face challenges in reliably detecting the position of the semi-trailer relative to the road tractor, often resulting in faulty locking and potential disengagement during transport.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a magnet or coil marker in the kingpin and a corresponding coil or magnet sensor, with displacement means to move the sensor from a resting to an operating position, allowing for accurate detection without moving parts and contact, ensuring reliable positioning and locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor with moving parts or contact is used to detect the marker position, then the detection capability is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to dirt and mechanical failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based sensors with a magnetic field-based sensor system. The sensor detects the marker's position through magnetic field interaction without physical contact, eliminating mechanical wear and contamination issues while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary between the sensor and the marker. The magnetic field allows the sensor to detect the marker's position indirectly through magnetic interaction, avoiding direct contact and the associated reliability problems.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor remains in the resting position underneath the kingpin, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates because the sensor cannot detect the marker position during coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the sensor position dynamic rather than static. The sensor automatically adjusts its position based on the coupling state - remaining retracted during coupling when detection is not needed, and moving to the operating position after coupling when detection is required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares the sensor in advance by positioning it in the resting position before coupling occurs. The sensor only moves to the detection position when the coupling is complete and the marker position needs to be verified, avoiding unnecessary movement during the coupling process.
3Ease of operation
If the sensor is positioned at a larger distance from the marker in the resting position, then the ease of operation is improved by avoiding interference during coupling, but the measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic positioning where the sensor distance from the marker changes based on operational requirements. During coupling, the sensor is positioned at a larger distance to avoid interference, and after coupling, it moves closer to achieve the required measurement precision.
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
This solution simplifies and enhances the detection of the semi-trailer's position relative to the road tractor, preventing faulty locking and disengagement, even in the presence of dirt, and integrates seamlessly with existing mechanisms, ensuring stable operation.
Implementation Method 1
the marker is formed by a magnet or a coil of electro-conductive wire and the sensor comprises a coil and/or a magnet by which the position of the coil or magnet can be detected
Implementation Method 2
If the marker is formed by a magnet, the sensor is arranged as a coil. The marker, however, may also be arranged as a coil instead of a magnet. In that case the sensor is to generate a magnetic field so as to generate a current in the marker coil.
Data Source
AI summary
A road tractor semi-trailer combination 1 is equipped with a system for detecting the position of a road tractor relative to a semi-trailer. This system comprises a magnet 13 which is accommodated in the center of the bottom of the kingpin and a sensor unit 11 which is fixed to the bottom of the fifth wheel 9. The sensor unit can be displaced between a resting position at a distance from the magnet where the position of the magnet cannot be detected, and an operating position at a distance from the magnet where the position of the magnet can be detected indeed.The fifth wheel is equipped with a handle for displacing a locking pawl which locks the kingpin in the fifth wheel in coupled state of the road tractor and the semi-trailer. This handle is connected via a pulling cable to the sensor unit for displacing the sensor unit to the operating position simultaneously with the displacement of the locking pawl.