Fifth-Wheel Coupling Sensor Housing for Protected Rotation Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor devices for towing vehicle couplings are exposed to environmental influences and lack protection, making them vulnerable to mechanical and environmental stress.
Innovation Solution
A sensor device is integrated into a protective housing within the towing vehicle coupling, with a bearing body mounted in a rotationally fixed manner to protect the sensor and allow for rotational movement, enabling detection of the rotational position of the coupling elements while withstanding mechanical loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor device is located outdoors directly on the coupling receptacle or coupling mouth, then the sensor can detect rotational position, but the sensor is exposed to environmental influences and mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device is nested inside the driver, which itself is part of the coupling mechanism. The driver acts as a protective housing that contains the sensor, shielding it from environmental influences while allowing it to function. This nested arrangement protects the sensor without requiring additional external housing structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The driver serves as an intermediary structure between the sensor and the harsh external environment. By placing the sensor inside the driver, the driver mediates the exposure to environmental factors such as weather, mechanical stress, and contamination, protecting the sensor while maintaining its detection capability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the carrier is located directly in the bearing area, then the sensor can be integrated into the coupling, but the structural integrity is weakened and retrofitting becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device is segmented into separate components: the sensor, the bearing body, and the driver. This segmentation allows the sensor device to be installed as a modular unit on existing couplings without modifying the critical bearing area, facilitating retrofitting while preserving structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing the carrier directly in the bearing area (one-dimensional integration), the solution moves the sensor device to a different spatial dimension - inside the driver structure. This dimensional shift allows integration without interfering with the bearing area's structural requirements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the bearing body is held in a rotationally fixed manner with an anti-rotation device, then the bearing body remains stable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-rotation function is merged with the existing driver structure. The driver itself is configured to prevent rotation of the bearing body, combining the bearing support function with the anti-rotation function in a single integrated component rather than adding a separate anti-rotation device.
Solution Approach 2:
The driver serves multiple functions: it acts as a protective housing for the sensor, provides the bearing surface for the bearing body, and simultaneously prevents rotation of the bearing body through its structural design. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate anti-rotation components.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a sensor device for a towing vehicle coupling (60) or as a component of a towing vehicle coupling (60), in particular a fifth-wheel coupling (60A), with which a trailer vehicle (A), in particular a semi-trailer, can be coupled to a towing vehicle (Z), in particular a truck, wherein the towing vehicle coupling (60) has a coupling element (61) for detachably coupling to a coupling counter element (81), in particular a fifth-wheel king pin (82), wherein the coupling element (61) is/can be secured to the towing vehicle (Z) and the coupling counter element (81) is/can be secured to the trailer vehicle (A), and in the coupled state forming a joint, they can rotate relative to one another about at least one joint rotational axis (GZ), wherein the sensor device (10) has a follower (20), mounted on a bearing body (30) such that it can rotate about a follower rotational axis (M), for detecting a rotation of the coupling counter element (81) relative to the coupling element (61) about the at least one joint rotational axis (GZ), wherein the follower (20) can rotate about the follower rotational axis (M) by rotationally following the coupling counter element (81) in a rotation about the at least one joint rotational axis (GZ), and the sensor device (10) has at least one sensor (11) for detecting a respective rotational position of the follower (20) relative to the bearing body (30) in relation to the follower rotational axis (M). According to the invention, the follower (20) is arranged outside a bearing region (96) of the joint, in which the coupling element (61) and the coupling counter element are engaged with one another in a bearing manner, and the at least one sensor (11) is arranged inside the follower (20) and/or the follower (20) forms a protective housing (29) for the at least one sensor (11).