Hood-Mounted Drawbar Lever With Interlock Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drawbar devices for tow vehicles have operability issues due to the operation lever being located at a distance from the operator's seat, causing interference with the hood and making manual operation difficult.
Innovation Solution
The operation lever is mounted on the hood, allowing for manual operation without interference with the hood's opening, and an interlock mechanism supports the lever's position to ensure effective movement of the drawbar pin through a link mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the operation lever is located behind and at a distance from the operator's seat to allow full opening of the hood, then the hood can open without collision, but the operability of the operation lever deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interlock mechanism as an intermediary between the hood and the operation lever. This mechanism includes a lock pin that engages with a lock hole, preventing the operation lever from moving when the hood is open. This resolves the contradiction by allowing the lever to be positioned close to the operator's seat for easy operation while the interlock mechanism prevents harmful collision with the opened hood.
2Ease of operation
If the operation lever is located close to the operator's seat for easy operation, then the operability improves, but the hood cannot open fully due to collision with the lever
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the operation lever's operational state conditional on the hood's position. The interlock mechanism dynamically engages or disengages based on whether the hood is open or closed. When the hood is closed, the lever can be operated freely; when the hood is opened, the interlock mechanism automatically engages to prevent lever operation, thus allowing the lever to be positioned close to the operator's seat without restricting hood opening.
3Productivity
If the operation lever is manually operated to move the drawbar pin upward, then the drawbar connection can be released, but the lever position causes difficulty in manual operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the operation lever at a location that is ergonomically accessible to the operator, creating an equipotential position where the operator can easily apply force without strain. By combining this favorable position with the interlock mechanism that prevents operation when the hood is open, the system achieves both easy manual operation and safe functionality, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and connection release efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A drawbar device for a tow vehicle having a vehicle body and a hood operable to open and close for covering a top surface of a rear portion of the vehicle body includes a drawbar bracket, a drawbar pin, an operation lever and a link mechanism. The drawbar bracket is provided on the vehicle body. The drawbar pin is provided at the drawbar bracket so as to be movable upward and downward. The operation lever is provided on the hood so as to be manually operated. The link mechanism is operable to move the drawbar pin upward according to operation of the operation lever.