Leaf Spring Cable Guide for Articulated Vehicle Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
In low-floor articulated vehicles, the limited space under the joint between the vehicle front and rear parts poses a challenge for reliable guidance of cables and supply lines, which are typically arranged above the passage and lack a fixed guide, leading to potential damage from pitching and pivoting movements.
Innovation Solution
A leaf spring is used to guide cables between the vehicle front and rear parts, designed to deform easily in the horizontal direction and resist deformation in the vertical direction, providing a stable path for cables and compensating for movements while being suspended between the end frames and the middle hoop to prevent vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If cables are arranged above the passage and held merely by inherent stability, then the space under the passage is saved for low-floor vehicle design, but the cables lack fixed guidance and are vulnerable to damage from pitching and pivoting movements
Solution Approach 1:
A leaf spring is introduced as an intermediary element between the cables and the vehicle structure. The leaf spring provides a fixed guidance path for the cables while allowing elastic deformation to accommodate vehicle movements. This mediator resolves the contradiction by providing both structural support for reliable cable guidance and flexibility to absorb movement-induced stresses without damaging the cables.
Solution Approach 2:
The leaf spring's elastic properties are utilized to change its shape dynamically in response to vehicle movements. By designing the leaf spring with appropriate material properties and geometric characteristics, it can deform elastically during pitching and pivoting movements, thereby maintaining reliable cable guidance while adapting to changing spatial conditions in the articulated vehicle.
2Reliability
If a rigid cable guide is used to provide fixed guidance, then cable reliability is improved, but the device complexity and structural height increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a complex rigid structure, the invention employs a leaf spring that achieves reliable cable guidance through controlled elastic deformation. The leaf spring's flexibility allows it to adapt to vehicle movements without requiring additional complex mechanisms, thereby maintaining cable reliability while minimizing device complexity and structural height.
Solution Approach 2:
The leaf spring functions as a flexible structural element that provides cable guidance through its elastic properties rather than rigid constraints. This flexible approach simplifies the overall structure compared to rigid cable guides, reducing device complexity while maintaining the necessary reliability for cable protection during vehicle operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the leaf spring is allowed to deform freely in all directions, then it can compensate for all movements, but vibration and undefined cable movements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The leaf spring is designed with differentiated stiffness characteristics in different directions. It is made more rigid in the vertical direction to prevent excessive deformation and vibration, while allowing controlled elastic deformation in the horizontal direction to compensate for pitching and pivoting movements. This anisotropic design resolves the contradiction by providing direction-specific adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The leaf spring provides dynamic cable guidance that adapts to vehicle movements through controlled elastic deformation. Rather than being completely rigid or completely flexible, the leaf spring exhibits dynamic behavior that allows it to absorb movement-induced stresses while maintaining stable cable paths, thereby balancing adaptability with stability.
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
The leaf spring ensures reliable guidance of cables and supply lines, reducing the risk of damage and vibration, while also contributing to the stabilization of the middle hoop and maintaining a low structural height.
Implementation Method 1
A leaf spring is provided for guiding the cable from the vehicle front part to the vehicle rear part which, in its relaxed state, extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The leaf spring is arranged such that it can be deformed easily in the horizontal direction and with more difficulty in the vertical direction
Implementation Method 2
The leaf spring is arranged such that it can be deformed easily in the horizontal direction and with more difficulty in the vertical direction
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a middle hoop system for a vehicle joint. The vehicle joint is arranged between a vehicle front part and a vehicle rear part of an articulated vehicle, such as for example of an articulated bus, and forms a passage (24) between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part. The middle hoop system comprises a middle hoop (12) and a cable guide between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part. The middle hoop (12) surrounds the passage (24). The cable guide is arranged above the passage (24). According to the invention, for the cable guide, a leaf spring (14) is provided which extends from the vehicle front part to the vehicle rear part. By means of the leaf spring, cables (16) can be guided between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part over the entire length of the leaf spring (14). Undefined movements of the cables when the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part move relative to one another are eliminated.