Movable Battery for Caravan Nose Weight Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caravan loading systems face challenges in maintaining a stable support load, particularly with single-axle trailers, as uneven loading can result in impermissible nose weight values, and previous solutions like ballast or axle leveling are cumbersome, expensive, or not feasible.
Innovation Solution
A caravan equipped with a battery that can supply power to the towing vehicle or its own traction drive, mounted to be adjustable along the caravan's longitudinal direction, allowing for easy adjustment of the support load through a displacement mechanism, such as a threaded rod and nut system, controlled by a sensor and electrical controller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ballast is used to adjust nose weight, then the support load can be adjusted, but the device complexity and additional weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The battery serves dual purposes: providing electrical energy to the towing vehicle and simultaneously functioning as movable ballast for nose weight adjustment. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate ballast systems, water tanks, or complex pumping mechanisms, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery is designed to perform multiple functions: energy storage for the towing vehicle, movable ballast for nose weight adjustment, and potential propulsion for the caravan. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated nose weight adjustment mechanisms, reducing device complexity while maintaining operational ease.
2Ease of operation
If water tanks with pumping systems are used for ballast adjustment, then nose weight can be adjusted, but the system complexity and weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The battery inherently provides the necessary weight for ballast purposes while simultaneously serving as an energy source. This eliminates the need for separate water tanks and pumping systems, reducing both the complexity and additional weight that would be required for conventional ballast adjustment systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the mass of ballast material (as in water tank systems), the invention changes the position parameter of the battery to adjust nose weight. This parameter change approach eliminates the need for additional ballast mass, reducing both system complexity and total weight.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the battery is made movable for nose weight adjustment, then loading flexibility improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery mounting system is designed to be dynamically adjustable along the longitudinal axis of the caravan, allowing the battery position to be changed according to loading requirements. This dynamic positioning capability provides loading flexibility while using a relatively simple adjustment mechanism compared to conventional ballast systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable battery serves multiple functions: energy storage, nose weight adjustment, and potential propulsion. This multi-functionality justifies the modest increase in device complexity by eliminating the need for separate ballast systems, achieving adaptability without proportional complexity increase.
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 enables simple and efficient adjustment of the support load, ensuring it remains within permissible limits, enhancing loading flexibility and reducing the need for additional ballast, while also providing power assistance to electric or hybrid vehicles, thus improving their range and maneuverability.
Implementation Method 1
a battery (6) which is designed to supply power to a drive system of a towing vehicle (1; 4) and/or an optional drive system of the caravan (2; 3)
Implementation Method 2
The adjusting device has a threaded rod and nut, wherein the battery is connected to one of the two and a displacement of the battery is effected either by turning the threaded rod or the nut by the adjusting device
Data Source
AI summary
In a caravan that includes a battery (6, 7, 8) and an axle (3), the battery (6, 8) is designed to supply power to a traction drive of a tractor vehicle and/or to an optional drive unit of the caravan when same is towed on the road, and the battery (6, 8) is mounted so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the caravan and can be moved by an adjustment mechanism (10).