Semitrailer Steering Rod Hinge Positioning for Constant Toe Angle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semitrailers with independent wheel suspension and steerable axles face instability due to changes in toe-in or toe-out caused by varying ride-heights, affecting stability and safety.
Innovation Solution
The semitrailer design positions the hinge point between the steering rod and actuator between the top and bottom support arm hinge points, allowing the steering rod to follow wheel hub movement without altering toe-in or toe-out, and uses separate actuators for each steering rod/wheel hub, with mutual coupling for redundancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the steering rod is connected to the wheel hub with a conventional hinge point position, then the steering mechanism can operate, but the degree of toe-in or toe-out changes with ride-height variations causing instability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by repositioning the hinge point from a conventional location to a specific position in the longitudinal direction between the top and bottom support arm hinge points. This spatial repositioning in the longitudinal dimension allows the steering rod to follow wheel hub movement vertically while maintaining constant toe-in or toe-out angles, thereby resolving the instability issue caused by ride-height variations.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the hinge point between steering rod and actuator is positioned between the top and bottom support arm hinge points, then the toe-in or toe-out angle remains constant during ride-height changes, but the steering mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the hinge point position specific and localized between the top and bottom support arm hinge points in the longitudinal direction. This localized positioning provides the precise geometric relationship needed to maintain constant toe-in or toe-out angles during vertical movement, while the rest of the steering mechanism remains relatively simple and conventional.
Data Source
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AI summary
Semitrailer (1), with a vertical symmetry plane located in a longitudinal direction and which is arranged for coupling with a tractor and is provided with at least one axle (2), whereby each of the at least one axles (2) is equipped with an independent wheel suspension, whereby the wheel suspension connects a wheel hub with a central chassis beam of the semitrailer by two support arms (3, 4)laying above each other, whereby each support arm (3, 4) is connected hingeably by an end to the central chassis beam at two positions differing in the longitudinal direction and by the other (15, 16), opposite end with a strut which is connected to the wheel hub (3), whereby the wheel suspension connects the wheel hub (3) movably at least in vertical direction with the central chassis beam, whereby of the semitrailer at least one axle (2) is steerable by means of a steering which in operation is dependent on an angle between a longitudinal axis of the tractor and the longitudinal axis of the semitrailer (1), whereby the steering of each wheel hub (3) is provided with a steering rod (8), which at one end (12) is hingeably connected to an actuator (9) and at the other, opposite end (11) is hingeably connected to the wheel hub (3), whereby the shortest distance from the hinge point (12) between the steering rod (8) and the actuator (9) to the symmetry plane lies between the shortest distance of the hinge points (15) of the central chassis beam with the respective top support arm (4) to the symmetry plane and the shortest distance of the hinge points (16) of the respective bottom support arm (5) to the symmetry plane.