Abstract:
A connector bracket for a trailer vehicle of a tractor trailer, having a support frame which can swivel on a bearing about a coupling means and a connector arranged stationary on the support frame. A connector bracket on the trailer was needed that lessens the risk of damage to the connector from components of the tractor. A connector bracket is provided in which the connector is at least partly covered by the coupling in the lengthwise axis of the vehicle and a guide ramp is formed in front of the connector and tilting toward the connector at least during the coupling process.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns a connector bracket for a trailer vehicle of a tractor trailer, comprising a support frame which can swivel on a bearing about a coupling means and a connector arranged stationary on the support frame, as well as a method of connecting a connector located on a trailer to a socket located on a tractor vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Such connector brackets are used on semitrailer trucks, after a mechanical coupling of the semitrailer, to also connect the supply lines of the tractor vehicle to the semitrailer in largely automated fashion, so that the driver no longer has to climb between the tractor and the semitrailer and plug in the connection lines there, especially for the compressed air and electricity supply, by hand. 
     One prior art of this kind is disclosed by DE 2004 024 333 A1 with a plug-in coupling system, in which a plug-in device on the semitrailer with a connector arranged stationary therein is introduced into a socket arranged underneath the insertion opening. For this, the plug-in device on the semitrailer is brought to a level beneath the king pin and, when the tractor and semitrailer are mechanically coupled, and it is inserted into a socket arranged on the same level beneath the insertion opening. 
     In order to prevent premature wear and fouling, it is proposed in DE 10 2006 033 899 A1 to arrange the connector on the semitrailer on a closure plate which can travel vertically relative to the support frame, which moves the connector downward from the protecting support frame immediately prior to the insertion process, thereby making possible a coupling with the socket on the tractor. 
     In both known systems, the connector lies essentially or just prior to the connecting of the supply lines on a level beneath the king pin or beneath the insertion opening of the fifth wheel, in order to ensure that the king pin can move in and out of the fifth wheel. It has been found to be a drawback with this that when the fifth wheel has an especially low design height or the tractor has a very high rear axle the low lying connector can collide with components of the tractor. 
     Consequently, the problem on which the invention is based was to provide a connector bracket on the trailer that lessens the risk of damage to the connector from components of the tractor. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The problem is solved with a connector bracket in which the connector is at least partly covered by the coupling means in the lengthwise axis of the vehicle and a guide ramp is formed in front of the connector and tilting toward the connector at least during the coupling process. By a covering of the connector by the coupling means is meant a space projected into the lengthwise axis of the vehicle with the contours of the coupling means, for example, a king pin, which touches the cross sectional surface of the connector entirely or partly. A contacting of the connector with a socket on the tractor is possible if the vehicles being connected have an essentially horizontal approach on a straight line by means of the guide ramp. During the coupling process, the guide ramp first makes contact with the socket on the tractor and lifts the socket to the level of the connector as the vehicles continue to approach. 
     Advantageously, the connector is tilted downward with respect to the lengthwise axis of the vehicle. With a downward tilted connector, the guide ramp should likewise be tilted downward, in order to assure a feeding of the socket on the tractor. The shorter the distance from the coupling means, the more steeply the guide ramp can be tilted. The maximum tilt of the guide ramp should be chosen such that a resultant force constantly acts in the direction of the connector as the socket approaches. 
     Advisedly, at the time of the coupling the guide ramp is tilted more steeply than the insertion axis of the connector. In this way, the connector bracket can have the shortest possible design depth. 
     It has proven to be beneficial to have the connector arranged with its underside above or at the level of the underside of the king pin. In this way, the connector during the coupling process is situated in the protection of the king pin and less exposed to risk of damage. 
     According to one preferred embodiment, the support frame engages with a slotted link mounted so that it can move relative to it in the lengthwise axis of the vehicle. The slotted link is guided inside the support frame like a drawer. When no fifth wheel is present, the slotted link is found in a spring-loaded position with minimum spacing from the coupling element. 
     Advantageously, the slotted link has two wall segments oriented complementary to the insertion opening of a fifth wheel. These slanted wall segments bear with their full surface against the side walls of the fifth wheel in the region of the coupling horns and push the slotted link backward relative to the support frame as the tractor comes closer to the trailer. Thus, the distance increases between the slotted link and the coupling means. 
     Advisedly, a first crank is configured in the slotted link, which interacts with the guide ramp. Instead of a crank, a lever can also be provided, which is arranged as a connection element between guide ramp and slotted link and is activated by the slotted link. 
     The crank is preferably configured so that the guide ramp has a maximum tilt just before arriving at the socket. As the tractor&#39;s socket already lying on the guide ramp is moved forward, the movement of the crank can cause a lifting of the socket. This produces the advantage that the socket slides especially easily into the connector. 
     Preferably, a second crank or an additional lever is configured in the slotted link, which interacts with a plug-in front plate. The additional lever could then be arranged as a connection element between the front plate and the slotted link. The front plate in particular prevents dirt and moisture from getting in, so that the connector experiences much less wear and corrosion. The connector is freed from the front plate thanks to the movement of the slotted link during the coupling process. 
     The invention is also implemented on a plug-in coupling system, in which in addition to the connector bracket of the invention there is arranged a vertically pivoting socket underneath the insertion opening of a fifth wheel. When the connector is in the state of making contact with the socket, it should be spaced at a distance from the coupling horns of the fifth wheel in the lengthwise axis of the vehicle. 
     This is conveniently accomplished by placing the socket at the end of a support arm. Advantageously, the support arm has a swivel bearing at the end opposite the socket, which is arranged, for example, stationary on the understructure of a fifth wheel. 
     The axis about which the socket pivots preferably lies underneath the coupling means. This yields the benefit that the connector or the support arm, if present, does not collide with the underside of the coupling means or king pin. 
     Preferably, the socket constantly projects beyond the rear end of the fifth wheel. Thanks to this, the structural parts of the connector bracket are spaced at a great distance from the coupling of the tractor, so that the risk of a collision with structural parts of the tractor is further decreased, especially the fifth wheel mounted thereon or parts of the vehicle frame. 
     The problem is also solved by a method for connecting a connector situated on a trailer to a socket situated on a tractor vehicle, wherein the socket is forced by the relative movement of the vehicles from a position of rest onto a guide ramp arranged in front of the connector, lifted onto the guide ramp, and in its final position brought into active engagement with the connector, arranged stationary in a support frame. 
     According to an especially favorable step of the method, the lateral movement of the vehicles during the coupling process is transformed into an upward movement of the socket by a sliding or rolling of the socket following the course of the guide ramp. 
     Preferably, thanks to the support frame which can travel into the fifth wheel with form fitting, a lateral movement of a slotted link engaging therewith is transformed into a swivel movement of the guide ramp. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding, the invention will now be explained more closely by means of a total of six figures. These show: 
         FIG. 1 : a side view of a connector bracket; 
         FIG. 2 : a side view of a fifth wheel with socket arranged thereon; 
         FIG. 3 : a perspective bottom view of a plug-in coupling system arranged on a fifth wheel and a king pin; 
         FIG. 4 : a side view of the plug-in coupling system on a tractor trailer with the semitrailer uncoupled; 
         FIG. 5 : a side view per  FIG. 4  during the coupling process, and 
         FIG. 6 : a side view per  FIG. 4  or  5  in the coupled state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows in a side view a connector bracket  1 , which is mounted by means of a bearing  2  on the underside of a semitrailer, not shown more precisely, and which can swivel about a coupling means  3  in the form of a king pin  8 . From the bearing  2 , a support frame  4  runs in the radial direction to the coupling means  3 . 
     The support frame  4  holds a connector  5  in a position stationary to it, which is brought into connection with a socket  18  located on a tractor vehicle when the semitrailer is coupled to it (see  FIG. 2 ). In the vertical direction, the level of the underside  9  of the connector  5  corresponds to the level of the underside  10  of the king pin  8 . Thanks to the stationary placement of the connector  5  on the support frame  4 , the relation of levels of coupling means  3  and connector  5  remains constant regardless of the coupling status of the vehicles. 
     The connector  5  and the socket  18  can be used to realize both an electrical and a pneumatic or hydraulic connection of a trailer. 
     Furthermore, a guide ramp  6  is arranged on the support frame  4  in the insertion axis  7  in front of the connector  5 , that is, between connector  5  and coupling means  8 . The guide ramp  6  is placed such that it can swivel relative to the support frame  5  about a horizontal axis by means of a hinge  23 . 
     The support frame  4 , furthermore, serves as an abutment for a slotted link  11 , which in the unloaded starting position without the presence of a fifth wheel  13  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) finds itself in a forward position with slight distance from the coupling means  3 , thanks to spring elements not further shown. When the wall segments  14   a ,  14   b , of which only the front wall segment  14   a  is visible in the drawing of  FIG. 1 , impinge on the side wall segments of the insertion opening  12  of the fifth wheel  13 , the slotted link  11  is pushed away from the coupling means  3  against the tension of the spring element (not shown) and slides backward through the support frame  4 . 
     The slotted link  11  has a first crank  15 , with a segment which at first moves horizontally away from the coupling means  3  and an adjoining V-shaped segment. The crank  15  engages with a control cam  15   a , which is joined stationary to the guide ramp  6 . During the coupling of the trailer, the slotted link  11  moves away in a lateral movement from the coupling means  3 , so that the guide ramp  6  plus control cam  15   a , fixed in the lateral direction via the support frame  4 , follows the course of the first crank  15 . 
     A second crank  16  is formed in the slotted link  11 , which interacts with a plug-in front plate  17  arranged in front of the connector  5 . 
       FIG. 2  shows, likewise in a side view, the socket  18  fastened to the fifth wheel  13 . The socket  18  is fashioned at the end of a support arm  21 . At the end of the support arm  21  opposite the socket  18 , the arm is fastened by means of a swivel bearing  22  to the fifth wheel  13 . The swivel bearing  22  has a horizontally extending swivel axis, which is oriented parallel to the swivel axis of the hinge  23 . 
     Without the presence of the socket  1  at the semitrailer, the support arm  21  is oriented basically parallel to the top side of the fifth wheel  13 , that is, horizontally backward. The length of the support arm  21  is such that the socket  18  projects beyond the rear end  20  of the fifth wheel  13  and thus is sufficiently far from structural parts of the tractor with which it might collide under certain conditions. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates in a perspective bottom view the spatial position of a fifth wheel  13  having come near the king pin  8  plus connector bracket  1 , with a socket  18  located on it. For the coupling, the tractor vehicle is moved with the fifth wheel  13  in the direction of the king pin  8  until the latter, guided by the coupling horns  8  in the insertion opening  12  reaches its end position in a central location and is connected by form fitting to the fifth wheel  13 . The installation position of the socket  18  is arranged so far beneath the insertion opening  12  that an overshooting by the king pin  8  is not possible. 
     In the representation of  FIG. 3 , the slanted position of the wall segments  14   a ,  14   b  is especially well seen, being fashioned complementary to the wedge-shaped insertion opening  12  of the fifth wheel  13 . 
       FIGS. 4 to 6  show various consecutive coupling conditions and the resulting functioning of the connector bracket  1  or of the plug-in coupling system comprising a connector bracket  1  and a socket  18 . 
     A connector bracket  1  at a distance from the fifth wheel  13  is shown in  FIG. 4 . In this condition, the slotted link  11  is in a position near the king pin  8 , relative to the support frame  4 ; the control cam  15   a  of the guide ramp  6  is at the distant end (relative to the king pin  8 ) of the first crank  15  within the V-shaped segment. Without contact between the wall segments  14   a ,  14   b  and the fifth wheel  13 , the guide ramp  6  is swiveled into a closed position and closes the support frame  4  with the connector  5  inside it from the bottom. 
       FIG. 5  shows vehicles which have come together in the lateral direction of movement X, the king pin  8  already having entered the insertion opening  12  of the fifth wheel  13  and therefore is no longer visible. The wall segments  14   a ,  14   b  (see  FIG. 3 ) impinge against the facing sides of the coupling horns  19  and have forced the slotted link  11  backward relative to the support frame  4 . In this way, the control cam  15   a  has moved within the first crank  15  to the lowermost point of the V-shaped segment and forces the guide ramp  6  into a position swiveled as much as possible downward. 
     The maximum downward swiveled position of the guide ramp  6  extends to below the level of the socket  18 , so that the socket  18  impinges on the guide ramp  6  during further approach in the lateral direction of movement X. Just before the socket  18  impinges on the guide ramp  6 , the king pin  8  has already moved across the swivel bearing  22 . This arrangement prevents a collision between the king pin  8  and the socket  18  moving upward on the guide ramp  8  or the support arm  21 . 
       FIG. 6  shows the king pin  8  fully inserted into the fifth wheel  13 . The socket  18  has moved on the guide ramp  6  in the direction of the connector  5  and has performed an upward movement Y by the time final contact is made. This upward movement Y is possible especially preferably by the swivel bearing  22  of the support arm  21 . Basically, an elastic bending support arm  21  could also be used instead of a swiveling support arm  21 . 
     The upward movement Y of the socket  18  is supported by the upwardly swinging guide ramp  6 . Thanks to the complete insertion of the king pin  8  into the fifth wheel  13  along the lateral direction of movement X, the support frame  4  is pulled forward relative to the slotted link  11 , which is held stationary in the insertion opening  12 , so that the control cam  15   a  moves into the ascending part of the V-shaped segment and from there into the horizontally extending segment of the first crank  15 . The resulting upward movement of the guide ramp  6  lifts up the socket  18  and supports a plugging of the socket into the connector  5 . 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 
     
         
           1  connector bracket 
           2  bearing 
           3  coupling means 
           5  support frame 
           6  connector 
           6  guide ramp 
           7  insertion axis 
           8  king pin 
           9  underside of connector 
           10  underside of king pin 
           11  slotted link 
           12  insertion opening 
           13  fifth wheel 
           14   a, b  wall segments 
           15  first crank 
           15   a  control cam 
           16  second crank 
           17  plug-in front plate 
           18  socket 
           19  coupling horns of fifth wheel 
           20  rear end of fifth wheel 
           21  support arm 
           22  swivel bearing 
           22  hinge 
         X lateral direction of movement 
         Y upward movement