DE29723197U1 - Motor vehicle trailer - Google Patents

Description

DIPL-ING. DIETMAR FROHOFF

Patent Attorney

Technology Center Bielefeld Meisenstrasse 96

Patent Attorney Dipl.-Inq. D. Frohoff. Meisenstr. 96, 33607 Bielefeld D-33607 Bielefeld

Telephone: 0521/2997364 Fax: 0521/2997365 To the
German Patent Office

80297 Munich

KOBUSCH Achim &Lgr;. '-· :/· :.'· * '" S

Diebrocker Strasse 431

D-32051 Herford

Motor vehicle trailer

The invention relates to a motor vehicle trailer according to the preamble of the main claim.

O
In the area of passenger cars and light trucks, it is known that trailers are manufactured and optimized for a specific purpose (DE-GM 94 20 438.1). In the truck sector with a total weight of over 7.51, trailers and semi-trailers optimized for the respective purposes are also preferred.

The disadvantage of this previously known state of the art technology is that each of the different utility bodies requires its own chassis. This is very uneconomical, as a different trailer is required for each purpose. A simple combination of a conventional chassis with various interchangeable bodies, on the other hand, leads to a trailer with a very high total weight and, as a rule, an unnecessarily high load capacity, as the corresponding chassis must be designed for the highest possible payload.

The object of the invention is to provide a motor vehicle trailer that can be used economically for a wide variety of payloads and is simultaneously designed to be optimized for different utility structures.

KOBUSCH s...: *-i :. : · ··:: :

The solution to this problem is achieved in conjunction with the generic features according to the invention by the technical teaching specified in the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

A particular advantage of the inventive motor vehicle trailer is that it is made up of a lower chassis part and an upper chassis part, with the trailer coupling and a single or tandem axle with the wheels being arranged on the lower chassis part, and that the upper chassis part is designed as an interchangeable frame that can be fitted with a wide variety of useful structures, with the lower chassis part and the upper chassis part having corresponding locking devices and together complementing each other to form a motor vehicle trailer that meets the approval requirements. A particular advantage is that each part of the chassis can be optimized as required.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, the chassis is designed only in the locked state of the upper chassis part and the lower chassis part so that it has the strength required for operation with a utility body. Both chassis parts can therefore also be optimized in terms of weight, so that, for example, a light upper chassis part required for a light caravan body is used for an unchanged lower chassis part, whereas the upper chassis part is reinforced for the arrangement of a tipper body.

KOBUSCH

The lower part of the chassis is preferably designed in such a way that when operated without an upper part of the chassis, it only has the strength actually required for this purpose. In order to be able to drive on public roads even without a payload, all of the devices required for registration, such as lighting, license plates, etc., are arranged on the lower part of the chassis.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the motor vehicle trailer is designed as a semi-trailer for fifth wheel couplings on passenger cars or light trucks, so that it can be used as a single-axle vehicle or with a tandem axle with an axle distance of less than 1 m with the current driving license class "3" or, in the context of preserving vested rights, with the "EU driving license" of class "C1E" for vehicles with a maximum permissible total weight of 12,000 kg or the new driving license class "B" for motor vehicles up to 3,500 kg and "E" for trailers with a permissible total weight of more than 750 kg as well as the "CE" driving licenses for articulated vehicles.

A semi-trailer designed according to the invention is particularly advantageous, in which a compressed air generation system and a dual-circuit compressed air brake system are arranged on the chassis base, so that the motor vehicle trailer can also be towed by normal passenger cars or small vans that do not have their own compressed air brake system, but rather a conventional hydraulic brake system. The need for a compressed air brake system on the towing vehicle, or if permitted later, on the trailer, is justified by the current legal requirements within the European Community, which only allow two-

circular compressed air brake systems. However, since the required compressed air system is located in the lower part of the chassis in one version of the inventive semi-trailer, any towing vehicle with or without a compressed air brake system can be used and a wide variety of utility structures can be arranged on the upper parts of the chassis. Once approved, it is also conceivable to use an electronically controlled electric, hydraulic or pneumatic brake system in the semi-trailer.

The chassis lower sections can be made of profile steel frames with cross members or of aluminum double-chamber profile frames with cross members or can also have a central tube frame. All known connection mechanisms can be used as locking devices between the chassis upper section and the chassis lower section.

The interchangeable frame of the chassis upper part advantageously has devices for supporting and freely setting down the chassis upper part with the payload attached to it, which are designed so stably that the chassis upper part can be set down with a payload on the payload. This support device can also be activated like a support device arranged on the chassis lower part via mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical actuating means.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle trailer, the axles are air-sprung and have a lifting and lowering device for the chassis base.

•■

KÖBSCH · * ·

Further advantageous embodiments of the subject matter of the invention emerge from and in combination with the further subclaims.

An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 a light truck with semi-trailer and two different superstructures,
Fig. 2 a semitrailer with flatbed body,

Fig. 3 a semitrailer with caravan body,

Fig. 4 a chassis lower part in side view,

Fig. 5 a chassis lower part according to Figure 4 in a plan view

and
Fig. 6 a motor vehicle trailer according to Figure 2 in section

View from behind.
20

The motor vehicle trailer designed as a semi-trailer consists of a lower chassis section 1 and an upper chassis section 2 with a working structure 3, 4.
25

The chassis lower part 1 has a fifth wheel coupling 5 with kingpin, a tandem axle 6 and a lighting system 7. The chassis lower part 1 and chassis upper part 2 have corresponding locking devices for positive connection.

KOBUSCH

connection of both chassis parts. The devices required for registration purposes for the lighting, the braking system and the license plate are also located on the chassis lower part 2.

The towing vehicle 8 is equipped with its standard hydraulic braking system and additionally with a compressed air generation system. The axles can be equipped with a torsion bar suspension, a leaf spring, a rubber suspension or with an air suspension, whereby the latter can have a lifting and lowering device. A dual-circuit compressed air braking system with a compressed air tank or an electronic brake can be installed on the lower part of the chassis as a brake, the electronic brake in particular after its approval in Germany.

Possible utility bodies 3, 4 are a living area 4, a flatbed body with or without bows and tarpaulin, a tipper body, a box body, a car or motorcycle transporter, a boat trailer, a construction site container, office, living and tool containers, sales bodies for food stalls, sausage or beer stands and pet transporters. In addition, body combinations such as horse transporters with living compartments, car or motorcycle transporters with living compartments, sales rooms with living compartments or a living area with storage space for sports and leisure equipment can be arranged on the chassis upper section designed as an interchangeable frame.

The inventive motor vehicle trailer designed as a semi-trailer enables economical use for a wide variety of structures due to the division into a chassis lower part 1 and the chassis upper part 2 designed as an interchangeable frame, be it

KOBUSCH

it is in the commercial or private sector, since when using a passenger car or light truck with fifth wheel coupling as a towing vehicle, not a different semi-trailer with its own compressed air generation system is required for each payload, but only the much more cost-effective interchangeable frame of the vehicle upper section 2 with the corresponding work structure 3, 4, which is then optimized with regard to the actual expected load.

Another advantage of the design of the motor vehicle trailer as a semi-trailer is that, by making full use of the legal framework, significantly higher payloads and much larger loading areas or loading spaces can be achieved, which are otherwise only known for much larger and heavier vehicles and which are therefore rarely used for private and leisure use. The payload of the semi-trailer with interchangeable frame can be kept in the range of up to 3.51 payload for commercial use in order to remain within the legal framework of the "Regulation on the exemption of certain transport cases from the provisions of road haulage" GÜKG § 1, 28.

Claims (13)

'jj j *' KOBUSCH &Iacgr; . 'j. j j. : · ··:: &Iacgr; . j. j j. Protection claims 1. Motor vehicle trailer with a chassis with a utility structure and a trailer coupling, characterized in that the chassis consists of a lower chassis part (1) and an upper chassis part (2), that the trailer coupling and a single or tandem axle (6) with running wheels are arranged on the lower chassis part (1), and the upper chassis part (2) is designed as an interchangeable frame which is provided with a utility structure (3, 4) and that the lower chassis part (1) and the upper chassis part (2) have corresponding locking devices for mutual detachable connection. 2. Motor vehicle trailer according to claim 1 , characterized in that the chassis has the strength required for operation with a utility structure (3, 4) only when the upper chassis part (2) and the lower chassis part (1) are locked. 3. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower chassis part (1) has only the strength required for operation without the upper chassis part (2) and the useful structures (3, 4). 4. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chassis lower part (1) has all the devices required for driving in terms of registration, such as lighting, license plate and braking system, arranged therein. 5. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed as a semi-trailer for passenger cars or light trucks. 6. Motor vehicle trailer according to claim 5, characterized in that a dual-circuit compressed air brake system or an electronically controlled brake system is arranged on the chassis lower part (1). 7. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chassis lower part (1) is constructed from a profile steel frame, an aluminum double-chamber profile frame, a central tube frame or a tubular space frame. 8. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a flatbed, box or living area is arranged as a utility structure on the chassis upper part (2) designed as an interchangeable frame KÖBÜCH ·.:·::. 9. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that devices for supporting and freely setting down the chassis upper part (2) with the useful structure are arranged on the interchangeable frame of the chassis upper part (2). 10. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that devices for supporting are provided in the front region of the chassis lower part (1). 11. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the supporting devices have mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical actuating means. 12. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axles are air-sprung and have a lifting and lowering device for the chassis lower part (1). 13. Motor vehicle trailer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a compressed air generation system is arranged on the chassis lower part (1).