GB2384471A

GB2384471A - Storage reel for line or cable between cab unit and trailer of articulated vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2384471A
Application number: GB0201539A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Dennis O'sullivan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-01-23
Filing date: 2002-01-23
Publication date: 2003-07-30
Also published as: GB0201539D0

Abstract

An articulated road vehicle comprises a cab unit and a trailer pivotally connected to and drawn by the cab unit and a plurality of cables or lines 16 extending between the cab and trailer for feeding compressed air from the cab 10 to the trailer to drive air brakes and other ancillary equipment. Each line or cable 16 extends from a reel 17 mounted to the cab, and a spring within the reel 17 applies a bias to the line or cable 16, thereby keeping the line or cable 16 taught and alleviating any risk of it rubbing on another structure.

Description

ARTICULATED VEHICLE This invention relates to an articulated vehicle and more particularly to arrangements concerning the compressed air and other lines or cables extending between articulated parts of the vehicle.

Articulated vehicles are known which comprise a motorised tractor or cab portion and a trailer portion pivotaly mounted thereto. The tractor or cab portion comprises an air compressor, generally driven by the main engine, which feeds compressed air to the trailer for driving air brakes and other ancillary equipment.

It will be appreciated that the trailer often pivots with respect to the tractor or cab portion, for example whilst cornering and, in order to allow for this, the compressed air lines connecting the two portions need to be flexible.

Hitherto, this has been achieved by providing elongate helically coiled lines extending from the rear of the tractor or cab portion to the front of the trailer portion. In use, these lines can flex and extend as the trailer pivots to allow for any relative movement or changes in distance that are required as the trailer pivots. The lines remain taught by virtue of the fact that they tend to recover to their original shape.

A disadvantage of this is that adjacent lines become entangled with each other over time and thus it can be difficult and time-consuming to re-arrange these, for example when the two portions of the vehicle are disconnected from each other.

Another disadvantage is that the helically coiled lines lose their resilience over time and sag, with the risk that they can rub on the vehicle and become ruptured.

These problems are equally applicable to cables as well as lines extending between the respective portions of all kinds of articulated vehicles, including cars and towed caravans, and commercial vehicles including those with two trailers.

I have now devised an articulated vehicle which alleviates the above-mentioned problems.

In accordance with this invention there is provided an articulated vehicle comprising a first wheeled portion and a second wheeled portion pivotally connected to and drawn by the first portion, and at least one cable or line extending between the two portions, the line or cable extending from a reel mounted to one of the portions, means being provided to apply a rotational bias to the reel in a direction which retracts the line or cable extending therefrom.

In use, the reel continuously applies a bias to the line or cable extending between the two positions, thereby keeping it taught and alleviating any risk of the line or cable rubbing on another structure.

As the two portions pivot, the lines or cables bend and any changes in the distance between the two portions of the vehicle are accommodated by the reel either re-winding or paying out the line or cable as appropriate.

In this manner the need to use helically coiled lines or cables is avoided and any risk of entanglement is avoided.

Preferably the reel is mounted on the first portion of the vehicle, the outer end of the cable or line extending from the reel comprising a connector for connecting to a complimentary connector on the second portion of the vehicle.

Preferably a plurality of cables or lines extend sideby-side from respective reels.

Preferably the line or cable extends from the reel through a guide mounted to the reel, the guide including a plurality of rollers bounding a passageway, through which the line or cable extends, the rollers being arranged to rotate about orthogonal axes extending perpendicular to the through axis of the passageway. The rollers thus serve to guide the cable or line directly onto the reel even if the cable or line is not extending in the plane of the reel.

Preferably the reel is pivoted to said portion of the vehicle about a vertical axis, so that the reel is always directed in the direction, in which line or cable extending.

When disconnecting the two portions of the vehicle from each other, care has to be taken to disconnect the line or

cable. However, it is commonplace to forget to do this and accordingly, lines and cables are often broken when the two portions of the vehicle are separated.

In order to overcome this problem, a sensor is preferably provided on or adjacent the reel to sense when the line or cable reaches a predetermined limit of extent, the sensor being connected to an alarm in the first vehicle portion to provide a warning that further extension of the line or cable may cause it to break.

In an alternative embodiment the sensor may be connected to means for inhibiting movement of the first portion of the vehicle.

Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of examples only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a side view of an articulated vehicle in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a reel assembly of the vehicle of FIGURE 1 ; FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the vehicle of Figure 1, when travelling straight ahead ; FIGURE 4 is a side view of the vehicle of Figure 1, when turning a left hand corner and FIGURE 5 is a front view of a portion of a reel assembly of an alternative embodiment of articulated vehicle in accordance with this invention.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings there is shown an articulated commercial vehicle comprising a cab unit 10, pivotally connected at its rear to a trailer 11, the pivotal coupling allowing the trailer 11 to pivot about a vertical axis reactive to the cab unit 10.

The cab unit 10 comprises a chassis 13 and an upstanding cab 14 at the front of the chassis 13. An internal combustion engine (not shown) is mounted under the cab 14 for driving the wheels of the cab unit 10. The internal combustion engine also drives an air compressor which supplies compressed air to the braking system and other components of

the trailer 11 via respective service lines 15.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, each service line 15 comprises an elongate flexible plastics tube 16 extending from a reel 17. The reel 17 comprises a housing which is pivotally mounted to a bracket 18 for rotation about a vertical axis.

The reel 17 comprises a spool (not shown) mounted inside its housing for rotation about a horizontal axis. The tube 16 extends into the reel 17 through an opening 19 formed in the housing. The inner end of the tube 16 is connected to the hollow interior of the spool. A supply pipe 20 extends through the housing from one end of the spool via a rotational coupling (not shown).

A spring (not shown) biasses the spool in the counter clockwise direction as shown, in order to wind the tube 16 inside the housing.

In use, the bracket 18 is mounted to a frame provided on the rear wall of the cab 14 and the supply tube 20 is connected to the air compressor on the cab unit 10 via a coupling (not shown).

The free end of the tube 16 is then pulled out of the reel 17 against the spring bias and a coupling 21 on its end connected to a complimentary coupling on the front wall of the trailer 11.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, a plurality of such supply line assembles 15 are provided side-by-side on the rear of the cab 14. The reels 17 serve to keep the tubes 16 taught as they extend between the cab unit 10 and the trailer

11.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, when cornering, the angle at which the tubes 16 extend relative to both the cab unit 10 and trailer 11 vary as the trailer pivots. As this happens, the reels 17 pivot relative to their brackets 18 about respective vertical axes, thereby keeping the reels in a position facing the tubes 16.

Also, as the trailer 11 pivots, the distance between the rear of the cab 14 and the front of trailer 11 varies.

However, the reels 17 automatically adjust the length of the tubes 16 by either unwinding or rewinding the tube as appropriate.

Referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, the opening 19 in the housing of the reel 17 may comprise two pairs of parallel rollers 22 mounted orthogonally to each other for rotation about respective axes extending perpendicular to the through axis of the opening 19.

The tube 16 extends between the rollers 22, which prevent the tube 16 from rubbing on the housing in the event that its direction of extension changes from one in which it extends perpendicular to the rotational axis of the spool.

These rollers 22 are preferably provided in an embodiment where the reel 17 is fixed directly to the cab 14 and the bracket 18 allowing pivotal movement of the reel 17 about a vertical axis is omitted.

It will be appreciated that the service line assembly 15 is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, yet provides a reliable way of ensuring that the tubes do not become entangled or damaged.

The assembly 15 can either be fitted in place of existing coiled lines or to new vehicles.

Claims

Claims 1. An articulated vehicle comprising a first wheeled portion and a second wheeled portion pivotally connected to and drawn by the first portion, and at least one cable or line extending between the two portions, the line or cable extending from a reel mounted to one of the portions, means being provided to apply a rotational bias to the reel in a direction which retracts the line or cable extending therefrom.
2. An articulated vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the reel is mounted on the first portion of the vehicle, the outer end of the cable or line extending from the reel comprising a connector for connecting to a complimentary connector on the second portion of the vehicle.
3. An articulated vehicle as claimed in claims 1 or 2, in which a plurality of cables or lines extend side-by-side from respective reels.
4. An articulated vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the line or cable extends from the reel through a guide mounted to the reel, the guide including a plurality of rollers bounding a passageway, through which the line or cable extends, the rollers being arranged to rotate about orthogonal axes extending perpendicular to the through axis of the passageway.
5. An articulated vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the reel is pivoted to said portion of the vehicle about a vertical axis.
6. An articulated vehicle as claimed in any preceding

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claim, in which a sensor is preferably provided on or adjacent the reel to sense when the line or cable reaches a predetermined limit of extent.
7. An articulated vehicle as claimed in claim 6, in which the sensor is connected to an alarm in the first vehicle portion to provide a warning that further extension of the line or cable may cause it to break.
8. An articulated vehicle as claimed in claim 6, in which the sensor is connected to means for inhibiting movement of the first portion of the vehicle.
9. An articulated vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.