Method and Arrangement for Mounting a Cabin to a Chassis of a Vehicle

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for mounting a cabin to a chassis of a vehicle, particularly for mounting a pivotable cabin to a truck chassis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the art that certain heavy commercial vehicles are equipped with pivotable cabins. During assembly of the cabin to the chassis, the tilt cylinders have to be screwed to the chassis while the chassis is moving along the assembly line and while the cabin is lowered to the chassis simultaneously. Manoeuvring of the heavy and bulky cabin is not economically as the mounting space at the chassis is restricted and the mounting procedure is time costly. Further, the operator needs to fixate the cabin, both in front as well as in the back anchorages before fixating the tilt cylinders in order to avoid working under hanging cargo.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a time efficient and ergonomic method for mounting a cabin to a chassis of a vehicle.

Another object is to provide an arrangement for mounting a cabin to a chassis of a vehicle. Still another object is to provide corresponding connection members for easily and efficiently mounting a cabin to a chassis of a vehicle. The objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. The other claims, the drawing and the description disclose advantageous embodiments of the invention. According to a first aspect of the invention a method is proposed for mounting a pivotable cabin to a chassis of a vehicle, comprising the steps

lowering the cabin towards the chassis;

connecting a front side of the cabin to the chassis at a pivot joint;

pivoting at least one tilt cylinder predominantly parallel to a longitudinal direction of the chassis towards a second connection member arranged at the chassis, which at least one tilt cylinder is pivotably preassembled to an underside of the cabin or to the chassis at a first joint and the at least one tilt cylinder having a first connection member at a distance to the first joint;

moving at least one of the first connection member and the second connection member towards each other in a predominantly longitudinal direction of the tilt cylinder until the first and second connection members connect to each other.

Expediently, the longitudinal extension of the tilt cylinder can be used to define a direction for connecting the connection members to each other. The first connection member can be connected and locked to its counterpart or vice versa, particularly by inserting one of the connection members into the other.

Advantageously, the first connection member may be moved towards the second connection member and/or the second connection member may be moved towards the first connection member. Favourably, the connection direction of the two members is substantially along the longitudinal extension of the tilt cylinder thus making the alignment easy. By moving the first connection member towards the second connection member predominantly along the longitudinal direction of the tilt cylinder until the connection members become locked, a relatively large tolerance can be allowed when one or both connection members are approaching each other. For instance, the connection members can be moved towards each other by pivoting the tilt cylinder and lowering the cabin further towards the chassis. Advantageously, the weight of the cabin can be used as driving force for the connection. This allows for using a very robust fixation. As soon as the front part of the cabin is attached to the chassis, the rear part of the cabin will be lowered to the chassis while the chassis is continuously moving along the assembly line. During this movement the tilt cylinder can be easily guided towards the second connection member at the chassis because the tilt cylinder is mounted to the cabin pivotably. However, it is also possible to have the second connection member arranged pivotably at the chassis so that it is possible to tilt the second appropriately so that it can receive at least partly the first connection member. The connection direction between the connection members is preferably in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the tilt cylinder. When the connection members connect, they can easily become locked. The connected and particularly the locked connection members are in a well defined position so that the tilt cylinder has a defined position in relation to the chassis. As a result the first connection member can help to align the tilt cylinder for connecting the second joint of the tilt cylinder to the chassis. Bores arranged both on the tilt cylinder and on the chassis for allowing mounting of a bolt for fixing the tilt cylinder to the chassis become automatically aligned when the connection members connect which eases the mounting procedure. An advantageous further step may be connecting the first and second connection members by a self locking arrangement. Expediently, when the connection members come into contact they can be automatically locked without much effort. A self locking arrangement can be any expedient arrangement, for instance a snap-in arrangement, a bayonet-style connection or the like.

An advantageous further step may be fixing a joint member arranged at a free end of the tilt cylinder to a bracket arranged at the chassis for establishing a joint of the tilt cylinder to the chassis, particularly a pivot joint. When the first and second connection members are connected, the tilt cylinder has automatically a well defined position in respect to the chassis so that bores arranged at the tilt cylinder and at the chassis for mounting a pivot pin or a bolt are automatically aligned when the connection members become connected and/or locked, thus making it easy to attach the tilt cylinder to the chassis at the joint. Particularly, the first connection member can already be preassembled with a bolt or the like in a way that the pivot joint members at the chassis and free end of tilt cylinder can be connected after they are automatically aligned via the connection of the first and second connection members. Other than the joint between the chassis and the tilt cylinder the first and second connection members practically experience no substantial load.

According to a second aspect of the invention, an arrangement for mounting a pivotable cabin to a chassis of a vehicle is proposed, wherein at least one tilt cylinder is preassembled to an underside of the cabin in a pivotable manner at a first joint, the at least one tilt cylinder having a second joint at its free end at a distance to the first joint, wherein the at least one tilt cylinder further comprises a first connection member which is connectable to a second connection member arranged at the chassis in a predominantly longitudinal direction of the tilt cylinder. A fast connection can be made between the two connection members allowing for a reasonable amount of geometrical tolerances during the connection process.

According to a favourable embodiment, at least one of the first and the second connection members may comprise a self-guiding portion for guiding the corresponding connection member towards a connection position. The self-guiding portion can catch the counterpart connection member and guide it towards the connection position even if a misalignment of the connection members is present.

According to a favourable embodiment, the first and the second connection members may have a self-locking mechanism for establishing a connection between the first and second connection members. As soon as the connection members have made contact, the connection between the first and second connection members can be established.

According to a favourable embodiment, the first and second connection members may establish a snap-in connection. A snap connection is an easy and reliable connection between two counterparts. According to a favourable embodiment, the first connection member may provide a receptacle for receiving a pivot pin of the second pivot joint of the tilt cylinder. This allows for a preassembly of members of the second pivot joint of the tilt cylinder thus accelerating the mounting of the cabin to the chassis.

According to another aspect of the invention, a connection member is proposed for an arrangement for mounting a pivotable cabin to a chassis of a vehicle, having a member body providing a connection part at one end of the member body and a receptacle for connection to a tilt cylinder at an opposite end of the member body.

Particularly, when different cabin types of a vehicle requires different tilt cylinders e.g. of different lengths, the connection members can be the same for the different cabin types. However, it is possible to adapt the design and geometry easily. According to a favourable embodiment, the connection part of the connection member may provide a detent. This allows for a self locking snap connection between the connection member and its counterpart during a mounting procedure.

According to a favourable embodiment, the receptacle may have a U-shaped form providing corresponding openings for receiving a bolt for attaching the receptacle to a tilt cylinder and/or to a bracket. Generally, the design and geometry of the connection member can be easily adapted to the actual vehicle type and geometry. Further, a connection member for mounting a pivotable cabin to a chassis of a vehicle is proposed, providing a connection part being arranged to cooperate with a connection part of a connection member in a self-guiding manner for

establishing a connection between the two connection members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention together with the above-mentioned and other objects and advantages may best be understood from the following detailed description of the embodiment, but not restricted to the embodiment, wherein is shown

schematically:

Fig. 1 a, 1 b an example embodiment of a mounting method according to the invention with a cab in a mounted mode in a side view (Fig. 1 a) and during mounting in a perspective view (Fig. 1 b);

Fig. 2a, 2b details of a tilt cylinder attached to the cabin shown in Figures 1 a and in a position with locked connecting members ; and

Fig. 3a, 3b an example embodiment of a first and a second connection member according to the invention with the connection members disconnected (Fig. 3a) as a perspective view and the connection members connected (Fig. 3b) as a longitudinal side cut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, equal or similar elements are referred to by equal reference numerals. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Moreover, the drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.

Figures 1 a and 1 b depicts schematically an example embodiment of a mounting method and mounting arrangement according to the invention where Figure 1 a shows in a semitransparent representation the cabin 0 lowered and mounted to the chassis 30 of a vehicle 100 such as a truck and Figure 1 b a step during mounting of the cabin 10 to the chassis. Figures 2a and 2b show details of a tilt cylinder 20 attached to the cabin 10 shown in Figures 1 a and 1 b in a position with locked connecting members 60, 70.

The pivotable cabin 10 can be tilt via tilt cylinders 20 arranged at both sides (only one can be seen in the Figures) of the cabin 10 about a pivot joint 18 at a lower front side 1 of the cabin 10 so that a rear side 16 of the cabin 10 can be moved up and down.

The tilt cylinder 20 shown in the drawing is attached at first joint 22 to an underside 12 of the cabin 10 and to a bracket 32 of the chassis 30 such as a multi-bracket via a second joint 24. The joint 24, i.e. the connection of the tilt cylinder 20 to the bracket 30 when the cabin 10 is lowered to the chassis 30 is accessible through an opening 42 of a stepladder 40 as can be seen in Figures 1 a and 1 b. As a result, when the cabin 10 is mounted to the chassis 30, there is only a very restricted space to establish the connection between tilt cylinder 20 and chassis 30.

The mounting of the cabin 0 is indicated in Fig. 1 a in more detail. The cabin 10, being a heavy and large component, is lowered from the top to the chassis 30 while the chassis 30 is moving at low speed on a mounting main line (not shown). Because of its own weight, the front side 14 of the cabin 10 is closer to the chassis 30 than the rear side 16.

The chassis 30 is moving continuously on the mounting main line. The cabin 10 is lowered towards the chassis 30 until the lower front side 14 of the cabin 10 comes in contact to the chassis 30 at its mounting position and is connected to the chassis 30 establishing the pivot joint 8. Normally, one assembly operator is working on either side of the mounting main line. The tilt cylinder 20 is preassembled at the first joint 22 which is a pivot joint at the underside 12 of the cabin 10 pointing downward with its free end and is provided with a first connection member 60 at its free end. While the chassis 30 continues to move under the cabin 10 with the front side 14 of the cabin 10 attached to the chassis 30, the rear side 16 slowly moves downward to a carrier 34 which detachably holds the rear side of the cabin 10.

It is only during this movement that the tilt cylinder 20 can be connected to the chassis 30. For connecting the tilt cylinder 20 to the bracket 30, the tilt cylinder 20 is swung by the operator predominantly parallel to a longitudinal direction 38 of the chassis 30 towards a second connection member 70 arranged at the chassis 30 so that the first connection member 60 arranged at the tilt cylinder 20 is aligned and points towards the second connection member 70 arranged at the bracket 30. The movement of the tilt cylinder 20 predominantly parallel to the longitudinal direction 38 is indicated by an angle a in Fig. 2a.

While the cabin 10 is lowered further, the first connection member 60 moves towards the second connection member 70 in a predominantly longitudinal direction of the tilt cylinder 20 while the angle a is adjusted until the first and second connection members 60, 70 become locked. The first and second connection members 60, 70 are embodied in a self locking arrangement, by way of example in a snap-in arrangement. A bolt 36 is preassemblied to a bore at the free end of the tilt cylinder 20. The bolt 36 can be attached to the bracket 32 and establish a connection which can carry the weight of the cabin 10 when the cabin 10 is tilted. For instance, the bolt 36 can be screwed into a corresponding bore of the bracket 32. The first connection member 60 is arranged at the free end of the tilt cylinder 20. According to a favourable embodiment shown in Figures 2a and 2b the

preassembled bolt 36 can also be used to attach the first connection member 60 to the tilt cylinder 20. After the connection members 60, 70 have become locked, the tilt cylinder 20 is automatically aligned so that the bolt 36 can be attached to its corresponding bore in the bracket 32. This can happen fast so that the mounting of the cabin 0 is facilitated despite the unavailable mounting space constrictions.

Figures 3a and 3b depict the connection members 60, 70 of Figures 2a and 2b in more detail in a detached position (Fig. 3a) and a mounted position (Fig. 3b) in a cut open view.

The first connection member 60 has a flat tongue-like lower portion 64 of its body and a U-shaped upper portion 68 providing a receptacle 62 for the tilt cylinder's free end adjacent the first portion 64. Two corresponding bores 68a are arranged for feeding through a bolt or the like through the upper portion 68. The centre lines of the bores 68a are arranged crosswise to the longitudinal main extension of the first portion 64. The lower portion 64 provides a detent 66 pointing outwardly of its main front surface which cooperates with a recess 74 formed as an opening in a sheath of its counterpart connection member 70. Fig. 3b depicts how the detent 66 locks the first connection member 60 in the second connection member 70. The second connection member 70 has an opening 76 for receiving the lower portion 64 and the detent 66 of the first connection member 60.

Expediently, the second connection member 70 has a self-guiding portion 72 for guiding the corresponding connection member 60 towards a connection position 80. When the first connection member 60 and the second connection member 70 approach each other, the detent 66 and the recess 74 establish a self-locking connection between the first and second connection members 60, 70. The detent 66 and the recess 74 form connection parts of the first and second connection members 60, 70. It is to be understood that the corresponding connection members 60, 70 can be of different shape and type. For instance, the connection members can provide a circular cross section instead of the rectangular cross section shown in the drawing so that the detent and the recess for a snap-in connection are arranged circular, or the connection members may establish a bayonet-like connection and the like.

For instance, the male of the connection members may comprise a recess and the female of the connection members may comprise a projecting element, particularly a spring loaded projecting element provided for engaging the recess when the connection members are connected to each other. The projecting element is pushed back when the male connection member passes the projecting element in the corresponding connection member while the projecting element slides on the surface of the male connection member. When the projecting member slides over the recess, it becomes locked in the recess. In another example embodiment, the male connection member may have a circumferential notch which interacts with a latch or latches at the inner circumference of the female connection member. The latch or latches are flexible in one direction so that the male connection member can be introduced in its corresponding connection member and lock into the notch.

The assembly time for mounting the cabin 10 to the chassis 30 can be reduced strongly. The handling for the operators during mounting becomes more comfortably and economically.