FITTING ARANGEMENT FOR FITTING A DRIVE PACKAGE FOR A VEHICLE Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a fitting arrangement according to the preamble of the independent claim.

In more detail, the invention relates to a fitting arrangement intended to be used when fitting a drive package for a vehicle, preferably a freight vehicle. Background to the invention

Drive package in this context means a unit consisting of the engine and the gearbox and intended for mounting on the chassis frame of the vehicle. Fitting it is preceded by the fastening of one or more supporting elements, e.g. in the form of a carrier beam, on the upper side at one end of the drive package, preferably the end where the gearbox is situated. The other portion of the drive package, the end with the engine, is then provided with supports on the lower side. Fitting the drive package is then effected by its being docked in place, which involves its being moved into position so that the supporting elements and the supports rest on vibration-insulating parts, "insulators", on the chassis frame.

With the technique at present used, the fitting operation often takes a long time, since the drive package cannot be fully lowered, and the lifting yoke which holds the drive package during the fitting operation be taken off, before the screws which have thereafter to secure the supporting elements to the insulators are inserted, because the insulators give way somewhat under the weight of the drive package when it is being lowered. Another difficulty is that there is no guidance to align the drive package so that holes for the screws on the insulator match with those in the supporting element, i.e. the holes in the supporting element for the screws have to exactly correspond to the holes in the insulators for it to be possible for the screws to be screwed in.

The object of the present invention is to propose an arrangement which facilitates docking of a drive package to a chassis when fitting the drive package. Summary of the invention

The above objects are achieved with the invention defined by the independent claim. Preferred embodiments are defined by the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the drive package with at least one supporting element, preferably in the form of the end portions of a carrier beam (the gearbox beam), is pushed into position between a washer, preferably with a bent-up front edge, and the insulator. This is facilitated by the supporting element being provided with one or more slitlike recesses at the rear edge instead of holes.

The washers which guide the supporting element to correct height and at the same time prevent the insulators from giving way are kept at correct height by spacing elements, preferably in the form of thin tubes or sleeves which thereafter easily become deformed (with consequently no loss of clamping force) during tightening of the screws at full torque. The object of the washers is thus not only to guide the supporting element in at correct height but also to prevent the insulators from giving way.

Applying the present invention makes it possible for the docking of the drive package to be effected more flexibly, more safely and more quickly, saving costs in that more drive packages can be fitted and the lifting devices which lift the drive package into position can be utilised more efficiently.

Brief description of drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a washer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a washer according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective depiction of a spacing element according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figures 6a-6b are schematic sideviews of a fitting arrangement according to the invention during a docking movement.

Figure 7 is a schematic sideview of a drive package fitted with at least one supporting element according to the present invention.

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective sideview of a carrier beam fitted to a frame on a vehicle, with the end portions of the beam serving as the supporting elements according to an embodiment of the present invention/

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference notations have been used throughout the drawings for items which have the same or similar functions.

The invention thus relates to a fitting arrangement for use when fitting a drive package 1 for a vehicle. Figure 7 depicts schematically a drive package 1 adapted to bearing upon the frame via supporting elements 2, 3.

With reference to Figure 2, the fitting arrangement comprises a supporting element 2 adapted to being mounted on the drive package 1 and thereafter to being docked to the vehicle's frame 4. The supporting element is mounted on the drive package via, for example, angled fastening devices (not depicted in the drawings). The supporting element comprises an end element 6, with a height d, intended to cooperate with the vehicle's frame 4 in order thereby to support the drive package, and this end element is intended to abut upon a cooperating bearing element 8 which is itself dampingly suspended relative to the frame 4. The fitting arrangement further comprises at least one screw 10, see Figures 6a-6c and 8, adapted, by cooperation with said end element 6, to fixing the supporting element 2 to the vehicle's frame via said bearing element 8, and at least one washer 12 (see Figures 3, 4, 6a-6c and 8) intended to cooperate with the screw 10 in order to fix the supporting element to the frame via the washer.

The fitting arrangement comprises also at least one spacing element 14 (see Figures 5 and 6a-6c) which has the height h, where h>d, and which in cooperation with the screw 10 is adapted to keeping the washer 12 in a horizontal position above the bearing element 8 to make it possible to fit the supporting element. The fitting arrangement is then in a docking state (see Figure 6a). The end element 6 is provided with at least one recess 16 intended to cooperate with the screw 10 in such a way that the supporting element can be moved into position by a substantially horizontal docking movement whereby the recess 16 accommodates the screw and said docking movement is completed when the screw is in a fitted state 18 in the recess. Figures 6a-6c illustrate the docking movement.

In one embodiment the fitting arrangement is provided with two supporting elements 2 which may be separate units adapted to being mounted on the drive unit before the docking movement takes place.

In a further embodiment of the fitting arrangement the two supporting elements 2 take the form of end portions of a carrier beam 5. This is illustrated by Figure 1 which is a schematic perspective view of a carrier beam.

The embodiment in which the supporting elements 2 take the form of the end portions of a carrier beam will now be described in detail. It should be noted that relevant parts of the description set out below are also applicable to the embodiment of the fitting arrangement described above. This applies particularly to the configuration of the washer and the spacing element.

In this embodiment, the invention relates to a fitting arrangement for use when fitting a drive package 1 (see Figure 7) for a vehicle, which fitting arrangement comprises a carrier beam 5 with end portions comprising two supporting elements 2 (see particularly Figure 1) adapted to being mounted on the drive package and thereafter to being docked to the vehicle's frame 4 (see Figure 8). The carrier beam 5 is of elongate shape and comprises two end elements 6, with a height d, intended to cooperate with the vehicle's frame in order to support the drive package, and during the fitting operation the longitudinal direction of the carrier beam is substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Figure 8 shows the carrier beam 5 fitted to the frame 4. To illustrate the invention more clearly, the drive package does not appear in this drawing. Each of the two end elements 6 of the supporting elements 2 is intended to abut upon a cooperating bearing element 8 (insulator) which is dampingly suspended relative to the frame 4, as depicted in Figure 8. The bearing elements 8, the insulators, are adapted to being fitted to the vehicle's frame in appropriate ways. How they are fitted is not important for understanding the present invention and is therefore not described in more detail here.

The fitting arrangement comprises at least two screws 10 adapted to fixing the supporting elements 2 to the vehicle's frame 4 via the two bearing elements 8, by at least one screw 10 cooperating with each of said end elements 6. The screws 10 appear in Figures 6a-6c and 8.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the fitting arrangement further comprises in this embodiment two washers 12 adapted to cooperating with the screws 10 in such a way that each washer cooperates with at least one screw so that, when the carrier beam 5 with the drive package has been fitted, the screws are adapted to fixing the carrier beam to the frame via said washers 12.

According to the invention, the fitting arrangement comprises at least two spacing elements 14 (depicted in Figure 5) which each have the height h, where h>d, i.e. the height of the spacing element is greater than the height d of the supporting element. The supporting element has a typical height d of the order of 50 mm. The spacing element then has a height h which is a few millimetres, e.g. 2 mm, greater. In percentage terms, the spacing element is about 2 to 5 % greater than the height of the supporting element.

The spacing element is adapted to cooperating with said screw 10 by keeping the washer 12 in a horizontal position above the bearing element 8 to make it possible to fit the carrier beam 5. The fitting arrangement is then in a docking state, i.e. a state in which docking can take place.

Each of the two end elements 6 is further provided with at least one recess 16, and these recesses are intended to cooperate with said at least two screws 10 in such a way that the supporting elements 2 can be moved into position by a substantially horizontal docking movement whereby the respective recesses 16 accommodate the respective screws 10 and said docking movement is completed when the respective screws are in a fitted state 18 in the respective recesses.

The docking movement is illustrated schematically by Figures 6a-6c. In Figure 6a the arrangement is in the docking state and docking has begun, i.e. the supporting element 2 (with the drive package) is about to be moved into position under the washer 12. In Figure 6b the washer has helped to guide the supporting element so that the screws 10 are accommodated by the recesses 16, and in Figure 6c the supporting element is in the fitted state 18 which means that the screw is at the bottom of the recess. In this situation the screws 10 can then be tightened and thereby fix the supporting element 2.

According to the present invention, the drive package with the supporting elements is therefore pushed into position between the washers, which preferably have bent-up front edges, and the bearing elements 8 (the insulators). This is facilitated by each supporting element having recesses at the rear edge instead of holes. The bearing elements 8 are thus prevented from giving way when the drive package is being lowered, as schematically illustrated by two arrows in Figure 8. If the insulators did give way downwards, this would make it difficult to insert the screws.

The lifting yoke for the drive package (engine and gearbox) may also be released immediately without the screws being tightened, since the drive package is kept in position and "centered" by the screws already inserted.

Figure 6a depicts one of the bearing elements 8 and how it is prepared for docking of the drive package, i.e. it shows the arrangement in the docking state. This combination helps to save a great deal of time when installing the engine in the chassis. Nor is there any need for prising and straining to align the respective holes in the beam and the insulators.

To enable them to accommodate the screws 10, the recesses 16 have a width which is greater than the diameter of the screws. Each recess preferably has a U-shaped configuration in a horizontal plane, as depicted in Figure 1. The position for the fitted state 18 is at the bottom of the recess 16 (see Figure 6c), and when the screws are in the fitted state they are tightened to fix the supporting element 2 via the washer 12. The washer 12 has in one embodiment a substantially rectangular shape and is provided with at least one hole 20, preferably two holes, as particularly depicted in Figure 3. In a further embodiment, the portion 22 of the washer 12 which is intended to point in the direction from which the supporting element 2 is fitted is bent somewhat upwards to facilitate the docking by guiding the beam into position. The portion or edge 22 is bent up in such a way as to form an angle v within the range 10-30 degrees relative to a top surface of the washer 12, as illustrated in Figure 4.

The washer has preferably a thickness within the range 10-14 mm.

Within the scope of the inventive concept, the washer 12 may have other geometrical shapes. It may for example be circular and be then intended to be situated close to a screw. In such a configuration, more than one washer, e.g. two, may thus be used at each end of the carrier beam if it is provided with two recesses.

In one embodiment the spacing element 14 is a tube (see Figure 5) through which the screw 10 is inserted and which has an inside diameter somewhat larger than the screw's outside diameter. The tube also has an outside diameter larger than the diameter of a hole 20 in the washer 12 to be able to keep the washer in correct position. The tube is made of material which is stable in shape but readily deformable so that it becomes deformed when subjected to the forces exerted by the screw 10 when the supporting elements are being fixed. The tube is for example made of plastic, paper or thin board.

In another embodiment the spacing element is a block which is so arranged that the washer is kept in correct position and which is moved away by the supporting element during the docking movement. The supporting element is preferably provided with two recesses. It is further suggested that holes, e.g. two holes 24 (see figure 1), be provided in the supporting element to cater for further screws to fasten it. The present invention is not restricted to the preferred embodiments described above.

Sundry alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. The above embodiments are therefore not to be regarded as limiting the invention's protective scope which is defined by the attached claims.