DE8911372U1 - Tow bar - Google Patents

Description

STREET & FABRIC RAIN ''····..·.\'..\ . *.' PMantanaiiUa ■ European Ratant Attorneys ■*···· · *

Hanfred Fladung GmbH
Heimbach 26
8752 Moembris

Description Tow bar

The innovation relates to a tow bar for a vehicle supported on wheels, in particular for an aircraft up to a weight of 10,000 N, with the wheels on a.

A tow bar intended for larger aircraft can be found in DE-C-37 05 740. This comprises a pull rod to which a connecting piece is attached, from which a head section that can be attached to a nose wheel or chassis extends. The proposed design ensures, among other things, that if excessive forces occur, the connecting piece shears off, so that damage to the nose wheel or chassis is excluded. The head section can also be exchanged in order to be able to arrange head sections for different aircraft on one and the same nose bar.

However, the corresponding design, which meets the highest requirements, is too expensive for smaller aircraft, especially those with a total weight of 10,000 N.

The purpose of this innovation is therefore to develop a tow bar of the type mentioned above, especially for aircraft

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to provide a smaller weight vehicle that can be easily towed and thus parked at the desired location.

&psgr;, ' The task is essentially accomplished by the new

solves that the tow bar has a swivel mount for

if has at least one wheel, whereby the recording can be optionally

."/. rests on the surface or is at a distance from it.

V. According to the innovation, the nose wheel of an aircraft ) is therefore held by the pivoting support on the tow bar E in order to be lifted after it has been secured so that the aircraft can be towed without difficulty.

The problem-free insertion of the nose wheel into the holder is ensured by the fact that the holder can be lowered onto the surface on which the aircraft's wheels are standing and can be moved along this until the wheel is on the holder. The holder is then lifted from the surface by a preferably hydraulically operated swivel mechanism, while at the same time the holder is swiveled in such a way that the wheel can no longer roll off the holder in an uncontrolled manner.

According to the innovation, a tow bar is therefore made available, especially for smaller aircraft, which has a mount for the nose wheel at the front end, whereby the mount can be pushed underneath the wheel and, when the wheel is on the mount, can be pivoted in such a way that on the one hand the wheel is fixed and on the other hand the mount is spaced from the base.

The design of the tow bar, i.e. the fastening of the mount and its pivoting, is structurally particularly

This is solved in a simple way by a U-shaped fork extending from the tow bar, to the leg of which a U-shaped bracket is attached ^to the holder, whereby the bracket can be rotated by a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tow bar and parallel to the

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The axis running along the vehicle's standing surface can be pivoted. The mount is attached to the web of the U-shaped bracket, with a pivoting mechanism extending from the legs at a distance from the axis, which, as mentioned, can preferably be operated hydraulically.

The hydraulic cylinder acting on the swivel mechanism can be arranged on the tow bar and operated manually. Alternatively, there is the possibility of hydraulic lines coming from a towing vehicle pulling the tow bar, via which the hydraulic cylinder can be moved in the desired direction to swivel the bracket holding the receptacle.

According to one embodiment of the innovation, the holder itself has a base plate from which plate-shaped elements extend at an obtuse angle, forming front and rear stops for the wheel held by the holder.

According to the innovation, the holder can be pivoted via the U-shaped bracket and the pivot mechanism to such an extent that the front plate-shaped element facing the vehicle can rest on the surface on which the vehicle wheel is standing. If necessary, the plate-shaped element can be extended in the shape of a tongue in order to ensure that the vehicle wheel to be held can be grasped to the extent required when the holder is moved along the surface in order to allow the wheel to roll into the holder when it is pivoted so that it is securely fixed.

The side walls of the mount can be cut out at least in some areas. This ensures that the nose wheel fairings cannot be damaged by the mount and vice versa.

The tow bar itself «ices up» in the area of the receiving wheels, on which the tow bar is supported in order to be able to be moved.

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Preferably, the wheel axles coincide with the pivot axis of the U-shaped bracket for the mount.

In order to enable the mount to be easily aligned with the nose wheel, the mount is attached to the U-shaped bracket so that it can pivot around an axis running perpendicular to the base plate.

Further details, advantages and features of the innovation arise not only from the protection claims, the features to be derived from them - individually and/or in combination - but also from the following description of a preferred embodiment to be taken from the drawing.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a new
Tow bar and

Fig. 2 a top view of the tow bar in a
Prince Ipdar's position.

In <lfcn Fig., in which identical elements are provided with identical reference numerals, a section of a tow bar (10) is shown, which has a pivotable holder (14) for a wheel (not shown) of a vehicle, in particular the nose wheel of an aircraft up to a weight of 10,000 N, at the free end of a pull rod (12).

The holder (14), which has a base plate (16) and plate-shaped front and rear elements (18) and (20) extending from it at an obtuse angle, as well as side walls (22), starts from a web (24) of a U-shaped holder (26). The holder (26) can be pivoted about an axis (30) through which the legs (32) and (34) of the holder (26) pass. For this purpose, shaft stubs (36) and (38) extend from the legs (32) and (34). which lead to a U-shaped fork (40), which in turn extends from the pull rod (12). The U-shaped fork (40) with the pull rod (12) therefore forms a unit to which

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the U-shaped bracket (26) can be pivoted about the axis (30). To enable this pivoting, a further fork-shaped element (42) is hinged to the ends of the legs (32) and (34), which acts as a pivoting mechanism and can preferably be moved towards the axis (30) or removed from it via a hydraulic cylinder (44). The hydraulic cylinder (44) can be arranged on the drawbar (12). The piston (46) of the hydraulic cylinder (44) can be moved manually or via hydraulic connections (not shown) that originate from a towing vehicle that pulls the tow bar (10).

Wheels (52) and (54) are arranged on the fork (40), specifically in the area of the free ends of the legs (48) and (50), the axis of which preferably coincides with the pivot axis (30). However, this is not absolutely necessary.

The holder (14) can also be pivoted about an axis (56) running perpendicular to the base plate (16) and thus to the support surface of the web (24) of the U-shaped holder (26) in order to be able to align the holder (14) with the wheel to be held.

As the dashed illustration in Fig. 1 shows, the holder (14) can be pivoted by operating the hydraulic cylinder or an equivalent element via the fork (42) and the holder (26) to such an extent that the front plate-shaped element (18) comes to rest on a surface (58) on which the wheels of the vehicle to be towed stand. By moving the tow bar (10) in the direction of the vehicle, the wheel consequently comes to the inside of the element (18). If the piston (46) of the hydraulic cylinder (44) is now retracted, the holder (14) is pivoted in such a way that it accommodates the wheel of the vehicle to the required extent so that it can no longer slide out uncontrollably, and is also lifted from the surface (53) (solid representation of the holder (14) in Fig. 1), so that the tow bar (10) only moves over the wheels (52) and (54)

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comes into contact with the ground surface (58). In this position the vehicle is towed by the tow bar (10), so that by pulling the tow bar (10) the vehicle is towed.

If the tow bar (10) according to the innovation is primarily intended for aircraft of a smaller weight, then by arranging two mounts (14) it can also be used for motor vehicles, for example. The mounts have a structure as previously described.

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Claims (8)

5TRACKET & MATERIAL RAIN ""' &iacgr; Manfred Fladung GmbH Heimbach 26 Mömbris Protection claims Schieppstange 1. Tow bar for a vehicle supported on wheels, in particular for aircraft up to a weight of 10 000 N, the wheels being located on a surface,
characterized, da&bgr; the tow bar (10) has a pivotable holder (14) for at least one wheel, wherein the holder optionally rests on the surface (56) or is spaced apart from it. 2. Tow bar according to claim 1,
characterized, a U-shaped fork (40) extends from the tow bar (10, 12), to the legs of which a U-shaped holder (26) for the receptacle (14) is attached, which can be pivoted about an axis (30) running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tow bar and parallel to the surface (58). 3. Tow bar according to claim 2,
characterized, that the holder (14) is attached to the web (24) of the U-shaped holder (26) and that at a distance from the axis (30; on the legs (32, 34; of the holder a 29334/25.9.89/bn STREET & FABRIC RAIN .* '.", . '. '>'·» · ·"·.'"'. Patent Attorney· · European Patent Attorneys · · · ',,',,' . , ·* Swivel mechanism (42, 44, 46) is articulated, which is preferably hydraulically actuated. 4. Tow bar according to claim 3,
characterized, UZ& the swing mechanism comprises a J-shaped fork (42) which is deflected on the legs (32, 34) of the U-shaped holder (2fi), and the U-shaped fork (42) is connected to a roller bearing of the hydraulic cylinder (Se). 5. Tow bar according to at least one of the preceding claims. characterized,
that the holder (14) has a base plate (16) from which plate-shaped elements (18, 20) extend at an obtuse angle, which in turn are front and rear stops for the wheel held by the holder. 6. Tow bar according to claim 5,
characterized, daö side walls (22) of the receptacle (14) extending from the side walls of the base plate (16) and the plate-shaped elements (18, 20) are preferably cut out in the central area. 7. Tow bar according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the holder (14) is rotated perpendicular to the base plate (16) extending axis (56) is rotatable. 8. Tow bar for a wheeled vehicle, in particular an aircraft, weighing up to 10 000 N, the wheels being on a surface,
characterized, that the tow bar (10, 12) has at its front end a recess (14) for at least one wheel such that 29334/25.9.89/bn STREET & FABRIC RAIN Patent Attorney· ■ European Patent Attorneys that the holder can be pushed underneath the wheel and can be pivoted with the wheel located on the holder in such a way that the holder firstly fixes the wheel and secondly is spaced from the surface (58). 29334/25.9.89/bn