Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-10
2003-09-30
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626450
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This application claims the priority of German Application DE 100 61 491.4, filed Dec. 9, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a bumper unit having a hitching towing arrangement.
From German Patent Document DE 32 33 813 C1, a hitching coupling device for vehicles is disclosed whose ball neck is fastened to a cross member and the cross member is connected with at least one shock-absorbing foam body. Furthermore, a hitching arrangement is disclosed in German Patent Document DE 196 03 873 A1 which comprises a cross member which is connected with the arrangement and which can be connected with side members of the vehicle body by way of connection brackets. This connection takes place by means of bolts arranged transversely to the vehicle.
It is an object of the invention to provide a hitching towing arrangement in a rear-side bumper of a vehicle which ensures a durably fixed connection with the vehicle body when loaded.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by fastening the hitching towing arrangement to a rear-side cross member connected with a body structure of the vehicle, and fixedly connecting the cross member on each end side with one holder, respectively. Each holder, together with the cross member, can be fastened as a constructional unit by way of expansion screws arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a vehicle body part.
Several of the principal advantages achieved by way of the invention are that the cross member holding the hitching towing arrangement can be connected by way of the expansion screws with the vehicle body, for example, with side members of the vehicle body, such that, as a result of different tension loads and pressure loads, no loosening of the fastening screws can take place because of a so-called vibration-caused loosening, and a durable fixed connection of the cross member on the vehicle body structure is ensured.
For this purpose, the cross member is fixedly connected on the end side with one holder respectively, in which case each holder, together with the cross-member, can be fastened as a constructional unit by way of expansion screws arranged in the longitudinal direction to a vehicle body component. The expansion screws ensure that, in the case of loads in the trailer operation, a durably fixed connection is achieved. The holder for the connection with the cross member has outer and inner pairs of arms on its vertically oriented sides which reach over and under the cross member and which are connected with the cross member in a preferably material-locking manner.
The outer pairs of arms of the holder are preferably constructed to be bent away from a base plate, the additional inner pairs of arms being arranged in an tilted manner at an obtuse angle with respect to the cross member.
So that a frictionless expansion of the fastening screw can take place in the barrel in the trailer operation, the fastening screw is arranged along a certain length to be unencumbered with respect to the surrounding sleeve, so that the expansion cannot be hindered.
The sleeves are fastened to the holder, for example, by welding, and the expansion screws are in each case arranged above and below the cross member between the lateral pairs of arms of the holder. Preferably, two expansion screws respectively are provided above the cross member and two additional expansion screws are arranged below the cross member in a side-by-side and superimposed arrangement respectively.
For using the cross member simultaneously as a bumper, the cross member is advantageously provided on its side facing away from the vehicle with a deformation member extending approximately along the length of the cross member. This deformation member consists of a U-shaped profile constructed in the cross member and is connected with the cross member by way of screwing devices or is connected with the side member by way of screwing devices.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2097006 (1937-10-01), Weis
patent: 2747892 (1956-05-01), Jones
patent: 4385779 (1983-05-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 4475856 (1984-10-01), Tomingas
patent: 5094469 (1992-03-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5149122 (1992-09-01), Helber
patent: 5476279 (1995-12-01), Klemensten
patent: 5511813 (1996-04-01), Kravitz
patent: 5561246 (1996-10-01), Gruber et al.
patent: 5598589 (1997-02-01), Frettoli
patent: 5603191 (1997-02-01), Wu
patent: 6173984 (2001-01-01), Kay
patent: 6234512 (2001-05-01), Bettenhausen
patent: 6402179 (2002-06-01), Morris et al.
patent: 3233813 (1983-11-01), None
patent: 290834 (1991-06-01), None
patent: 4131275 (1993-03-01), None
patent: 19603873 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 19603873 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 1008468 (2000-06-01), None
patent: 2032052 (1980-04-01), None
patent: 2147257 (1985-05-01), None
Braun Walter
Palmer Eberhard
Crowell & Moring LLP
Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
Luby Matt
Morris Lesley D.
LandOfFree
Bumper unit having a hitching towing arrangement and a... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Bumper unit having a hitching towing arrangement and a..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Bumper unit having a hitching towing arrangement and a... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3058305