Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-21
2002-06-25
Boehler, Anne Marie (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S491300, C280S478100, C280S511000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06409201
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a trailer coupling for motor vehicles, comprising a bearing part arranged fixed to the vehicle and a pivotal part mounted on the bearing part and having a ball neck and a coupling ball, the pivotal part being pivotal in relation to the bearing part about an axis between a rest position and an operative position.
A trailer coupling of this type is already disclosed by German patent application 196 12 959.1.
In a trailer coupling of this type, a self-locking gear for driving the pivotal movement is provided and at the same time also allows the ball holder to be fixed in any position. An automatically locking gear of this type is complex structurally, from the point of view of the required safety standards, and thus also from a manufacturing point of view.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a trailer coupling of the generic type such that it may be fixed in the operative position securely and simply.
This object is achieved with a trailer coupling of the type described at the outset in accordance with the invention in that the pivotal part has two abutting elements arranged spaced from one another, in that the bearing part is provided with two supporting elements and in that, to fix the ball neck in the operative position, one of the supporting elements and one of the abutting elements co-operate such that the ball neck undergoes a pivotal movement in a first direction which is countered by the other of the supporting elements and the other of the abutting elements, and in that in so doing the abutting elements and the supporting elements are able to abut against one another without play.
The advantage of the inventive achievement can be seen in the fact that by providing two co-operating pairs of abutting elements and supporting elements there is the possibility of these abutting against one another without play in pairs and hence achieving fixing of the pivotal part relative to the bearing part which is permanently without play and thus also permanently low in wear, it having been found that, as a result of the abutting against one another without play of the co-operating pairs of one of the abutting elements and one of the supporting elements, it is possible to achieve extremely low wear in the region thereof and thus also in the fixing of the pivotal part.
It is particularly advantageous in this connection if, to fix the ball neck in the operative position, the abutting elements and the supporting elements can be tensioned against one another in a clamping position, the additional tensioning against one another of the pairs of one of the abutting elements and one of the supporting elements providing the possibility of ensuring that there is no play even in the event of material deformation resulting from peak loads occurring, and thus also the possibility of achieving the minimum of wear even when the pivotal part is fixed relative to the bearing part.
It is particularly favourable in this connection if, in the clamping position, one element of a pair comprising one of the supporting elements and one of the abutting elements acts on the other element in the direction in which the clamping force acts, in such a way as to provide an adjustment. The advantage of this way of achieving the object is to be seen in the fact that on the one hand the action of the force makes it possible for the supporting elements and abutting elements to be tensioned against one another and on the other hand the adjustment of at least one element has the effect that, if the other element were to yield because of material resilience when a peak load occurs in the direction of the clamping force action, the one element still maintains the clamping force action on the other element as a result of the former's adjustment, and thus, in the event of a resilient deformation in the region of the pivotal part and the bearing part and/or the pair of the other of the supporting elements and the other of the abutting elements and hence a limited yielding of the other element, the action of the force and the absence of play is still maintained in all supporting elements and abutting elements.
In a particularly favourable manner, the action of the force of one element of a pair comprising one supporting element and one abutting element can be achieved in that in the clamping position a resilient clamping force energy store acts on one of the elements.
This is particularly favourable if the resilient clamping force energy store is constructed as a spring force energy store.
Furthermore, the adjustability of the one element can be achieved in a particularly favourable manner if the latter is mounted movably in the clamping direction.
A movable mounting of this type of one of the elements can be achieved either by a linear mobility thereof or using a linear mobility of the element which is derived from a rotary movement.
No precise details have yet been given regarding the mobility of the abutting elements. Thus, an advantageous example embodiment provides that when the pivotal part is pivoted about the axis each of the abutting elements rotates about the pivot axis on a radially spaced path. This means that it is not necessary to give the abutting elements their own mobility, but rather the abutting elements can be connected directly to the pivotal part and be arranged to be pivotal therewith.
It is particularly favourable in this connection if the abutting elements rotate about the pivot axis on different paths, that is to say if each of the abutting elements has its own path by means of which it rotates about the pivot axis. From a spatial point of view, this means that a particularly simple assignment of the individual abutting elements to the supporting elements corresponding thereto can be achieved.
In principle, it is conceivable to make the abutting elements additionally movable relative to the pivotal part as well, for example in order to achieve the abutting against one another without play of the abutting elements and the supporting elements. However, it is particularly simple from a structural point of view if a first one of the abutting elements is constructed as an element arranged fixed to the pivotal part.
It is even more advantageous if the second of the abutting elements is also constructed as an element arranged fixed to the pivotal part.
In order to achieve the maximum possible lever arm between the axis about which the pivotal part is pivotal and the respective abutting element, that is to say the activation of the force acting on this abutting element, it is preferably provided that one of the abutting elements is arranged on a comb of the pivotal part, this comb having a greater spacing from the pivot axis than for example a bearing body of the pivotal part which surrounds a pivot pin.
In order also to exploit the fact that the ball neck extends away from the pivotal part and thus necessarily extends at an increasing radius from the axis, it is preferably provided that another of the abutting elements is arranged on a lug of the ball neck, this lug adjoining the pivotal part.
Similarly, no further information has yet been given in the explanation of the individual example embodiments regarding the arrangement of the supporting elements themselves. Thus, an advantageous example embodiment provides that a first one of the supporting elements is arranged in a region of the bearing part which is at the rear, as seen in the direction of travel.
Furthermore, in an example embodiment it is preferably provided that a second of the supporting elements is arranged in a region of the bearing part which is at the front, as seen in the direction of travel, while in another example embodiment the second supporting element is also arranged in the rear region of the bearing part.
As regards the mobility of the supporting elements, the greatest variety of ways of achieving the object is conceivable. For example, it is conceivable to move both supporting elements in the direction of the abutting elements, or both abutting elements in the direction of the supportin
Boehler Anne Marie
Lipsitz Barry R.
ORIS Fahrzeugteile Hans Riehle GmbH
Winner Tony
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