A connection device for establishing a connection between a vehicle and a fluid or energy distribution system

A connection device for establishing a connection between a vehicle and a fluid or energy distribution system, said connection device comprising:

• a main support structure;
• a connector head, for releasably connecting to a connection facility on said vehicle;
• a support beam having a longitudinal axis, a front-end supporting said connector head and a rear end;
• and
• a support mechanism supporting said rear end in said main support structure, so that said support beam is movable along its longitudinal axis and has two translational degrees of freedom that are perpendicular to its longitudinal axis;
• an articulation with three rotational degrees of freedom connected between said front-end of said support beam and said connector head;
• wherein said support mechanism comprises a three-dimensional parallelogram mechanism having a rear end link supported by said main support structure and a movable front-end link supporting said support beam, wherein said support beam remains parallel to itself when said front-end link is moved out of a home position,
• wherein said front-end link of said three-dimensional parallelogram mechanism supports a guide channel in a cantilevered way, said rear end of said support beam being guided by said guide channel so that said support beam is movable in a guided way along its longitudinal axis, and wherein the connection device comprises a reversible drive for driving said support beam in a forward movement and a backward movement along said guide channel.