Trailer coupling
AssigneeORIS Fahrzeugteile Hans Riehle GmbH
InventorsWolfgang Gentner, Emmerich Kleb, Joerg Riehle, Hans Riehle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In order to provide a trailer coupling for motor vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles, comprising a coupling ball, a coupling neck, the one end region of which is angled and bears the coupling ball, and a contact unit for providing a connection between a vehicle electrical system and a trailer electrical system, which is more easily accessible it is suggested that the contact unit be held on a pivoting arm, that the pivoting arm be mounted on a pivot bearing stationary with respect to the vehicle so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis and that the contact unit be movable with the pivoting arm from an operative position into a rest position and vice versa as a result of a pivoting movement about the pivot axis.
Claims18
A trailer coupling for a motor vehicle, comprising:
- a coupling ball, and
- a ball neck, one end region thereof bearing the coupling ball, wherein:
- said ball neck is held by a pivot bearing of an element that is stationary with respect to the vehicle, so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis,
- said ball neck is movable from an operative position into a rest position and vice versa as a result of a pivoting movement about the pivot axis,
- a contact unit is provided to effect a connection between an electrical system of the vehicle and a trailer's electrical system, and
- said contact unit is arranged on said ball neck and moveable together with said ball neck from said operative position into said rest position, and from said rest position into said operative position.
An electrical contact unit assembly for providing an electrical connection between an electrical system of a motor vehicle and a trailer's electrical system, comprising:
- a pivoting arm;
- an electrically conductive contact carried by said pivoting arm for providing the electrical connection;
- and
- a pivot bearing of an element that is stationary with respect to the vehicle;
- wherein:
- said pivoting arm extends between a pivot axis of said pivot bearing and said electrically conductive contact;
- said pivot axis extends at an acute angle to a vertical longitudinal plane that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
- said pivot bearing holds said pivoting arm to enable said pivoting arm to pivot about said pivot axis;
- said electrically conductive contact is pivotable with said pivoting arm about said pivot axis from an operative position into a rest position, and vice versa,
- when in said operative position, said electrically conductive contact is essentially located at a side of a rear bumper that faces away from a vehicle body of the motor vehicle so as to be accessible to a user;
- and
- when in the rest position, said pivoting arm and said electrically conductive contact are arranged between the rear bumper and the vehicle body, and substantially the entire pivoting arm is arranged higher than a lower edge of the rear bumper, to maintain a ground clearance of the motor vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.