Vehicle connector, using method and vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle connector, a using method and a vehicle, and relates to the technical field of vehicle connectors. The vehicle connector comprises a ball head, a switch, a connecting rod, a spring, a spring bolt and a lock pin; a cavity is formed in the ball head, the spring bolt is rotationally connected into the cavity, the first end of the connecting rod is connected with the spring bolt, the second end of the connecting rod penetrates through the ball head and is rotationally connected with the switch located on the outer side of the ball head, and the spring is arranged on the outer side of the connecting rod in a sleeving mode and abuts against the position between the connecting rod and the ball head. A first cavity used for containing the hook ball is formed between the first side of the spring bolt and the inner wall of the ball head, a first groove is formed in the second side of the spring bolt, and a second groove is formed in the inner wall of the ball head. When the switch is turned off, the first groove and the second groove form a second cavity used for containing the lock pin, and the size of the lower opening of the first cavity is smaller than that of the projection of the hook ball at the lower opening of the first cavity. The connection strength and reliability of the vehicle connector can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of vehicle connectors, and in particular to a vehicle connector, a use method, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The vehicle connector is a structure that connects the vehicle and the trailer. For example, for a towed RV, the vehicle connector is an important structure that connects the front vehicle and the towed RV. Usually, a hook ball is set at the rear of the front vehicle, and the vehicle connector is installed at the front of the towed RV. The vehicle connector and the hook ball are matched and connected to achieve the connection between the front vehicle and the towed RV. However, the vehicle connector in the prior art has the defects of insufficient connection strength and impact resistance. When encountering a large impact, there is a risk that the hook ball will fall out of the vehicle connector. In addition, the vehicle connector in the prior art is inconvenient to disassemble and assemble, and it is difficult to disassemble and assemble with one hand. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vehicle connector, a method of use, and a vehicle to solve the problems of insufficient connection strength and difficulty in one-handed assembly and disassembly of vehicle connectors in the prior art. The technical solution is as follows:

[0004] In a first aspect, a vehicle connector is provided, including a ball head, a switch, a connecting rod, a spring, a locking tongue, and a locking pin; a cavity is provided in the ball head, the locking tongue is rotatably connected in the cavity, the first end of the connecting rod is connected to the locking tongue, the second end passes through the ball head and is rotatably connected to the switch located outside the ball head, the spring is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod and abuts between the connecting rod and the ball head, a first cavity for accommodating a hook ball is formed between the first side of the locking tongue and the inner wall of the ball head, the second side of the locking tongue has a first groove, and a second groove is provided on the inner wall of the ball head; when the switch is closed, the first groove and the second groove form a second cavity for accommodating the locking pin, and the lower opening size of the first cavity is smaller than the projection size of the hook ball at the lower opening of the first cavity.

[0005] In a possible implementation, the lower portion of the first groove of the lock tongue has a first protrusion, and when the switch is closed, the first groove, the first protrusion, and the second groove together form a second cavity for accommodating the lock pin.

[0006] In a possible implementation, when the switch is turned on, the lock tongue rotates driven by the switch, and the first protrusion enters the second groove, thereby expanding the first cavity.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the switch has a second protrusion at one end close to the rotationally connected position with the connecting rod, which is used to move the connecting rod axially in a direction away from the locking tongue when the switch is turned on.

[0008] In a possible implementation, when the locking pin is inserted into the second cavity, an area of ​​the locking pin wrapped by the first groove and the first protrusion is larger than an area of ​​the locking pin wrapped by the second groove.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the outer circumference of the connecting rod has a third protrusion, and the spring is compressed and arranged between the inner wall of the ball head and the third protrusion.

[0010] In a possible implementation, a connector seat is further included, wherein the connector seat is fixedly connected to the ball head, and the connector seat is located on a side away from the ball head and away from the first cavity.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the locking pin is connected to the connector seat via a connecting rope.

[0012] In a second aspect, based on a vehicle connector provided in the first aspect, a method for using the vehicle connector is provided, including:

[0013] Pull out the lock pin;

[0014] Turn on the switch, so that the switch drives the connecting rod to move upward, thereby driving the lock tongue to rotate, so that the space of the first cavity formed between the lock tongue and the inner wall of the ball head increases;

[0015] Disengage the hook ball from the first cavity to complete the disassembly of the hook ball;

[0016] Turn off the switch and insert the locking pin.

[0017] In a third aspect, a vehicle is provided, comprising a tractor body and a trailer, wherein the tractor body has a power system and the trailer does not have a power system;

[0018] The rear part of the tractor body has a vertically arranged hook ball, and the front part of the trailer has a vehicle connector provided by the first aspect above, which is used to cooperate with the hook ball to achieve the connection between the trailer and the tractor body;

[0019] Alternatively, the front portion of the trailer has a vertically arranged hitch ball, and the rear portion of the tractor body has a vehicle connector provided in the first aspect above, which is used to cooperate with the hitch ball to achieve connection between the trailer and the tractor body.

[0020] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The disclosed embodiment provides a vehicle connector, a method of use and a vehicle, which realizes a tight connection of a hook ball by using a ball head, a lock tongue and a lock pin. The lock tongue is designed to be rotatable, and can rotate to change the size of the first cavity under the drive of a switch, thereby loosening or locking the hook ball in the first cavity; the lock pin is used in conjunction with the switch to achieve double protection, so as to prevent the hook ball from falling out due to bumps when the road surface is uneven or the terrain difference is large; the rotatable structure design of the lock tongue, in conjunction with the connecting rod, spring and lock pin, can prevent the connecting rod from rotating easily when not used by humans, thereby preventing the abnormal movement of the lock tongue and ensuring that the hook ball will not be easily disengaged; the first protrusion, the first groove and the second groove form a second cavity for accommodating the lock pin, and when the lock tongue is rotated to open, the first protrusion can move into the second groove to meet the rotation requirement of the lock tongue, and no limit occurs; the area of ​​the first protrusion wrapping the lower part of the lock pin exceeds more than half of the lock pin, thereby reducing stress concentration, further increasing the structural strength and ensuring the connection reliability.

[0022] Advantages of additional aspects of the present disclosure will be given in part in the following description and in part will become apparent from the following description or will be learned through practice of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a vehicle connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle connector in a closed state provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure in an open state;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a ball head structure of a vehicle connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure in an open state;

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a ball head structure of a vehicle connector in a closed state provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of a ball head structure of a vehicle connector in a closed state provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] The reference numerals in the drawings respectively represent: 1, ball head; 101, first cavity; 102, second groove; 2, connector seat; 3, switch; 301, second protrusion; 4, locking pin; 5, locking tongue; 501, first groove; 502, first protrusion; 6, connecting rod; 7, spring; 8, hook ball; 9, pin shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clear, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification, claims and drawings of the present disclosure are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. The description of positions such as "upper" and "lower" is based on the relative positions of the structures shown in the drawings and the devices in daily working conditions. It is only for the convenience of describing the relative positional relationship between the structures and does not represent a limitation on the structure itself; in addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally includes other steps or units that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0033] The present disclosure provides a vehicle connector. Figure 1-Figure 6 The vehicle connector includes a ball head 1, a switch 3, a connecting rod 6, a spring 7, a locking tongue 5, and a locking pin 4. A cavity is provided in the ball head 1, and the locking tongue 5 is rotatably connected in the cavity. The first end of the connecting rod 6 is connected to the locking tongue 5, and the second end passes through the ball head 1 and is rotatably connected to the switch 3 outside the ball head 1. The spring 7 is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod 6 and abuts between the connecting rod 6 and the ball head 1. A first cavity 101 for accommodating a hook ball 8 is formed between the first side of the locking tongue 5 and the inner wall of the ball head 1. The second side of the locking tongue 5 has a first groove 501, and a second groove 102 is provided on the inner wall of the ball head 1. When the switch is closed, the first groove 501 and the second groove 102 form a second cavity for accommodating the locking pin 4, so as to facilitate the insertion of the locking pin 4 to achieve locking, and the lower opening size of the first cavity is smaller than the projection size of the hook ball at the lower opening of the first cavity, so as to limit the hook ball and prevent the hook ball from falling out.

[0034] The vehicle connector provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is used in conjunction with a hitch ball to connect the front vehicle and the trailer together. For the convenience of description, the following description is based on the assumption that the hitch ball is arranged on the front vehicle with power and the vehicle connector is arranged on the trailer. The vehicle connector can keep the trailer in a suitable position at all times during driving, so that the front vehicle and the trailer are connected together, playing the role of towing, buffering, and connecting. The head of the vehicle connector has a first cavity to accommodate the hitch ball. After turning on the switch, the lock tongue rotates to make room and expand the first cavity to facilitate the hitch ball to enter the first cavity. Then the switch is turned off, so that the lock tongue is close to the hitch ball to limit the hitch ball and prevent the hitch ball from falling out. In addition, the locking pin can also provide double protection after the switch is turned off, further enhancing the connection strength, so that the connector ball head can withstand higher intensity impacts. The switch is easy to open manually and easy to operate.

[0035] The first groove 501 of the locking tongue 5 has a first protrusion 502 at the lower part. When the switch is closed, the first groove 501 , the first protrusion 502 , and the second groove 102 together form a second cavity for accommodating the locking pin 4 .

[0036] The lock tongue 5 is rotatably connected in the cavity of the ball head 1 through the pin 9 and can rotate along the pin. The connecting rod 6 is fixed to the lock tongue 5 by bolts. The ball head 1 is provided with a through hole at the position where the connecting rod 6 passes through, and the diameter of the through hole should meet the movement range requirements of the connecting rod during the switch opening and closing to avoid interference. The switch 3 is rotatably connected to the connecting rod 6, and the end of the switch 3 close to the end of the rotational connection position with the connecting rod 6 has a second protrusion 301, so that when the switch 3 is turned on, the connecting rod 6 can move to the outside of the ball head 1 under the drive of the second protrusion 301, and then drive the lock tongue 5 to rotate along the pin. At this time, the first protrusion 502 of the lock tongue enters the second groove 102, thereby expanding the first cavity 101, so that the hook ball can extend into or out of the lower part of the first cavity 101.

[0037] The diameter of the connecting rod 6 near the lock tongue expands to form a third protrusion. The spring 7 is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod 6, with one end abutting against the inner wall of the ball head 1 and the other end abutting against the end of the third protrusion. The spring 7 is a compression spring, so that it can continuously provide the connecting rod 6 with a thrust in the direction of the lock tongue to ensure the structural strength and facilitate the closing of the switch 3. When the switch 3 is closed, the connecting rod 6 retracts under the drive of the spring 7, thereby driving the lock tongue 5 to rotate along the pin shaft, and the first protrusion 502 escapes from the second groove 102, and the lower space of the first cavity 101 is reduced to a diameter smaller than the hook ball, thereby limiting the hook ball from entering or escaping. At the same time, after the switch is closed, the first groove 501, the first protrusion 502, and the second groove 102 jointly form a second cavity for accommodating the lock pin 4, and then the lock pin 4 is inserted into the second cavity to further complete the locking of the overall structure. In addition, considering the spring life, locking quality and connection strength of the connecting rod during long-term use of the structure, the vehicle connector is designed to be operated by a manual on-off switch 3 rather than a structure in which the hook ball rises and locks by itself, thereby enhancing the safety and reliability of the device.

[0038] In a possible implementation, when the lock pin is inserted into the second cavity, the area of ​​the lock pin wrapped by the first groove and the first protrusion is larger than the area of ​​the lock pin wrapped by the second groove. According to CAE simulation analysis, the stress at the first protrusion is relatively large. Therefore, in order to reduce stress concentration and increase structural strength, the structure of the first protrusion is specially designed in combination with the simulation results, so that the first protrusion exceeds the range of the lower part of the lock pin, and the first groove and the first protrusion of the lock tongue as a whole wrap the range of the lock pin, which is larger than more than half of the lock pin. At the same time, this structure can also ensure that when the first protrusion rotates, it can enter the second groove and will not collide with other structures, thereby improving the degree of coordination between the various structures.

[0039] In order to facilitate the connection between the front vehicle and the trailer, a connector seat 2 is also fixedly connected to the ball head 1. The connector seat is fixedly connected to the side of the ball head away from the first cavity. The position of the first cavity is taken as the head of the ball head, and the side away from the position of the first cavity is taken as the tail. The ball head is connected to the hook ball of the front vehicle through the head, and the connector seat is connected to the side of the tail, so as to facilitate the connection with the rear vehicle.

[0040] In a possible implementation, a connecting rope is provided on the outer side of the connector seat, one end of the connecting rope is connected to the connector seat, and the other end is connected to the locking pin to prevent the locking pin from being lost.

[0041] Based on the vehicle connector provided above, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a method for using the vehicle connector, including a method for disassembling a hook ball, specifically comprising:

[0042] Pull out the lock pin;

[0043] Turn on the switch, so that the switch drives the connecting rod to move upward, thereby driving the lock tongue to rotate (counterclockwise), so that the space of the first cavity formed between the lock tongue and the inner wall of the ball head increases;

[0044] Disengage the hook ball from the first cavity to complete the disassembly of the hook ball;

[0045] Turn off the switch and insert the locking pin.

[0046] The installation method of the hook ball is similar, including:

[0047] Pull out the lock pin;

[0048] Turn on the switch, so that the switch drives the connecting rod to move upward, thereby driving the lock tongue to rotate (counterclockwise), so that the space of the first cavity formed between the lock tongue and the inner wall of the ball head increases;

[0049] Extend the hook ball from the lower part of the first cavity into the first cavity;

[0050] Turn off the switch, insert the lock pin, and make the hook ball rest against the arc structure of the inner wall of the ball head to be firmly installed with the ball head.

[0051] The disclosed embodiment also provides a vehicle, comprising a tractor body and a trailer, wherein the tractor body has a power system and the trailer does not have a power system;

[0052] The rear part of the tractor body has a vertically arranged hook ball, and the front part of the trailer has a vehicle connector provided by the first aspect above, which is used to cooperate with the hook ball to achieve the connection between the trailer and the tractor body;

[0053] Alternatively, the front portion of the trailer has a vertically arranged hitch ball, and the rear portion of the tractor body has a vehicle connector provided in the first aspect above, which is used to cooperate with the hitch ball to achieve connection between the trailer and the tractor body.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A vehicle connector, characterized in that: It includes a ball head, a switch, a connecting rod, a spring, a locking tongue, and a locking pin; a cavity is provided in the ball head, the locking tongue is rotatably connected in the cavity, the first end of the connecting rod is connected to the locking tongue, the second end passes through the ball head and is rotatably connected to the switch located outside the ball head, the spring is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod and abuts between the connecting rod and the ball head, a first cavity for accommodating a hook ball is formed between the first side of the locking tongue and the inner wall of the ball head, the second side of the locking tongue has a first groove, and a second groove is provided on the inner wall of the ball head; when the switch is closed, the first groove and the second groove form a second cavity for accommodating the locking pin, and the lower opening size of the first cavity is smaller than the projection size of the hook ball at the lower opening of the first cavity.

2. A vehicle connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower part of the first groove of the lock tongue has a first protrusion. When the switch is closed, the first groove, the first protrusion, and the second groove together form a second cavity for accommodating the lock pin.

3. A vehicle connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the switch is turned on, the lock tongue rotates driven by the switch, and the first protrusion enters the second groove, thereby expanding the first cavity.

4. A vehicle connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The switch has a second protrusion at one end close to the rotation connection position with the connecting rod, which is used to make the connecting rod move axially in a direction away from the locking tongue when the switch is turned on.

5. A vehicle connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the locking pin is inserted into the second cavity, an area of ​​the locking pin wrapped by the first groove and the first protrusion is larger than an area of ​​the locking pin wrapped by the second groove.

6. A vehicle connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circumference of the connecting rod has a third protrusion, and the spring is compressed and arranged between the inner wall of the ball head and the third protrusion.

7. A vehicle connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a connector seat, which is fixedly connected to the ball head and is located on a side away from the ball head and away from the first cavity.

8. A vehicle connector according to claim 7, characterized in that: The locking pin is connected to the connector seat through a connecting rope.

9. A method for using the vehicle connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: Pull out the lock pin; Turn on the switch, so that the switch drives the connecting rod to move upward, thereby driving the lock tongue to rotate, so that the space of the first cavity formed between the lock tongue and the inner wall of the ball head increases; Disengage the hook ball from the first cavity to complete the disassembly of the hook ball; Turn off the switch and insert the locking pin.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: It comprises a tractor body and a trailer, wherein the tractor body has a power system and the trailer does not have a power system; The rear part of the tractor body has a vertically arranged hook ball, and the front part of the trailer has a vehicle connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is used to cooperate with the hook ball to achieve the connection between the trailer and the tractor body; Alternatively, the front portion of the trailer has a vertically arranged hitch ball, and the rear portion of the tractor body has a vehicle connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, which is used to cooperate with the hitch ball to achieve the connection between the trailer and the tractor body.

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