A trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure for a pickup truck

Abstract

This utility model discloses a trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure for a pickup truck, relating to the automotive field. It includes a trailer hitch square tube; one end of the trailer hitch is connected to a trailer hitch connecting post via an adapter plate; the end of the trailer hitch connecting post away from the trailer hitch is inserted into the trailer hitch square tube and fixed to it by a positioning pin; one end of the rear electric step mounting seat is fixedly connected to the bottom of the trailer hitch square tube via a rear electric step mounting plate; one end of the rear electric step mounting seat is fixedly connected to one side of the bottom of the rear electric step mounting plate, and the other end is fixedly connected to the adapter plate; a welded nut is fixedly provided at one end of the trailer hitch connecting post inside the trailer hitch square tube; one upper side of the rear electric step mounting plate is fitted against the end of the trailer hitch square tube away from the trailer hitch connecting post and is threadedly fixed to the welded nut by an extended connecting bolt; one end of the rear electric step is hinged to the rear electric step mounting seat. This utility model simultaneously achieves convenient loading and unloading from the truck bed and towing functionality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automotive technology, and in particular to a trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure for a pickup truck. Background Technology

[0002] Pickup trucks and similar vehicles are widely favored due to their dual function of carrying cargo and passengers. To facilitate entry and exit from the rear of the vehicle, rear running boards have become a common aftermarket accessory. However, current rear running boards on the market still have many shortcomings in structural design and user experience, and urgently need improvement.

[0003] In terms of installation location and method, most car rear steps are installed on the side and rear of the vehicle, and many products require additional drilling into the car body during installation. This drilling installation method not only damages the original structural integrity of the car body, affecting the overall strength and safety of the vehicle, but also has a relatively cumbersome installation process, requiring professional personnel to complete it with special tools, increasing the user's installation costs and time costs.

[0004] Some rear steps are installed in the rear center of the vehicle, but these also fail to solve the problem of cumbersome installation, requiring a complex fixing method to connect to the vehicle body. More importantly, when the vehicle needs to use a trailer hitch, the rear step installed in this position will create a spatial conflict with the trailer hitch, forcing the user to remove the rear step before installing the trailer hitch, making it impossible to use the rear step and trailer hitch simultaneously. This functional conflict greatly limits the vehicle's usage scenarios, causing significant inconvenience to users who need both convenient access to the cargo bed and towing capabilities.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a technical solution that can simultaneously take into account the convenience of getting on and off the train and the towing function. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure for pickup trucks to solve the problems existing in the prior art, and to simultaneously take into account the convenience of getting on and off the truck bed and the towing function.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following solution: This utility model provides a trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure for a pickup truck, including: a trailer hitch square tube fixed to the rear end of the pickup truck; A trailer hitch, one end of which is fixedly connected to a trailer hitch connecting post via an adapter plate. The end of the trailer hitch connecting post away from the trailer hitch is inserted into the trailer hitch square tube and fixed to the trailer hitch square tube by a positioning pin. The rear electric step mounting bracket has one end fixedly connected to the bottom of the trailer square tube via a rear electric step mounting plate. One end of the rear electric step mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the bottom side of the rear electric step mounting plate, and the other end is fixedly connected to the adapter plate. The trailer connecting column has a welded nut fixedly installed at one end inside the trailer square tube. The upper side of the rear electric step mounting plate is fitted against the end of the trailer square tube away from the trailer connecting column, and is threadedly fixedly connected to the welded nut via an extended connecting bolt. The rear electric pedal, one end of which is hinged to the rear electric pedal mounting base; and An electronic control device is located on one side of the rear electric pedal mounting base to drive the rear electric pedal to rotate and maintain it at a set position.

[0008] Preferably, the rear electric pedal includes a fixedly connected pedal part and a connecting part. The connecting part is connected to the rear electric pedal mounting base through a transmission mechanism. The electronic control device is connected to the transmission mechanism to drive the pedal part to rotate and maintain it at a set position.

[0009] Preferably, the electronic control device includes a drive motor, the output shaft of which is connected to the transmission mechanism. The drive motor is connected to a vehicle power supply, and a controller is provided on the connection circuit between the drive motor and the vehicle power supply. The controller is connected to a control switch, which can send a signal to the controller so that the controller controls the on / off state of the connection circuit and the rotation direction of the drive motor output shaft.

[0010] Preferably, the control switch is a mechanical switch and / or an inductive switch.

[0011] Preferably, the trailer hitch is fixed to the lower rear end of the pickup truck via a mounting bracket, and the trailer hitch is fixedly installed at the end of the mounting bracket away from the pickup truck for connecting to a towing device to achieve towing.

[0012] Preferably, the trailer includes a trailer ball mechanism, and the trailer ball mechanism is fixedly connected to the side of the adapter plate away from the trailer square tube. The trailer ball mechanism is used to connect to the towing device.

[0013] Preferably, the trailer ball mechanism includes an L-shaped seat, the vertical section of which is detachably connected to the adapter plate, and the horizontal section of which is fixedly provided with a trailer ball.

[0014] The present invention achieves the following technical advantages over the prior art: This invention installs a rear electric step mounting bracket under the trailer hitch, allowing the trailer hitch and rear electric step to be installed simultaneously. An electronic control device drives the rear electric step to rotate, causing it to rotate downwards to a concealed position during towing, enabling the trailer hitch to function normally. When the user does not need to use the trailer hitch, there is no need to remove it; the rear electric step simply rotates in the opposite direction to the step position for stable and convenient access to the trunk. Installing the rear electric step under the trailer hitch solves the problem of vehicles not being able to simultaneously install a rear electric step and a trailer hitch. This allows vehicles to have a rear electric step installed after the trailer hitch is in place, facilitating easy access to the trunk. Furthermore, using the vehicle connector as the mounting base makes installation even more convenient for customers. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the trailer trailer and rear electric step mounting structure of a pickup truck in one or more embodiments of the present utility model. Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the installation structure of the trailer hitch and rear electric step for a pickup truck in one or more embodiments of the present utility model. Figure 3 This is a left-side view of the trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure of a pickup truck in one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the trailer trailer and rear electric step mounting structure of a pickup truck when the foot pedal is retracted in one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the trailer trailer and rear electric step mounting structure of a pickup truck with the step portion extended in one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rear electric step structure of the trailer trailer and rear electric step mounting structure of a pickup truck in one or more embodiments of the present utility model. Figure 7 for Figure 6 Side view; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the electronic control device of the rear electric step in the trailer trailer and rear electric step mounting structure of a pickup truck in one or more embodiments of this utility model. Figure 9This is an isometric schematic diagram of the trailer connection column in one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 10 This is an isometric schematic diagram of the trailer ball mechanism in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] In the diagram: 1-Trailer square tube, 2-Trailer connecting column, 3-Trailer ball mechanism, 4-Rear electric pedal mounting base, 5-Rear electric pedal mounting plate, 6-Weld nut, 7-Extended connecting bolt, 8-Trailer ball mechanism connecting bolt, 9-Trailer ball mechanism connecting nut, 10-Rear electric pedal connecting nut, 11-Positioning pin, 12-Drive motor, 13-Controller, 14-Mechanical switch, 15-Inductive switch, 16-Rear electric pedal connecting bolt. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0019] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure for pickup trucks to solve the problems existing in the prior art, and to simultaneously take into account the convenience of getting on and off the truck bed and the towing function.

[0020] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0021] In existing automotive rear step-ups, some are installed in the rear center of the vehicle. When a tow truck needs to be used, the rear step-up must be removed before installation, making it impossible to use both the tow truck and the rear step-up simultaneously. Furthermore, the step bar is too high, making it difficult for drivers and passengers to climb in and out. To solve this problem, the first objective of this utility model is to provide a mounting structure for a tow truck and a rear electric step-up for pickup trucks, such as... Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the device includes a rear electric step mounting base 4, a rear electric step, and an electronic control device. One end of the rear electric step mounting base 4 is fixedly connected to the underside of the trailer hitch via a rear electric step mounting plate 5; the other end of the rear electric step is hinged to the rear electric step mounting base 4; the electronic control device is located on one side of the rear electric step mounting base 4 and is used to drive the rear electric step to rotate and maintain it in a set position. This invention mounts the rear electric step mounting base 4 under the trailer hitch, allowing the trailer hitch and rear electric step to be installed simultaneously. The electronic control device drives the rear electric step to rotate, causing it to rotate downwards or retract to a hidden position during towing, allowing the trailer hitch to function normally. When the user does not need to use the trailer hitch, there is no need to disassemble it; the rear electric step simply rotates in the opposite direction and extends to a step position for stable stepping, facilitating entry and exit from the rear of the vehicle. Installing the rear electric step under the trailer hitch solves the problem of vehicles not being able to simultaneously install a rear electric step and a trailer hitch. This allows the vehicle to be equipped with a rear electric step after the trailer hitch is installed, making it easier for users to get in and out of the car. In addition, the use of the car connector as the installation base makes the installation more convenient for customers.

[0022] In one embodiment, the rear electric pedal includes a fixedly connected foot pedal and a connecting part. The connecting part is connected to the rear electric pedal mounting base 4 via a transmission mechanism. An electronic control device is driven by the transmission mechanism to rotate the foot pedal and maintain it at a set position. The electronic control device includes a drive motor 12, the output shaft of which is driven by the transmission mechanism. The drive motor 12 is connected to a vehicle power supply, and a controller 13 is provided on the connection circuit between the drive motor 12 and the vehicle power supply. The controller 13 is connected to a control switch, which can send a signal to the controller 13 to control the on / off state of the connection circuit and the rotation direction of the output shaft of the drive motor 12. The structure and principle of the controller 13 and the transmission mechanism are mature existing technologies. When the control switch is triggered, the controller 13 controls the drive motor 12 to operate, driving the pedal to extend from the bottom of the vehicle body via the transmission mechanism. When it is not necessary for passengers to get in or out of the vehicle, the control switch controls the drive motor 12 to rotate in the opposite direction, and the pedal retracts to the bottom of the vehicle body to avoid collisions during driving.

[0023] In one embodiment, the control switch is one or both of mechanical switch 14 and inductive switch 15. In this embodiment, mechanical switch 14 and inductive switch 15 are used in a synchronous and coordinated manner to send signals to controller 13. The structure and principle of controller 13 are prior art and will not be described in detail. Then, controller 13 supplies power to drive motor 12 of the rear electric pedal, and drive motor 12 drives the rear electric pedal to complete the opening and closing action. Drive motor 12 is mostly a DC permanent magnet motor with forward and reverse rotation function (achieved by changing the current direction through controller 13), providing power for pedal extension and retraction; the transmission mechanism is commonly a lead screw and slider or gear and rack structure. When drive motor 12 drives lead screw to rotate, slider (connected to the foot pedal part of the rear electric pedal) moves along the axis of lead screw to realize extension and retraction.

[0024] The rear electric pedal in this embodiment is made of high-strength aluminum alloy or steel, which is lightweight and has a strong load-bearing capacity, and the surface is treated with anti-slip material. A limit device is also provided on the connecting part, and a limit switch is set at the end position of the pedal extension or retraction. When the pedal is in place, it is triggered, and the controller 13 receives the signal and stops the drive motor 12 from running to avoid over-driving.

[0025] In one embodiment, refer to Appendix Figure 1 ~Appendix Figure 10 As shown, the pickup truck trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure includes a mounting bracket, which is fixedly connected to the lower rear of the pickup truck. A trailer hitch is fixedly mounted on the end of the mounting bracket away from the pickup truck, used to connect to the towing device for towing. The pickup truck's rear electric step is mounted below the trailer hitch. The mounting bracket of this utility model includes two connecting side frames, which are fixed to the rear of the pickup truck. A horizontal frame is fixedly connected between the two connecting side frames, located at the lower rear of the pickup truck, for fixing the trailer hitch. This allows the trailer hitch and rear electric step to be installed simultaneously. The stable connection mechanism ensures the trailer hitch can be used normally. When the user does not need to use the trailer hitch, there is no need to disassemble the trailer hitch; the rear electric step can be stably stepped on for easy access to the truck bed. The control method uses a combination of a traditional mechanical switch 14 and an inductive switch 15, making operation safe and convenient.

[0026] In one embodiment, the trailer attachment includes a trailer connecting post 2. A trailer square tube 1, arranged along the length of the pickup truck, is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket. One end of the trailer connecting post 2 is inserted into the trailer square tube 1 to achieve circumferential positioning of the trailer connecting post 2. A through hole is opened on the side wall of the trailer connecting post 2, and a through hole is also opened on the side wall of the trailer square tube 1. When the through hole of the trailer connecting post 2 and the through hole of the trailer square tube 1 are coaxial, a positioning pin 11 is inserted into the through hole to fix the trailer connecting post 2 and the trailer square tube 1. An adapter plate is fixedly mounted on the end of the trailer connecting post 2 away from the trailer square tube 1. A trailer ball mechanism 3 is fixedly connected to one side of the adapter plate. The trailer ball mechanism 3 is used to connect the towing device, so that the towing function is retained without removing the rear electric foot pedal.

[0027] To ensure stable installation of all components, in one embodiment, a welded nut 6 is fixedly installed at one end of the trailer connecting post 2 inside the trailer square tube 1. The upper side of the rear electric step mounting plate 5 is fitted against the end of the trailer square tube 1 away from the trailer connecting post 2, and is threadedly connected to the welded nut 6 via an extended connecting bolt 7. One end of the rear electric step mounting seat 4 is fixedly connected to one side of the bottom of the rear electric step mounting plate 5, and the other end is fixedly connected to the adapter plate.

[0028] During installation and use, the trailer connecting post 2 is inserted into the trailer square tube 1. The positioning pin 11 passes through the trailer square tube 1 and the trailer connecting post 2 to position the trailer connecting post 2. The trailer ball mechanism 3 is installed on the trailer connecting post 2 via the trailer ball mechanism connecting bolt 8 and the trailer ball mechanism connecting nut 9. A welding nut 6 is provided inside the trailer connecting post 2. The rear electric pedal mounting plate 5 is fastened to the trailer connecting post 2 via the extended connecting bolt 7 and the welding nut 6. At the same time, the rear electric pedal mounting seat 4 is fastened to the lower part of the rear electric pedal mounting plate 5 via the rear electric pedal connecting bolt 16 and the rear electric pedal connecting nut 10. The rear electric pedal mounting seat 4 is also fastened to the adapter plate of the trailer connecting post 2 via the rear electric pedal connecting bolt 16 and the rear electric pedal connecting nut 10. Thus, the trailer connecting post 2 is completely fastened to the trailer square tube 1, and the rear electric pedal mounting seat 4, with the rear electric pedal, is also completely fastened to the trailer connecting post 2. The extended connecting bolt 7 of the rear electric step can be adapted to trailer square tubes 1 of different lengths. The length of the bolt can be extended to adapt to trailer square tubes 1 of different lengths.

[0029] In this embodiment, the rear electric step can be controlled by a combination of mechanical switch 14 and inductive switch 15. A signal is sent to controller 13, which then supplies power to the drive motor 12 of the rear electric step. The drive motor 12 then drives the electric step to open and close. When the user uses the trailer function, the trailer ball mechanism 3 is installed, enabling trailer operation. When the user does not need to use the trailer, the trailer ball mechanism 3 is removed, allowing the rear electric step to be stepped on for easy entry and exit from the vehicle's trunk. This allows the user to use the rear electric step without completely disassembling the trailer assembly.

[0030] In one embodiment, the trailer ball mechanism 3 includes an L-shaped seat. The vertical section of the L-shaped seat is detachably connected to the adapter plate, and the horizontal section of the L-shaped seat is fixedly equipped with a trailer ball. The trailer ball is used to connect towing ropes, etc., to realize trailer towing operations. Since the overall size of the trailer ball mechanism 3 is small, this structure can be retained when towing is not needed, and the trailer ball mechanism 3 can be left unremoved. Because the rear electric pedal is still located under the trailer device when rotated to the step position, the trailer ball mechanism 3 will not interfere with the step area. At this time, the step area can still realize the function of stepping on the rear electric pedal, which facilitates the user to get in and out of the rear of the vehicle.

[0031] The second objective of this invention is to provide a pickup truck, including a vehicle body, with a trailer hitch and rear electric step mounting structure provided on the rear cargo bed as described above. This allows the trailer hitch and rear electric step to be simultaneously mounted on the vehicle body. The stable connection mechanism ensures the trailer hitch can be used normally, and when the user does not need to use the trailer hitch, the rear electric step can be used stably without disassembling the trailer hitch, facilitating easy entry and exit from the rear cargo bed.

[0032] This utility model uses specific examples to illustrate its principles and implementation methods. The above description of the embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core idea of ​​this utility model. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the idea of ​​this utility model. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.

Claims

1. A pickup truck's trailer-hitch and rear power-step mounting structure, characterized by: include: A trailer hitch fixed to the rear of a pickup truck; A trailer hitch, one end of which is fixedly connected to a trailer hitch connecting post via an adapter plate. The end of the trailer hitch connecting post away from the trailer hitch is inserted into the trailer hitch square tube and fixed to the trailer hitch square tube by a positioning pin. The rear electric step mounting bracket has one end fixedly connected to the bottom of the trailer square tube via a rear electric step mounting plate. One end of the rear electric step mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the bottom side of the rear electric step mounting plate, and the other end is fixedly connected to the adapter plate. The trailer connecting column has a welded nut fixedly installed at one end inside the trailer square tube. The upper side of the rear electric step mounting plate is fitted against the end of the trailer square tube away from the trailer connecting column, and is threadedly fixedly connected to the welded nut via an extended connecting bolt. A rear electric pedal, one end of which is hinged to the rear electric pedal mounting base; as well as An electronic control device is located on one side of the rear electric pedal mounting base to drive the rear electric pedal to rotate and maintain it at a set position.

2. The pickup truck's trailer carrier and rear power pedal mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized by: The rear electric pedal includes a fixedly connected pedal part and a connecting part. The connecting part is connected to the rear electric pedal mounting base through a transmission mechanism. The electronic control device is connected to the transmission mechanism to drive the pedal part to rotate and maintain it at a set position.

3. The pickup truck trailer and rear power step mounting structure of claim 2, wherein: The electronic control device includes a drive motor, the output shaft of which is connected to the transmission mechanism. The drive motor is connected to a vehicle power supply, and a controller is provided on the connection circuit between the drive motor and the vehicle power supply. The controller is connected to a control switch, which can send a signal to the controller so that the controller controls the on / off state of the connection circuit and the rotation direction of the drive motor output shaft.

4. The pickup truck's trailer carrier and rear power pedal mounting structure according to claim 3, characterized by: The control switch is a mechanical switch and / or an inductive switch.

5. The pickup truck's trailer carrier and rear power pedal mounting structure according to claim 3, characterized by: The trailer hitch is fixed to the lower rear of the pickup truck via a mounting bracket. The trailer hitch is fixedly installed on the end of the mounting bracket away from the pickup truck and is used to connect to a towing device to achieve towing.

6. The pickup truck's trailer carrier and rear power pedal mounting structure according to claim 5, characterized by: The trailer includes a trailer ball mechanism, and the adapter plate is fixedly connected to the trailer ball mechanism on the side away from the trailer square tube. The trailer ball mechanism is used to connect to the towing device.

7. The pickup truck's trailer carrier and rear power pedal mounting structure according to claim 6, characterized by: The trailer ball mechanism includes an L-shaped seat, the vertical section of which is detachably connected to the adapter plate, and the horizontal section of which is fixedly provided with a trailer ball.

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