Ball Coupling Socket With Articulation For Off-Road Towing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ball couplings lack sufficient articulation for off-road towing applications, leading to stress on components and potential failure when traversing uneven terrain, and often require clumsy adaptations to achieve off-road capability.
Innovation Solution
A ball coupling device with a socket assembly that allows for relative rotation and decoupling, featuring a sliding fit and a neck structure that enables three axes of articulation, allowing independent movement of towed and towing vehicles, and includes a cover and retainer mechanism for secure engagement and disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional ball coupling is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the articulation is insufficient for off-road applications
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is divided into multiple independent segments: a ball coupling assembly with primary articulation, a drag link assembly with secondary articulation, and a tow bar. This segmentation allows each component to contribute to the overall articulation capability, enabling the system to handle uneven terrain while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling incorporates dynamic articulation capabilities through the drag link assembly, which allows relative movement between the ball coupling and tow bar. This dynamic structure adapts to off-road conditions by permitting angular deviations and adjustments, transforming a static rigid connection into a flexible articulated system that can navigate uneven surfaces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the coupling allows independent movement for off-road capability, then the articulation is improved, but the stress on components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drag link assembly acts as a cushioning element that absorbs and distributes stresses generated during off-road towing. By incorporating this intermediate articulation mechanism, the system prepares for and mitigates the impact of uneven terrain stresses before they reach critical components, reducing peak loads on the ball coupling and tow bar connections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a hook-type coupling is used for off-road capability, then the off-road capability is achieved, but the design is crude and small
Solution Approach 1:
The ball coupling assembly is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides the primary towing connection, enables articulation for off-road terrain, and maintains a robust structure suitable for heavy-duty applications. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate hook-type couplings, achieving off-road capability while maintaining high design quality and manufacturability through a unified robust structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A ball coupling device includes a socket assembly, configured to assume an operative condition in which it defines a socket to capture a tow ball such that there is formed a sliding fit, permitting relative rotation, between the tow ball and socket or assembly and to assume an inoperative condition whereby the tow ball and assembly can be decoupled. The assembly being configured to define in the operative condition an opening, disposed about a neck via which the tow ball is supported, having a width, parallel to a rotational axis extending centrally through the tow ball and perpendicular to a central axis of the tow ball that extends top-to-bottom therethrough, sufficient that the neck passes through the opening, and a length sufficient to permit relative displacement between the neck and assembly and thus relative rotation between the tow ball and the assembly or device about the rotational axis.