Hitch Mount Assembly with Diagonal Tubular Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trailer hitches experience wobble and instability within trailer hitch receivers, leading to potential safety issues during transportation, especially with long trailers, due to gaps between the hitch and receiver surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A hitch mount assembly featuring diagonally and laterally displaced tubular elements that press against the interior walls of the receiver, combined with a hollow sleeve that fills the space between the hitch and receiver, enhancing stability and reducing movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a hollow sleeve is inserted into the trailer hitch receiver to fill the space between the hitch and receiver, then the stability and security of the hitch mount is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
A hollow sleeve is introduced as an intermediary component between the hitch mount and the trailer hitch receiver. The sleeve fills the gap space that would otherwise allow movement, thereby stabilizing the connection without requiring modification of the primary hitch or receiver structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilization function is segmented into a separate hollow sleeve component rather than being integrated into the hitch mount or receiver. This allows the sleeve to be independently installed and removed, providing stability as a modular addition to the existing hitch system.
2Stability of the object's composition
If tubular elements are diagonally and laterally displaced to press against interior walls of the receiver, then the wobble and movement are reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular elements are positioned in an asymmetric, diagonally displaced configuration rather than a symmetric alignment. This diagonal arrangement creates natural contact points with the interior walls of the receiver, generating stabilizing friction forces that reduce wobble without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular elements have varying cross-sectional dimensions along their length, with larger dimensions at the ends that contact the receiver walls. This local variation in geometry concentrates the stabilizing contact forces at specific locations, maximizing friction and stability while allowing greater tolerance in other areas of the components.
3Reliability
If a hollow sleeve is used to fill the gap between hitch and receiver, then the reliability under heavy loads is improved, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow sleeve is designed to nest within the existing trailer hitch receiver opening, utilizing the available space without requiring external modifications. The hitch mount then nests within the hollow sleeve, creating a nested configuration that improves reliability by eliminating gap movement while maintaining compatibility with standard receiver dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
Hitch mount assemblies include a trailer hitch receiver, a hollow sleeve inserted into the trailer hitch receiver, and a hitch mount inserted into the hollow sleeve. First and second planar end surfaces of sidewalls of the hollow sleeve lie in a common plane that is oriented at an acute angle to a central longitudinal axis of the hollow sleeve. Additional hitch mount assemblies include a trailer hitch receiver, a hitch mount, and a hollow sleeve that includes a first L-shaped elongated member and a complementary second L-shaped elongated member. Further hitch mount assemblies include a trailer hitch receiver, a hitch mount including an elongated bar inserted into and extending from the trailer hitch receiver, and a hollow sleeve at least substantially fully covering the portion of the elongated bar extending from an opening of the trailer hitch receiver.