Pivoting Guide Element for Trailer Hitch Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guide devices for aligning hitch elements on trailers with those on towing vehicles are ineffective when the hitch elements are significantly misaligned, making it difficult or impossible to achieve vertical alignment, especially with large and heavy trailers that are not easily maneuverable.
Innovation Solution
A guide device with pivotally coupleable guide elements and a mounting system that allows the guide members to diverge at different angles, enabling the guide element to pivot and engage misaligned hitch elements, correcting their alignment as the towing vehicle reverses, thereby ensuring vertical alignment with the hitch element on the towing vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid guide plates are used to guide the hitch element, then the guide structure is simple and stable, but the ability to correct significant misalignment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is made pivotally coupleable to the mounting means, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and angle. The guide element can pivot about a pivot axis to accommodate misaligned hitch elements, transforming the static rigid structure into a dynamic adaptive one that can correct significant misalignment while maintaining guidance functionality
2Device complexity
If the guide element is fixed in position, then the mounting structure is simple, but the guide cannot adapt to misaligned hitch elements
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element incorporates pivotal movement capability through pivot pins and pivot axes, allowing it to adjust its orientation dynamically. This dynamic feature enables the guide to adapt to misaligned hitch elements without requiring complex adjustable mounting mechanisms, achieving adaptability with relatively simple pivotal joints
3Ease of manufacture
If the guide plates diverge at fixed angles, then the manufacturing is simple, but the guidance effectiveness for misaligned hitches is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing guide plates with fixed precise angles, the invention uses pivotally coupleable guide elements that can dynamically adjust their divergence angles during operation. This transforms a manufacturing precision problem into a operational adjustment capability, where the guide elements naturally achieve proper alignment through pivotal movement rather than precise manufacturing
4Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used to align hitch elements, then alignment can be achieved, but time and manpower are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device enables self-alignment through its pivotally coupleable guide elements that automatically adjust and guide the hitch element into proper vertical alignment with the towing vehicle's hitch. The system performs the alignment function autonomously during the reversing maneuver, eliminating the need for manual intervention and significantly reducing hitching time
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
A guide device (1) guides a socket hitch (3) on a trailer (4) into vertical alignment with a ball hitch (5) on a tow bar (7) of a towing vehicle (2) as the towing vehicle (2) is being reversed towards the trailer (4). The guide device (1) comprises a mounting bracket (14) secured to the tow bar (7). A guide element (12) is pivotally coupleable in the mounting bracket (14). The guide element (12) comprises a pair of diverging guide plates (24) which diverge from an apex (25). A pivot pin (28) adjacent the apex (25) pivotally engages a pivot bore (29) in the mounting bracket (14). Limit elements (43) on the mounting bracket (14) limit pivotal movement of the guide element (12) relative to the mounting bracket (14) and to the ball hitch (5).