Towbar Ball Joint Axial Locking and Path Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trailer couplings require additional locking mechanisms and complex adjustments to secure the ball rod in rotational end positions, leading to increased complexity and reduced ease of handling.
Innovation Solution
A trailer coupling design featuring an axially acting lock within the joint cavity to engage positive locking contours directly, eliminating the need for additional locking means and allowing for adaptable pivoting movements through a path control mechanism, ensuring secure engagement and release in various positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional locking mechanisms and circumferential grooves are provided to secure the ball rod in rotational end positions, then the reliability of locking is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the circumferential groove from the locking mechanism, replacing it with a simplified design where the lock acts axially directly on the form-fitting contours. This removes the complex radial groove structure while maintaining reliable locking through the axial lock design that engages the spherical cap and ball directly.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a lock that acts radially on the contours through a circumferential groove, the invention inverts the approach by having the lock act axially directly on the form-fitting contours. This inversion simplifies the mechanism by eliminating the need for radial grooves and complex lateral locking means.
2Reliability
If conventional locking mechanisms with circumferential grooves are used, then the ball rod can be secured in end positions, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to complex engagement and disengagement procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the circumferential groove and complex radial locking means, simplifying the operation to direct axial engagement. The lock now acts purely axially on the form-fitting contours, making engagement and disengagement more intuitive and easier to operate while maintaining secure locking in the end positions.
3Device complexity
If the ball rod is designed to pivot with fixed single-axis rotation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different spatial conditions in various motor vehicles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a path control mechanism that enables the ball rod to change its pivot axis dynamically. Instead of fixed single-axis rotation, the ball rod can now adapt its pivoting path through the path control, allowing it to accommodate different spatial conditions in various motor vehicles while maintaining relatively simple structural design.
4Reliability
If the lock acts radially on the form-fitting contours through circumferential grooves, then the positive locking is achieved, but the device complexity and number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the locking approach from radial action through circumferential grooves to axial action directly on the form-fitting contours. The lock now moves axially within the joint cavity and engages the spherical cap and ball through direct axial contact, eliminating the need for radial grooves and complex lateral locking structures while maintaining secure positive locking.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The hitch (1) has a ball joint with a joint head, where a continuous path controller of a ball rod mounting head (4) is arranged between a joint head and a joint socket. The controller causes a change in a rotation axis during a pivoting of a ball rod (2) from an operating position to a resting position. A hollow member (6) is arranged at the joint head of the ball joint, where a cavity (7) of the hollow member extends up to the joint head. An axial locking device (16) arranged in the cavity directly acts on form fit contours (23, 24) to be brought into engagement with the contours.