Trailer Hitch Ball Shell Independent Pivoting Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trailer hitches often experience false locking issues due to incorrect operation or obstacles, leading to accidental coupling and safety concerns, as they lack independent movement of the ball shell and safety lever, which can result in unintended locking and blocking.
Innovation Solution
A trailer hitch design featuring a freely pivoting spherical shell that can deviate from the safety lever and locking bolt in open positions, with a convex curvature for guidance and a fork-shaped or U-shaped safety lever for enhanced stability, allowing independent rotation and preventing accidental closure, and incorporating a spring-loaded mechanism for secure open positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ball shell is rigidly connected to the safety lever and locking bolt, then the locking mechanism is simple, but false locking occurs due to inability to independently deviate from obstacles or incorrectly positioned balls
Solution Approach 1:
The ball shell is separated from the safety lever and locking bolt, allowing independent movement. The ball shell can pivot freely on its own axis while the safety lever and locking bolt remain connected to each other, creating segmented functional units that operate independently to prevent false locking.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball shell is made dynamically movable with respect to the safety lever and locking bolt through a pivoting connection. This dynamic arrangement allows the ball shell to adapt its position independently when encountering obstacles or incorrectly positioned coupling balls, preventing unintended locking.
2Reliability
If the safety lever and locking bolt are directly connected without intermediate elements, then the locking action is direct and simple, but accidental closure cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The ball shell acts as an intermediary element between the coupling ball and the locking mechanism. It transmits the coupling action to the safety lever and locking bolt only when properly positioned, preventing accidental closure while maintaining a relatively simple interaction mechanism.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ball shell has fixed positioning, then the locking position is precise, but automatic correction of incorrect coupling is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The ball shell's pivoting capability allows it to dynamically adjust its position during the coupling process. When a coupling ball is incorrectly positioned, the ball shell can pivot to accommodate the misalignment, enabling automatic correction while still achieving precise locking when properly coupled.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design prevents false locking, ensures reliable coupling and release, and maintains safety lever and locking bolt positions, reducing operator errors and providing automatic correction for incorrect coupling or obstacles, while enhancing stability and security.
Implementation Method 1
a spring-loaded locking bolt
Implementation Method 2
a friction brake
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The trailer coupling (1) has a housing (2) in which a lockbolt (9) is slidably mounted, an operating lever (3), a pivotally mounted spherical shell (13) and a pivotally mounted safety lever (26) that cooperates to the lockbolt. The spherical shell is free and independent of the safety lever and the lockbolt is pivotally mounted in the opening position of the trailer coupling. The spherical shell has releasable abutment on the lockbolt at the rear end of curved portion contour.