A coupler 10 for a trailer hitch (100; fig. 6) to electrically couple a trailer (200; fig. 6) to a towing vehicle (300; fig. 6). The coupler includes: a pin extender 30; a pin receiver 50; a housing, e.g. cup 70; and first 40 and second 60 stabilisers, each including a spring (41, 61; fig.9) and a solid head (42, 62; fig. 9). Electrical pins 32 of the extender are disposed in pin slots 56 in the receiver. The first stabilisers are disposed in first slots (33, fig.8) in the extender and second slots 55 in the receiver and the second stabilisers in third slots (57; fig. 2) in the receiver and fourth slots (74; fig. 4) in the housing. The second and third slots may be kidney shaped and the solid heads of the stabilisers may be spherical, allowing rotation of the receiver relative to the stabilisers without compressing them. The receiver may slide longitudinally relative to the cup 70 (i.e. along axis 400), with the stabilisers biased against this movement. There may also be a top 20 with masts 22 and a slot 21 for wires from the vehicle aligned with a slot 31 in the pin extender.
Trailer coupler
2018-06-06
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
IPC: | B60D Fahrzeugverbindungen , VEHICLE CONNECTIONS |