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EP-4338985-B1 - TRAILER COUPLING FOR VEHICLES

EP4338985B1EP 4338985 B1EP4338985 B1EP 4338985B1EP-4338985-B1

Inventors

  • MASSA, Jorith
  • BALINT, PETER
  • VERREYDT, Jonathan

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220915

Claims (14)

  1. Trailer coupling (1) for vehicles, the trailer coupling (1) comprising a coupling arm (3) with a coupling head (300) arranged at a free end (30) of the coupling arm (3) for coupling a trailer to a vehicle, and an opposite end (31) of the coupling arm (3) being attachable to a mounting structure, which mounting structure (4) is arrangeable at the vehicle; a locking mechanism comprising a locking arrangement for releasably locking the coupling arm (3) to the mounting structure (4); and a user interface (5) for actuating the locking mechanism, wherein the user interface (5) comprises an extendable lever (52), characterized in that the user interface (5) is a handwheel (50) accommodating the extendable lever (52).
  2. Trailer coupling according to claim 1, wherein the extendable lever (52) is a foldable lever or a slidable lever.
  3. Trailer coupling according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the extendable lever (52) comprises a return device (55) holding the extendable lever (52) in a non-extended position.
  4. Trailer coupling according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handwheel (50) comprises a security lock (6) to secure the handwheel (50) in a locked position.
  5. Trailer coupling according to claim 4, wherein the security lock (6) prevents at least a movement of the extendable lever (52), a movement of the handwheel (50), movement of parts of the locking mechanism or a movement of parts of an actuation mechanism for the locking mechanism.
  6. Trailer coupling according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an end stop for the extendable lever (52) hindering or preventing movement of the handwheel (50).
  7. Trailer coupling according to claim 6, wherein the end stop comprises a protrusion (41) external of the handwheel (50).
  8. Trailer coupling according to any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the end stop is arranged such that the extendable lever (52) in the extended position may bypass the end stop.
  9. Trailer coupling according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a rack and pinion drive (440, 441) acting on the locking arrangement.
  10. Method for operating a trailer coupling (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising: providing a trailer coupling comprising a mounting structure (4) attachable to a vehicle and comprising a user interface (5) comprising an extendable lever (52), wherein the user interface (5) is a handwheel (50) accommodating the extendable lever (52); extending the extendable lever (52) to an extended position; moving the handwheel (50) by acting on the extendable lever (52) in the extended position, thereby releasing a locking mechanism locking one end (31) of a coupling arm (3) of the trailer coupling (1), which end (31) is coupled to the mounting structure (4), thereby allowing the coupling arm (3) to be detached from the mounting structure (4).
  11. Method according to claim 10, wherein extending the extendable lever (52) is performed by a rotational movement or by a linear movement or by a combination of a rotational and a linear movement.
  12. Method according to any one of claims 10 or 11, further comprising blocking a movement of the handwheel (50) by providing an end stop for the extendable lever (52) in a non-extended position.
  13. Method according to claim 12, further comprising extending the extendable lever (52) to the extended position thereby bypassing the end stop and allowing movement of the handwheel (50).
  14. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, providing a force acting on the extendable lever (52) in the extended position to force the extendable lever (52) back into a non-extended position.

Description

The invention relates to a trailer coupling for vehicles, in particular motor vehicles such as, for example, passenger cars. To attach or release a trailer coupling from a corresponding mounting structure on a vehicle, the coupling is often operated using a handwheel. For safety reasons, such a handwheel may be a removable part and/or can be rotated only while keeping the wheel pushed or pulled. Such handwheels may get lost, need high forces to be operated, or require unintuitive movements to be operated. This lowers a user friendliness also considering the often greasy or dirty environment of trailer coupling applications. EP-A-1 757 466 A1 discloses a trailer coupling for vehicles with a coupling arm having a coupling head arranged at a free end thereof, and that has an end opposite to the free end that is attachable to a mounting structure. The trailer coupling further comprises a geared locking mechanism including an actuator lever of fixed length which is rotatable about an axle between a locking position in which the trailer coupling is locked to the mounting structure, and a release position in which the trailer coupling may be removed from the mounting structure. EP 0 934 838 A1 discloses a trailer coupling known in the prior art. EP-A- 0 455 251 A2 and DE 40 09 530 C1 disclose trailer couplings for vehicles. These trailer couplings comprise a locking mechanism including an extendable lever. US 5,626,435 discloses a trailer coupling according to the preamble of claim 1. Therefore, there is a need for a trailer coupling with a user-friendly user interface. In particular, there is need for a trailer coupling providing an intuitive operation of the trailer coupling including safety features to prevent inadvertent actuation of the trailer coupling. According to the invention, there is provided a trailer coupling for motor vehicles, for example passenger vehicles. The trailer coupling comprises a coupling arm with a coupling head arranged at a free end of the coupling arm for coupling a trailer to the vehicle via the trailer coupling. The coupling head may, for example, be a coupling ball to be inserted in a corresponding ball receiving cavity in a trailer. An opposite end of the coupling arm is attachable, for example insertable, to a mounting structure, which mounting structure is arrangeable at the vehicle. Preferably, the mounting structure is a rigid structure, which is preferably fixedly arrangeable at the vehicle, for example, at a cross bar. The trailer coupling further comprises a locking mechanism comprising a locking arrangement for releasably locking the coupling arm to the mounting structure. Thereby, the trailer coupling may reversibly be locked to the vehicle. A locking arrangement may, for example, comprise movable locking elements that are moveable from an engaged to a released position, thereby preventing or allowing a disengagement of the trailer coupling from a mounting structure provided at the vehicle. The trailer coupling according to the invention further comprises a user interface for actuating the locking mechanism, wherein the user interface comprises an extendable lever. The user interface is a handwheel accommodating the extendable lever. A handwheel provided with an extendable lever allows for an intuitive approach of operating the handwheel and thus the trailer coupling. In addition, an extendable lever in an extended position provides lower force needed for a same torque to be applied, for example, to a handwheel. In a non-extended position of the extendable lever, the lever is accommodated in a main body of the handwheel: By this, the extendable lever may be safely stored, less prone to damage or soiling and simple in design. In addition, the presence of an extendable lever enables the provision of safety measures that prevent actuation of the locking mechanism at a very early stage of operation of the trailer coupling. In particular, blocking or locking means may be provided, which keep the extendable lever in the non-extended position or that inhibit or hinder a movement of the handwheel, when the extendable lever is in the non-extended position. Preferably, such blocking means for blocking a movement of the handwheel are provided to block the lever in the non-extended position only. In a non-extended position, the extendable lever may be arranged in the main body of the handwheel such as to not extend over a lateral dimension of the main body of the handwheel. For example, the extendable lever may be arranged such as to not extend over a circumference of a circular main body of the handwheel or such to leave clearance with surrounding coupling components. In a non-extended position, the extendable lever may be arranged in the main body such as to slightly extend over a lateral dimension of the main body of the handwheel. A protruding portion of the non-extended lever may, for example, form a grip for the extendable lever for easier extending of the lever. If the extend