Towing device for a towing vehicle

• US 8,393,632 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Vortmeyer, Jens, Klank, Michael, Hofmann, Peter, Spratte, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS, TASHIANA R
• Application Number:
  US13/500,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20120217726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 280/511, 280/504
• US Class Current: 280/511
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/06 Ball-and-socket hitches , e.g. constructional details, auxiliary devices, their arrangement on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/248 for measuring, indicating or displaying the weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/58 Auxiliary devices

Abstract

A towing device, for a towing vehicle, with a coupling shaft attached to the towing vehicle, a ball head mounted on the coupling shaft so that the ball head can rotate about a vertical axis, which can be coupled to a coupling counterpart of a trailer vehicle, and with an angle-measuring device by which rotation of the ball head about the vertical axis, relative to the coupling shaft, can be determined, and a force-measuring device by which force exerted by the ball head on the coupling shaft in the direction of the vertical axis can be determined.

Claims

1. A towing device for a towing vehicle, the towing device comprising:

a coupling shaft (8) attached to the towing vehicle (2),

a ball head (6) mounted on the coupling shaft (8) so that the ball head (6) being rotatable about a vertical axis (10), and the ball head (6) being couplable to a coupling counterpart (5) of a trailer vehicle (3),

an angle-measuring device (22, 23) by which rotation of the ball head (6) about the vertical axis (10), relative to the coupling shaft (8), being determinable,

a force-measuring device (20, 22, 23) by which a force (F) exerted by the ball head (6) on the coupling shaft (8) in a direction of the vertical axis (10) is determinable, and

the angle-measuring device (22, 23) and the force-measuring device (20, 22, 23) both being integrated into the coupling shaft (8).

6. The towing device according to claim 1, wherein the angle-measuring device (22, 23) and the force-measuring device (20, 22, 23) are combined in a conjoint measuring device.

2. A towing device for a towing vehicle, the towing device comprising:

a coupling shaft (8) attached to the towing vehicle (2),

a ball head (6) mounted on the coupling shaft (8) so that the ball head (6) being rotatable about a vertical axis (10), and the ball head (6) being couplable to a coupling counterpart (5) of a trailer vehicle (3),

an angle-measuring device (22, 23) by which rotation of the ball head (6) about the vertical axis (10), relative to the coupling shaft (8), being determinable, and

a force-measuring device (20, 22, 23) by which a force (F) exerted by the ball head (6) on the coupling shaft (8) in a direction of the vertical axis (10) is determinable,

wherein the force-measuring device comprises a spring (20) and a displacement-measuring device (22, 23) such that the ball head (6) is connected to the coupling shaft (8) with the spring (20) interposed against the spring force of which the ball head (6) is displacable in the direction of the vertical axis (10) relative to the coupling shaft (8), and a distance through which the ball head (6) moves, along the direction of the vertical axis (10) relative to the coupling shaft (8), is determinable by the displacement-measuring device (22, 23), and

the displacement-measuring device comprises a magnet (22) and a magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23), one of the magnet (22) and the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) is fixedly attached to the ball head (6) and the other of the magnet (22) and the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) is fixedly attached the coupling shaft (8).

3. The towing device according to claim 2, wherein the magnet (22) is fixed to the ball head (6) and the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) is fixed to the coupling shaft (8).

4. The towing device according to claim 2, wherein components of the magnetic field produced by the magnet (22) in at least three different spatial directions are detectable by the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) such that rotation of the ball head (6), relative to the coupling shaft (8) about the vertical axis (10), is determinable.

5. The towing device according to claim 2, wherein magnetization of the magnet (22) is orientated transversely to the vertical axis (10).

7. A towing device for a towing vehicle, the towing device comprising:

a coupling shaft (8) being fixed to the towing vehicle (2), and the coupling shaft (8) comprising a hollow cylindrical end section (13) extending normal to the coupling shaft along a vertical axis (z);

a ball head (6) having a bolt (15) and being supported on the cylindrical end section (13) such that the bolt (15) extends coaxially with the vertical axis (10) within the cylindrical end section (13) of the coupling shaft (8), and the ball head (6) and the bolt (15) being rotatable around and axially slidable along the vertical axis (10) within the cylindrical end section (13), and the ball head (6) being couplable to a coupling counterpart (5) of a trailer vehicle (3);

an angle-measuring device (22, 23) for detecting rotation of the ball head (6) about a vertical axis (10) relative to the coupling shaft (8); and

a force-measuring device (20, 22, 23) for detecting movement of the ball head (6) relative to the coupling shaft (8) along the vertical axis (10).

8. The towing device according to claim 7, wherein the force-measuring device comprises a spring (20) and a displacement- measuring device (22, 23) such that the ball head (6) is connected to the coupling shaft (8) with the spring (20) interposed against the spring force of which the ball head (6) is displacable in a direction of the vertical axis (10) relative to the coupling shaft (8), and a distance through which the ball head (6) has moved, along the direction of the vertical axis (10) relative to the coupling shaft (8), is determinable by the displacement-measuring device (22, 23).

9. The towing device according to claim 8, wherein the displacement-measuring device comprises a magnet (22) and a magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23), one of the magnet (22) and the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) components is fixedly attached to the ball head (6) and the other of the magnet (22) and the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) components is fixedly attached the coupling shaft (8).

10. The towing device according to claim 9, wherein the magnet (22) is fixed to the ball head (6) and the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) is fixed to the coupling shaft (8).

11. The towing device according to claim 10, wherein components of the magnetic field produced by the magnet (22) in at least three different spatial directions are detectable by the magnetic-field-sensitive sensor (23) such that rotation of the ball head (6), relative to the coupling shaft (8) about the vertical axis (10), is determinable.