DE8703875U1 - Removable hook, for installation especially on motor vehicles - Google Patents

Description

t it*«·* it

&bull;&igr;&igr; · « <

14 III II

I I I I I I I III I

I III! 1 I

Andrejewski, Honke & Partner, patent attorneys in Essen

Description:

The invention relates to a removable hook for installation on particularly motor vehicles and for towing trailers or caravans.

There are known fixed hooks on the rear of motor vehicles, which are a nuisance for aesthetic reasons and for the space they take up when the motor vehicle in question is not towed. To avoid these disadvantages, removable hooks have already been developed. These removable hooks generally consist of a "J"-shaped rod with a spherical end at the end of the curved part of the rod, the straight rod shaft being inserted into and locked in a cylindrical or sleeve-like seat. This sleeve-like seat is located under the rear part of the motor vehicle. Since the sleeve-like seat is practically fixed under the motor vehicle and contains devices for locking and releasing the rod shaft and, where appropriate, seals, return springs, joints, hinges or the like for these devices, it forms a complex of sensitive mechanical parts which are exposed to dust, water and sometimes also to the risk of impact. Such a complex is prone to repair and can cause difficulties in handling when locking or releasing the connection or when inserting the rod shaft into the socket. In winter, for example, the operation of the locking device - usually an opening lever for the socket - can become impossible due to ice, since the ice formed on the hinges leads to the opening lever being blocked. Furthermore, the socket is often hidden in such a way that the correct insertion of the removable hook is difficult.

I I

I i &igr;

f t

till t

Andrejewski, Honke & Partner/ Patent attorneys in Essen

cannot be guaranteed and can hardly be checked by the operator.

The invention is based on the object of creating a removable hook for installation in particular on motor vehicles of the type described above, which is insensitive to weather influences and easy to inspect and, in terms of its functionality, is reliable and easy to handle.

The invention solves this problem with a generic removable hook with the characterizing features of the protection claim and, in an advantageous embodiment, with the characterizing features of the protection claims 2 to 7.

The invention is explained in more detail below using a drawing that merely represents an exemplary embodiment. It shows:

Fig. 1 shows a motor vehicle in a spherical representation with the mounting zone for a hook according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is an axial section through the article of Fig. 1 along line 2-2 with the hook removed,

Fig. 3 is a cross-section along the line B-B through the article of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an axial section through the article according to Fig. 7 along the line C-C with the hook mounted,

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the article of Fig. 4 along the line A-A,

it &iacgr;&iacgr; « I ₁ I '

11 II» I ₁

> III < II > ) II ₁

■ till III

Andrejewski, Honke & Partner, patent attorneys in Essen

Fig. 6 a hook according to the invention in plan view and mounted position,

Fig. 7 the object according to Fig. 6 in side view and

Fig. 8 the object according to Fig. 7 in the direction of arrow X.

In the figures, 1 designates the removable part of a hook; 2 the fixed part of the same, consisting essentially of a blunt cylindrical pin which is fastened to the vehicle structure as an end extension in a manner known per se; 3 the shaft of the removable part; 4 a hollow body made of steel which is firmly connected to one end of the shaft 3, at the other curved end of which there is a spherical head 3A; this hollow body 4 forms at 5 a sleeve which can receive the fixed pin 2; 6 a tangential groove which is formed on the end part of the fixed pin 2; and 7 a bolt which is inserted into the transverse slot 7A formed in the hollow body 4 at the height of the sleeve 4. The bolt 7 is supported in such a way that it can move along the transverse slot 7A with respect to the axis of the sleeve 5 when two push rods 8 and ⁸¹ , to the end of which it is hinged, are brought from the "open" position, according to Figures 2 and 3, to the "closed" position, according to Figures 4 and 5, by the rotation of the lever 9 (to which the push rods are hinged at 9A).

The lever 9 is hinged at 10 to the cylindrical hollow body 4 and is provided with a safety device against accidental opening, consisting of an opening 11 provided in a lateral rib HA of the lever itself and serving to receive a pin 12 when the lever is in the closed position. The pin

&igr;&igr; < ti

Andrejewski, Honke & Partner, patent attorneys in Essen

is slidably mounted in a hole 20 of the cylindrical hollow body 4 and is loaded by a spring 14 which rests on a shoulder (not visible) of the hole 20.

It is only possible to release the opening 11 from engagement with the pin 12 and to lift the lever 9 for the purpose of opening it if a head 13 of the pin 12 is moved away and brought into a position 13' against the force of the spring 14.

When closing, the engagement between the opening 11 and the pin 12 takes place automatically by the pin 12 snapping into the opening 11, whereby for this purpose it is ensured that the lateral rib HA initially runs obliquely, as can be seen in Fig. 5.

The removable hook 1 also has an electrical contact 15 which is insulated from the rod on whose end facing the inside of the sleeve 5 it is arranged and connected by means of an electrical conductor 16 which is also insulated from the entire metal mass of the hook 1 and ends in a plug 16A which can be inserted into a plug socket fitted on the motor vehicle or trailer. The plug socket is electrically provided with a device for detecting the correct insertion of the pin 2.

Said electrical contact, which protrudes slightly inside the sleeve 5, is intended to contact the front of the fixed pin 2 when the latter has been correctly inserted inside the cup-shaped part 5, so as to then give an electrical connection signal indicating the correct insertion of the pin 2 into the seat.

II III! It II t I (I «I ' » t '< I &bull; I t I « III II

IIII

Andrejewsld, Honke & Partner, patent attorneys in Essen

The way it works is as follows:

When the hook 1 is in the open position with the lever 9 essentially perpendicular to the shaft 3, the pin 7 (see Fig. 2) remains outside the cylindrical opening of the sleeve 5, so that it is possible and easy to slide the sleeve 5 onto the fixed pin 2 without hindrance.

As soon as the fixed pin 2 is inserted into the sleeve 5, whereby an electrical connection contact to ground has already been established by the contact 15 during insertion, the bolt 7 is raised upwards by the rotation in the closed position of the lever 9 on the pivot point 10 in order to enter the tangential groove 6 of the fixed pin 2 and to block it both axially and radially.

In order to avoid play between the pin 2 and the sleeve 5 and to keep the two parts always attached to one another, the push rods 8 and 8' are not designed to be straight. By means of spring action (due precisely to this non-straight design) it is possible to keep the pin 7 under tension against the tangential groove 6 even when the lever 9 is closed in a position practically parallel to the shaft 3, as shown in Fig. 4. The electrical contact established by the engagement of the shaft 2 with the contact 15 during the closing process gives the user the guarantee of correct insertion. The invention has the advantage that all the sensitive mechanical and electrical parts of the entire complex can be removed and stored and inspected under the most favorable conditions.

■ > lit

&bull; (' ti 11

Claims (7)

Andrejewski, Honke & Partner · · · ■ ■ Patent attorneys Anwalisaki:
66 271/ct. Utility model application ELLEBI S.p.A. Strada Statale 63, 189 I - 42 040 S. Vittoria Diplcm Physicist Dr. Walter Andrejewski Graduate engineer Dr. Manfred Honke Graduate Physicist Dr. Karl Gerhard Masch 430C Essen 1, Theaieiplaiz 3, Posif. 100254 March 12, 1987 "Removable hook, for installing
in particular motor vehicles" Protection claims: 1. Removable hook, for installation in particular on motor vehicles and for towing trailers or caravans, characterized in that a fixed part from an end extension (2) which has a blunt part pointing towards the rear part of the vehicle. 2. Removable hook according to claim 1, characterized in that a tangential groove (6) is formed on the fixed end extension (2). e Il 1*1 1 I 111 II 1 I &idigr;&Igr; » » 1 II» I Andrejewski, Honke & Partner, patent attorneys in Essen j 3. Removable hook according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in ! net that for the engagement of the terminal process (2) a removable j part (1) thereof carries a hollow body (4) which is connected to a sleeve (5) ! and a transverse slot (7A). 4. Removable hook according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in order to block the fixed parts and removable parts of the hook with one another on the hollow body (4) at least one lever (9) is provided, the actuation of which by means of a linkage of two push rods (8, 8') causes a radial displacement of a lateral bolt (7) held by the push rods (8, 8') into the transverse slot (7A) of the hollow body (4) and into the tangential groove (6) of the end extension (2) inserted into the hollow body (4). 5. Removable hook according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the push rods (8, 8') between the lever (9) and the lateral bolt (7) have a profile that is not straight but is provided with at least one curve or arc and thus exert a spring effect on the bolt (7). 6. Removable hook according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in order to achieve a correct coupling, at least one electrical contact (15) connected to an external conductor (16) is provided in at least one of the two parts (1, 2) or in the fixed or removable part. 7. Removable hook according to claim 6, characterized in that the contact (15) on the front side of at least one of the two ah- I I I f ti ItIt &bull; ·· (III · > H4 » &bull; t III Il ItIIlI I III Il ) III« III t it it Jl t Andrejewski, Honke & Partner, patent attorneys in Essen mutually abutting parts ti, 2) and comes into contact with the opposite part when the parts (i, 2) are pressed against one another &igr;