Coupling device between a towing vehicle and a trailer

摘要

A coupling device between a towing vehicle and a trailer of a vehicle-trailer combination is given a configuration which ensures a high degree of oscillation stability of the vehicle-trailer combination when travelling fast and when travelling through large bend radii whilst it permits the adjustment to tight bend radii without difficulty when travelling slowly. For this purpose, the coupling device has a four-bar linkage which is constructed as a trapezoidal link and in addition has a connecting link which is arranged on the coupling and the web of the said linkage. The connecting link is blocked in its basic position by means of a locking device which in turn interacts with a control device which is influenced by the link arms of the trapezoidal link or four-bar linkage as soon as the said arms exceed, or undershoot, a predetermined swivel angle region in relation to the web or to the coupling. At this moment, the locking device then disengages and releases the connecting link in order to set a large articulation angle between the longitudinal axis of the towing vehicle and the longitudinal axis of the trailer.