Abstract: In order to fix the carrier element reliably in an operating position relative to the holding unit, it is proposed that a locking apparatus is arranged on the holding unit, that the locking apparatus is arranged in a housing held on the holding unit, that, by means of a locking body, the locking apparatus fixes the carrier element, at least in an operating position, relative to the holding unit in that the locking body protrudes in a fixing position out of the housing and cooperates with the carrier element.

Abstract: In a trailer coupling, in order to detect the rest position and/or the operating position by means of an unambiguous signal, it is proposed that a detector unit is associated with the rest position locking device, said detector unit detecting at least one active position of the rest position locking device.

Abstract: In order to improve a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is received such that it is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between the working position and the rest position, and a rotation-blocking device that is active between the pivot bearing unit and the pivot bearing body, it is proposed that there run between the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles of the rotation-blocking device blocking faces against which rotation-blocking bodies of the rotation-blocking device are configured to abut, that rotation-blocking units of the rotation-blocking device and the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles are arranged at angular spacings from one another around

Abstract: In order, in the case of a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is received such that it is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between the working position and the rest position, and a rotation-blocking device that is active between the pivot bearing unit and the pivot bearing body, to achieve fixing of the rotation-blocking device in the release position in the simplest possible manner, it is proposed that there run between receptacles in the rotation-blocking device blocking faces against which the rotation-blocking bodies of the rotation-blocking device are configured to abut and from which the receptacles extend, that rotation-blocking units of the rotation-blocking device and the receptacles are arra

Abstract: In order to improve a trailer coupling, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between a working position and a rest position, wherein the pivot unit comprises a pivot bearing unit fixed to the vehicle and a rotation-blocking device for blocking a pivotal movement of the pivot bearing body about the pivot axis, at least in the working position, the improvement being such that this susceptibility to faults in a trailer coupling of the kind mentioned in the introduction is avoided, it is proposed that a pivot control unit should be integrated within the pivot unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between an operative position and a rest position and has a trailer ball, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to the vehicle, and a rotation-blocking device having at least two rotation-blocking bodies that are guided such that they are movable by means of a guide body in a guide direction having at least one component in the radial direction in relation to the pivot axis, and having an actuation body, which is arranged such that it is rotatable about the pivot axis and has a respective wedge face extending transversely to the guide direction for each of the rotation-blocking bodies and of which the rotary movement in an actuation direction causes the at least two rotation-blocking bodies to be movable and urgeable in the guide direction, wherein there is provided a release position latching device that, in a release position of the actuation body, is movable between a latch release position, which releases movement o

Abstract: In order to improve a device for pulling a trailer and/or retaining a load carrying unit that is mountable at the rear end of a motor vehicle body and which comprises a supporting arm that is connected by a first end region to the motor vehicle body and is provided at a second end region with an element for attaching the trailer and/or for fixing the load carrying unit and furthermore which comprises sensors for capturing reversible deformations of the supporting arm caused by loads on the supporting arm in such a manner as to provided a device with which an allocation of captured elongations to individual applications of force is possible in as simple a way as possible, it is proposed that strain sensors which are affected by reversible deformations thereof be assigned to a supporting arm section of the supporting arm, and that, for capturing at least one selected bending strain, at least one strain sensor be arranged on one side and at least one strain sensor on an opposite side of a surface region of a neu

Abstract: A device for pulling a trailer and/or retaining a load carrying unit that is mountable at the rear end of a motor vehicle body. The device comprises a supporting arm that is connected by a first end region to the motor vehicle body and is provided at a second end region with an element for attaching the trailer and/or for fixing the load carrying unit and furthermore which comprises sensors for capturing reversible deformations of the supporting arm caused by loads on the supporting arm. The device includes strain sensors which are affected by reversible deformations thereof are assigned to a supporting arm section of the supporting arm. For capturing at least one selected bending strain, at least one strain sensor is arranged on one side and at least one strain sensor on an opposite side of a surface region of a neutral reference surface assigned to the selected bending load. Each of the strain sensors are arranged at a distance from this surface region.

Abstract: In order to provide a trailer coupling device for motor vehicles, comprising a rear-side cross member which is mountable on a vehicle body, a supporting unit provided on the cross member which holds a ball neck receiving sleeve having a ball neck receptacle in which a ball neck incorporating a coupling ball is insertable and fixable therein, in which the ball neck receiving sleeve is minimally visible and disturbing when the ball neck is not inserted, it is proposed that the supporting unit comprises a pivot bearing unit by means of which the ball neck receiving sleeve is pivotable from a working position in which the ball neck is insertable therein in order to use a trailer, into a rest position in which an insertion opening of the ball neck receiving sleeve is arranged outside a visible region.

Abstract: In order to improve a holding device which is mountable on a tail region of the bodywork of a motor vehicle, comprising a swivel bearing unit which is mountable fixed to the vehicle on the tail region of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger motor vehicle, by means of a support unit, on which swivel bearing a swivel element supporting an attachment element is mounted pivotable about a swivel axis extending transversely, in particular inclined, relative to a longitudinal central plane and is thereby pivotable from an operating position into a rest position and vice versa, such that a holding device is provided to which widely differing attachment elements are fixable, it is proposed that the swivel element is provided with an attachment element carrier having a plug-in receptacle, into which attachment element carrier an attachment element is pluggable with an end region and is fixable with positive engagement, and in that in the operating position, the plug-in receptacle extends with its central axis sub

Abstract: In order to improve a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is received such that it is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between the working position and the rest position, and a rotation-blocking device that is active between the pivot bearing unit and the pivot bearing body, it is proposed that there run between the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles of the rotation-blocking device blocking faces against which rotation-blocking bodies of the rotation-blocking device are configured to abut, that rotation-blocking units of the rotation-blocking device and the working position receptacles and the rest position receptacles are arranged at angular spacings from one another around

Abstract: In order, in the case of a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between a working position and a rest position and has a pivot bearing body arranged at a first end and a coupling ball arranged at a second end, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to a vehicle and by means of which the pivot bearing body is received such that it is pivotal for the purpose of performing a pivotal movement about a pivot axis between the working position and the rest position, and a rotation-blocking device that is active between the pivot bearing unit and the pivot bearing body, to achieve fixing of the rotation-blocking device in the release position in the simplest possible manner, it is proposed that there run between receptacles in the rotation-blocking device blocking faces against which the rotation-blocking bodies of the rotation-blocking device are configured to abut and from which the receptacles extend, that rotation-blocking units of the rotation-blocking device and the receptacles are arra

Abstract: In order for a trailer hitch, comprising a bearing unit mountable on a rear end portion of a vehicle body, in fixed relation to the vehicle, said bearing unit having a bearing base and a ball neck carrier supported for movement on the bearing base, and further comprising a ball neck which at a first end is fixedly connected to the ball neck carrier and at a second end carries a hitch ball and which is movable, by the movement of the ball neck carrier relative to the bearing base, between two final positions, one of which is an operating position and the other one of which is a rest position, to be improved such that the position of the ball neck can be detected as simply and unambiguously as possible, it is proposed that a sensor system be provided for detecting the position of the ball neck relative to the bearing base, which sensor system detects the positions of the ball neck relative to the bearing base mounted in fixed relation to the vehicle and generates position information representative of the respe

Abstract: The invention relates to a trailer hitch, comprising a ball neck, which is movable between an operative position and a rest position and has a trailer ball, a pivot bearing unit, which is arranged fixed to the vehicle, and a rotation-blocking device having at least two rotation-blocking bodies that are guided such that they are movable by means of a guide body in a guide direction having at least one component in the radial direction in relation to the pivot axis, and having an actuation body, which is arranged such that it is rotatable about the pivot axis and has a respective wedge face extending transversely to the guide direction for each of the rotation-blocking bodies and of which the rotary movement in an actuation direction causes the at least two rotation-blocking bodies to be movable and urgeable in the guide direction, wherein there is provided a release position latching device that, in a release position of the actuation body, is movable between a latch release position, which releases movement o

Abstract: In order for a trailer hitch, comprising a pivot bearing unit mountable on a rear end portion of a vehicle body, in fixed relation to the vehicle, and a pivot element supported on the pivot bearing unit for pivotal movement about at least one pivot axis, said pivot element having fixedly connected thereto a ball neck carrying a hitch ball, said ball neck being pivotable, by pivoting the pivot element about the at least one pivot axis relative to the pivot bearing unit, between two final positions, one of which is an operating position and another one of which is a rest position, to be improved such that the location of the pivot element can be detected as simply and unambiguously as possible, it is proposed that a sensor system be provided for detecting at least one location of the pivot element relative to the pivot bearing unit with respect to the at least one pivot axis, which sensor system detects the locations of the pivot element relative to the pivot bearing unit mounted in fixed relation to the vehicl

Abstract: In order to improve a trailer device for motor vehicles, comprising a crossmember, which is mountable on a vehicle body at the rear-end side thereof, a holding unit, which is provided on the crossmember and which carries a ball neck receiving body comprising a ball neck receptacle, into which receiving body an insertion portion of a ball neck supporting a coupling ball is insertable and fixable therein, in such a way that the ball neck receiving body is both visible and intrusive to the least possible extent when the ball neck is not inserted, it is proposed that the holding unit comprises a pivot bearing unit, by means of which the ball neck receiving body is movable from a working position, in which the ball neck is insertable into said receiving body for trailer operation, into a rest position, and that at least one stop element fixedly connected to the holding unit is provided, which stop element has a first support surface, which, in the working position, abuts against the insertion portion with the inse

Abstract: In order to improve a coupling unit that is mountable on the rear end of a vehicle body and comprises a carrier unit which, for its part, is mountable on the vehicle body hidden by a bumper unit and which comprises a coupling arm held on the carrier unit for coupling a trailer or a rear load carrier, in such a way that detection of the mechanical loads on the coupling unit is possible in a simple way, it is proposed that there be provided at least one force detecting region on sections of the coupling unit that are mechanically loaded by the coupled trailer or the coupled rear load carrier, in which a sensor associated with this force detecting region detects the mechanical load acting on this force detecting region by means of the magneto-elastic effect.

Abstract: In order to provide a trailer coupling device for motor vehicles, comprising a rear-side cross member which is mountable on a vehicle body, a supporting unit provided on the cross member which holds a ball neck receiving sleeve having a ball neck receptacle in which a ball neck incorporating a coupling ball is insertable and fixable therein, in which the ball neck receiving sleeve is minimally visible and disturbing when the ball neck is not inserted, it is proposed that the supporting unit comprises a pivot bearing unit by means of which the ball neck receiving sleeve is pivotable from a working position in which the ball neck is insertable therein in order to use a trailer, into a rest position in which an insertion opening of the ball neck receiving sleeve is arranged outside a visible region.

Abstract: In order to provide a trailer coupling device for motor vehicles, comprising a rear-side cross member which is mountable on a vehicle body, a supporting unit provided on the cross member which holds a ball neck receiving sleeve having a ball neck receptacle in which a ball neck incorporating a coupling ball is insertable and fixable therein, in which the ball neck receiving sleeve is minimally visible and disturbing when the ball neck is not inserted, it is proposed that the supporting unit comprises a pivot bearing unit by means of which the ball neck receiving sleeve is pivotable from a working position in which the ball neck is insertable therein in order to use a trailer, into a rest position in which an insertion opening of the ball neck receiving sleeve is arranged outside a visible region.

Abstract: In order to improve a device for pulling a trailer and/or retaining a load carrying unit that is mountable at the rear end of a motor vehicle body and which comprises a supporting arm that is connected by a first end region to the motor vehicle body and is provided at a second end region with an element for attaching the trailer and/or for fixing the load carrying unit and furthermore which comprises sensors for capturing reversible deformations of the supporting arm caused by loads on the supporting arm in such a manner as to provided a device with which an allocation of captured elongations to individual applications of force is possible in as simple a way as possible, it is proposed that strain sensors which are affected by reversible deformations thereof be assigned to a supporting arm section of the supporting arm, and that, for capturing at least one selected bending strain, at least one strain sensor be arranged on one side and at least one strain sensor on an opposite side of a surface region of a neu