Articulated modular vehicle

Claim 1

A FOUR-POINT HITCH FOR INTERCOUPLING THE REAR PORTION OF A LEADING VEHICLE WITH THE FRONT PORTION OF A TRAILING VEHICLE, COMPRISING: A PAIR OF LOWER LINK ASSEMBLIES, EACH PIVOTALLY COUPLED AT ONE END TO ONE OF SAID VEHICLES AND PIVOTALLY COUPLED AT THE OTHER END TO THE OTHER OF SAID VEHICLES, AND EACH HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION; ACTUATOR MEANS, HAVING ONE PORTION COUPLED TO ONE OF SAID VEHICLES AND ANOTHER PORTION COUPLED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF THE LOWER LINK ASSEMBLIES; MEANS FOR EFFECTIVELY LOCKING SAID ACTUATOR MEANS IN A REFERENCE POSITION, THEREBY TO CORRESPONDINGLY MAINTAIN EACH OF SAID LOWER LINK ASSEMBLIES IN A REFERENCE POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE GROUND PLANE; A PAIR OF UPPER LINK ASSEMBLIES EACH COUPLED BETWEEN SAID VEHICLES, EACH UPPER LINK ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SLEEVE MEMBER FOR ALLOWING RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN THE EXTREMITIES OF EACH UPPER LINK ASSEMBLY; AND MEANS IN EACH SLEEVE MEMBER FOR SELECTIVELY LOCKING THE EXTREMITIES OF THE UPPER LINK ASSEMBLIES, THEREBY TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EXTREMITIES OF THE UPPER LINK ASSEMBLY.