Self-adaptive double wheel structure of rear wheel of heavy truck or motor home

Abstract

The application provides a self-adaptive double-wheel structure of a rear wheel of a heavy truck or a recreational vehicle, a storage box is installed on an axle directly above an auxiliary wheel, two roller mechanisms and a flexible bearing belt are arranged in the storage box, the auxiliary wheel is located between the two roller mechanisms, the flexible bearing belt is sleeved around the two roller mechanisms and the surface of the auxiliary wheel, and a counterweight mechanism for tensioning the flexible bearing belt is hung between the two roller mechanisms; by using the above technical scheme, during normal driving, the flexible bearing belt is stored in the storage box, the auxiliary wheel does not contact the ground, and the rolling resistance and fuel consumption are reduced; when a tire bursts or the vehicle is stuck, the flexible bearing belt is sleeved around the two roller mechanisms and the surface of the auxiliary wheel, the height difference caused by the sinking of the vehicle body is effectively compensated, the ground contact area is increased, the load of the auxiliary wheel is dispersed, and the stability and safety of the vehicle are improved; and the counterweight mechanism tensions the flexible bearing belt, so that the flexible bearing belt is prevented from falling off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle rear wheel support equipment, and more specifically to an adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs. Background Technology

[0002] For four-wheel drive vehicles such as trucks and heavy-duty motorhomes, when a rear tire blows out or gets stuck on soft ground, the vehicle is prone to severe swerving due to its heavy load, leading to loss of steering control or difficulty in getting out of trouble. To address this risk, current technology commonly uses a dual-wheel rear axle configuration, where two identical tires are mounted on the same side of the rear axle to provide additional load-bearing capacity and support. However, this dual-wheel configuration means that the inner and outer tires are always in contact with the ground simultaneously during normal road driving, resulting in a significant increase in rolling resistance and higher fuel consumption.

[0003] To address the high fuel consumption issue of dual-wheel configurations, existing technologies have further proposed unequal-diameter dual-wheel structures. This involves designing a smaller diameter auxiliary tire while keeping the outer main tire size constant. Under normal driving conditions, the smaller diameter auxiliary tire does not contact the ground, thus reducing rolling resistance and improving fuel economy. However, this structure has significant drawbacks in situations involving tire blowouts or vehicle stagnation: when the outer main tire fails, the vehicle body sinks, forcing the smaller diameter auxiliary tire to contact the ground. However, due to its smaller diameter, it cannot compensate for the loss of vehicle height, resulting in significant vehicle displacement. Simultaneously, the entire load is instantaneously concentrated on the smaller diameter tire and its rim, not only placing excessive pressure on the tire but also potentially causing impact damage to the axle and related suspension components, affecting the overall safety and reliability of the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of the aforementioned technologies by proposing an adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs, aiming to solve the problems of damage to heavy vehicles caused by tire blowouts and getting stuck, as well as the high fuel consumption of parallel dual wheels.

[0005] This invention provides an adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs, including an axle, a rear wheel located behind the axle, and auxiliary wheels with a smaller diameter coaxially arranged on the inner side of each rear wheel. The axle is connected to a storage box located directly above the auxiliary wheels. A flexible support belt is provided inside the storage box, and two roller mechanisms are also provided inside the storage box. The auxiliary wheels are located between the two roller mechanisms. The flexible support belt is wrapped around the surfaces of the two roller mechanisms and the auxiliary wheels. A counterweight mechanism is hung between the two roller mechanisms on the flexible support belt, and the counterweight mechanism is used to tension the flexible support belt.

[0006] Preferably, the storage box includes a box body connected to the axle, with an opening at the bottom end of the box body, i.e., the side near the auxiliary wheel. A pull-out mechanism for opening and closing the box body is provided on the opening side of the box body, and the flexible carrying strap is movably stored inside the storage box.

[0007] Preferably, the pull-out mechanism includes two sets of folding frames arranged opposite each other. Each set of folding frames consists of several connecting plates that are connected end to end and hinged together. A shaft is connected at the hinge point of every two connecting plates. Pulleys are connected to both ends of the shaft. The pulleys slide in a slide rail. The slide rail is arranged along the length of the box. The ends of the two sets of folding frames that are movably connected are equipped with interlocking fasteners.

[0008] Preferably, the flexible bearing belt includes a flexible belt, one side of which is connected to a plurality of friction strips arranged at equal intervals, and the other side of which is connected to a plurality of raised blocks arranged at equal intervals. A support plate is provided inside the raised blocks, and fasteners are provided at both ends of the flexible belt for locking and fixing when the flexible belt is connected in a ring.

[0009] Several reinforcing ribs are provided along the length of the flexible strip.

[0010] Preferably, the roller mechanism includes a rotating shaft mounted in the width direction of the housing, a rotating wheel sleeved on the rotating shaft, and a plurality of friction rods arranged at equal intervals connected to the surface of the rotating wheel, the friction rods engaging with friction strips on the flexible belt.

[0011] The side of the flexible belt with friction strips is movably attached to the surfaces of the rotating wheel and the auxiliary wheel.

[0012] Preferably, the counterweight mechanism includes a counterweight block, the bottom surface of which is pressed against one side of the flexible belt where the padding block is provided, and the top surface of the counterweight block is connected to a telescopic rod.

[0013] The bottom surface of the counterweight is arc-shaped, and there are limit plates at both ends of the counterweight. The flexible belt is located between the two limit plates.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, it has the following beneficial effects: This invention provides an adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs. It involves coaxially mounting a smaller diameter auxiliary wheel inside the main wheel and installing a storage box on the axle directly above the auxiliary wheel. The storage box contains two roller mechanisms and a flexible support belt. The auxiliary wheel is positioned between the two roller mechanisms, and the flexible support belt wraps around and fits around the surfaces of the two roller mechanisms and the auxiliary wheel. A counterweight mechanism for tensioning the flexible support belt is suspended between the two roller mechanisms. Using this technical solution, when the vehicle is in normal operation, the flexible support belt is stored in the storage box, and the auxiliary wheel does not contact the ground, reducing rolling resistance and fuel consumption. When a tire blows out or the vehicle gets stuck, the flexible support belt is released from the storage box and fitted onto the two roller mechanisms and the surface of the auxiliary wheel, forming an inverted triangular surrounding support path. The flexible support belt raises the auxiliary wheel to a position roughly level with the main wheel, effectively compensating for the height difference caused by the vehicle body sinking and preventing significant vehicle body deviation. At the same time, the flexible support belt increases the ground contact area, dispersing the load concentrated on the auxiliary wheel and reducing impact damage to the auxiliary wheel, wheel hub, and axle, thereby improving the vehicle's stability and safety. Furthermore, the counterweight mechanism tensions the flexible support belt, which can adapt to the raising and lowering of the auxiliary wheel suspension and prevent the flexible support belt from falling off. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of a heavy truck or RV according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the adaptive dual-wheel structure of the rear wheel of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a side view of the adaptive dual-wheel structure of the rear wheel of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the storage box of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the pull-out mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible load-bearing strip of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the flexible bearing strip of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the counterweight mechanism of the present invention.

[0016] In the diagram, the following components are included: axle-11; rear wheel-12; auxiliary wheel-13; storage box-2; box body-21; pull-out mechanism-22; folding frame-221; connecting plate-222; shaft-223; pulley-224; slide rail-23; fastener-24; flexible load-bearing belt-3; flexible belt-31; reinforcing rib-311; friction strip-32; shim-33; support plate-331; fastener-34; roller mechanism-4; rotating shaft-41; rotating wheel-42; friction rod-43; counterweight mechanism-5; counterweight block-51; telescopic rod-52; and limiting plate-53. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To better understand the structure, functional features, and advantages of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings: Example: like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, this invention provides an adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs, including an axle 11, with rear wheels 12 positioned behind the axle 11. Each rear wheel 12 has an auxiliary wheel 13 with a smaller diameter coaxially mounted on its inner side. Wheel hubs are mounted on both rear sides of the axle 11, and the rear wheels 12 are fixed to the hubs with hub bolts, thus rotatably positioned behind the axle 11. The axle 11 contains a half-shaft. Existing rear wheels 12 are typically two wheels of the same diameter arranged in parallel. Some designs use smaller diameter auxiliary wheels 13 to reduce fuel consumption, and the auxiliary wheels 13 can provide some support in the event of a tire blowout. The diameter difference between the rear wheels 12 and the auxiliary wheels 13 is typically in the range of 6cm-12cm. Of course, with technological advancements, variable diameter hubs are also being used, but these are mostly movable, adaptable to different terrains, and have strong obstacle-crossing capabilities, but poor load-bearing capacity.

[0018] The axle 11 is connected to the storage box 2. To improve the connection strength, the top of the storage box 2 is provided with an integrally formed or welded mounting base plate. The mounting base plate is fastened to the housing of the axle 11 or a special bracket by multiple sets of high-strength bolts. Welding can also be used to connect them directly. This application adopts welding to reduce the probability of the bolts loosening during long-term operation.

[0019] The storage box 2 is located directly above the auxiliary wheel 13. A flexible support belt 3 is installed inside the storage box 2, along with two roller mechanisms 4. The auxiliary wheel 13 is positioned between the two roller mechanisms 4, and the flexible support belt 3 wraps around and fits onto the surfaces of the two roller mechanisms 4 and the auxiliary wheel 13. After the flexible support belt 3 fits onto the surfaces of the two roller mechanisms 4 and the auxiliary wheel 13, it forms an inverted triangular loop. Because the two roller mechanisms 4 are positioned higher than the rotation center of the auxiliary wheel 13, the flexible support belt 3 forms a support layer of a certain thickness between the bottom of the auxiliary wheel 13 and the ground, extending the contact point of the auxiliary wheel 13 downwards. This effectively compensates for the vehicle body sinking caused by a tire blowout or getting stuck in the rear wheel 12. The thickness of the flexible support belt 3 is in the range of 3cm-6cm. Furthermore, through its linkage with the two roller mechanisms 4, the flexible support belt 3 transfers part of the load to the axle 11 and the storage box 2, reducing the direct stress on the auxiliary wheel 13 and its hub.

[0020] A counterweight mechanism 5 is mounted between the two roller mechanisms 4 on the flexible support belt 3. The counterweight mechanism 5 is used to tension the flexible support belt 3. Since the flexible support belt 3 needs to play a supporting role, it has a certain rigidity. When the auxiliary wheel 13 presses on the speed bump or obstacle, it is suspended and lifted, and the distance between the auxiliary wheel 13 and the two roller mechanisms 4 becomes smaller. This makes it easy for the flexible support belt 3 to detach from the two roller mechanisms 4. It can also detach under the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 13. Therefore, this application provides a counterweight mechanism 5 to tension the flexible support belt 3.

[0021] As another embodiment, such as Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the storage box 2 of this application includes a box body 21 connected to the axle 11. The box body 21 is a rectangular box, and the bottom end of the box body 21, near the auxiliary wheel 13, is open. A pull-out mechanism 22 for opening and closing the box body 21 is provided on the open side of the box body 21. The flexible support belt 3 is movably stored inside the storage box 2. Compared with door-type opening and closing methods, the pull-out mechanism 22 requires less space.

[0022] The pull-out mechanism 22 includes two sets of folding frames 221 arranged opposite to each other. Each set of folding frames 221 consists of several connecting plates 222 that are connected end to end and hinged together. A shaft 223 is connected at the hinge point of every two connecting plates 222. The hinges between the connecting plates 222 are connected in series by a shorter shaft 223, and the end of the shorter shaft 223 is fixed by a threaded end cap to prevent the connecting plates 222 from falling off. This is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0023] The shaft 223 is connected to pulleys 224 at both ends. The pulleys 224 slide within the slide rail 23, which is welded along the length of the housing 21. The ends of the two sets of folding frames 221 that are movably connected are provided with interlocking fasteners 24. The fasteners 24 are existing technologies, including latch locks, push-button locks, and magnetic latches. This application uses a latch lock, which consists of a hook seat and a latch ring. After the latch ring is engaged, it is pressed by a locking rod or spring, which makes the latch secure and low in cost.

[0024] As another embodiment, such as Figures 2 to 8 As shown, the flexible bearing belt 3 of this application includes a flexible belt 31, which is made of high-strength rubber or polyurethane elastomer material and has good flexibility and tensile strength. One side of the flexible belt 31 is connected to a plurality of friction strips 32 arranged at equal intervals. The friction strips 32 are made of the same material as the flexible belt 31, i.e., they are integrally formed with the flexible belt 31. During the mold processing of the flexible belt 31, on the side of the flexible belt 31 facing the roller mechanism 4 and the auxiliary wheel 13, equally spaced protrusions are pre-processed. These protrusions constitute the friction strips 32. The edges of the friction strips 32 are arc-shaped, i.e., the top width is smaller than the root width.

[0025] The flexible belt 31 has several reinforcing ribs 311 arranged along its length. The reinforcing ribs 311 are made of high-strength flexible material, and in this application, steel wire rope is used. During processing, the reinforcing ribs 311 are pre-placed in the mold cavity of the flexible belt 31 and kept under tension to maintain straightness. Then, rubber or polyurethane material is injected, and the reinforcing ribs 311 are completely wrapped inside the flexible belt 31 through vulcanization or casting molding processes, so that they are integrated with the flexible belt 31.

[0026] On the other side of the flexible strip 31, several raised blocks 33 are connected at equal intervals. Each raised block 33 contains a support plate 331. The raised blocks 33 are made of wear-resistant rubber material with a hardness higher than that of the flexible strip 31, typically Shore A hardness of 70 to 90, to provide sufficient support rigidity and wear resistance. The support plate 331 uses the same or similar rubber material as the flexible strip 31, but has a higher hardness or contains added fiber reinforcement. During processing, the pre-formed or pre-vulcanized raised blocks 33 are fixed to the surface of the flexible strip 31 using adhesives or a secondary vulcanization process. To improve connection strength, the contact surface between the flexible strip 31 and the raised blocks 33 can be pre-coated with a primer, or positioning recesses can be machined on the surface of the flexible strip 31, allowing the raised blocks 33 to embed into the recesses during vulcanization, forming a mechanical interlocking structure to prevent the raised blocks 33 from peeling off under high shear forces. The edges of the raised blocks 33 are arc-shaped, meaning the top width is smaller than the root width.

[0027] Fasteners 34 are provided at both ends of the flexible belt 31. The fasteners 34 are used to lock and fix the flexible belt 31 when it is connected in a ring. This application uses hook-and-loop fasteners, which have the same structure as the snap fasteners 24, but the material strength of the fasteners 34 needs to be higher.

[0028] The roller mechanism 4 includes a rotating shaft 41 mounted on the width of the housing 21. The rotating shaft 41 is a round metal rod made of 45# steel or 40Cr alloy steel, possessing high bending strength and fatigue resistance. Both ends of the rotating shaft 41 are welded and fixed to the side walls of the housing 21. A rotating wheel 42 is mounted on the rotating shaft 41. Several equally spaced friction rods 43 are connected to the surface of the rotating wheel 42, and these friction rods 43 mesh with friction strips 32 on the flexible belt 31. The rotating wheel 42 is made of high-strength cast aluminum alloy to reduce overall weight. The friction rods 43 are made of wear-resistant rubber or polyurethane elastomer and can be directly bonded to the surface of the rotating wheel 42 through a vulcanization process. The cross-section of the friction rods 43 is circular or elliptical to facilitate good meshing contact with the trapezoidal or semi-circular cross-section of the friction strips 32. The spacing between the friction rods 43 is smaller than the spacing between the friction strips 32 to accommodate the reduced spacing of the friction strips 32 when the flexible belt 31 bends and deforms.

[0029] The side of the flexible belt 31 with the friction strip 32 is movably attached to the surface of the rotating wheel 42 and the auxiliary wheel 13.

[0030] The counterweight mechanism 5 includes a counterweight block 51, which is made of high-density materials such as cast iron, cast steel, or lead blocks. This application uses cast iron, which is low in cost. The bottom surface of the counterweight block 51 is pressed against one side of the flexible belt 31 where the shim block 33 is provided, and the top surface of the counterweight block 51 is connected to a telescopic rod 52. The telescopic rod 52 is prior art, consisting of two interlocking rigid tubes, each integrally formed with inward and outward burrs to prevent the two steel tubes from detaching.

[0031] The bottom surface of the counterweight 51 is arc-shaped, and the width of the counterweight 51 is greater than the spacing between the shims 33 to prevent the counterweight 51 from getting stuck between the shims 33. The bottom surface of the counterweight 51 should be smoothed. After casting or machining, the arc-shaped surface should be ground, polished, or surface-ground. Alternatively, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film can be vulcanized on the surface of the counterweight 51.

[0032] The counterweight 51 has two limit plates 53 welded to its two ends, and the flexible belt 31 is located between the two limit plates 53.

[0033] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technology of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of a heavy truck or RV, comprising an axle (11), wherein a rear wheel (12) is disposed behind the axle (11), and an auxiliary wheel (13) with a diameter smaller than the rear wheel (12) is coaxially disposed on the inner side of each rear wheel (12), characterized in that, The axle (11) is connected to a storage box (2), which is located directly above the auxiliary wheel (13). A flexible support belt (3) is provided inside the storage box (2), and two roller mechanisms (4) are also provided inside the storage box (2). The auxiliary wheel (13) is located between the two roller mechanisms (4). The flexible support belt (3) is wrapped around the surfaces of the two roller mechanisms (4) and the auxiliary wheel (13). A counterweight mechanism (5) is hung between the two roller mechanisms (4) on the flexible support belt (3). The counterweight mechanism (5) is used to tension the flexible support belt (3).

2. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage box (2) includes a box body (21) connected to the axle (11). The bottom end of the box body (21), that is, the side near the auxiliary wheel (13), is open. The opening side of the box body (21) is provided with a pull-out mechanism (22) for opening and closing the box body (21). The flexible support belt (3) is movably stored in the storage box (2).

3. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pull-out mechanism (22) includes two sets of folding frames (221) arranged opposite to each other. Each set of folding frames (221) is composed of several connecting plates (222) that are connected end to end and hinged together. A shaft (223) is connected at the hinge point of every two connecting plates (222). A pulley (224) is connected to both ends of the shaft (223). The pulley (224) slides in the slide rail (23). The slide rail (23) is arranged along the length direction of the box (21). The ends of the two sets of folding frames (221) that are movably connected are provided with interlocking fasteners (24).

4. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flexible bearing belt (3) includes a flexible belt (31), one side of which is connected to a plurality of friction strips (32) arranged at equal intervals, and the other side of which is connected to a plurality of raised blocks (33) arranged at equal intervals. A support plate (331) is provided inside the raised block (33), and fasteners (34) are provided at both ends of the flexible belt (31). The fasteners (34) are used to snap and fix the flexible belt (31) when it is in a ring connection.

5. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 4, characterized in that, The roller mechanism (4) includes a rotating shaft (41) mounted on the width direction of the housing (21), a rotating wheel (42) sleeved on the rotating shaft (41), and a plurality of friction rods (43) arranged at equal intervals connected to the surface of the rotating wheel (42), the friction rods (43) meshing with the friction strips (32) on the flexible belt (31).

6. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flexible belt (31) with the friction strip (32) on one side is movably attached to the surface of the rotating wheel (42) and the auxiliary wheel (13).

7. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 4, characterized in that, The counterweight mechanism (5) includes a counterweight block (51), the bottom surface of which is pressed against the side of the flexible belt (31) where the shim block (33) is located, and the top surface of the counterweight block (51) is connected to a telescopic rod (52).

8. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 7, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the counterweight (51) is arc-shaped, and the two ends of the counterweight (51) are provided with limiting plates (53). The flexible belt (31) is located between the two limiting plates (53).

9. The adaptive dual-wheel structure for the rear wheels of heavy trucks or RVs according to claim 4, characterized in that, The flexible strip (31) has several reinforcing ribs (311) arranged along its length.

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