Asymmetric Wheel Hub-Rim Engagement for Correct Axle-Side Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle wheel designs do not prevent incorrect assembly on specific axles or sides of a vehicle, leading to potential misalignment and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle wheel design featuring a wheel hub arrangement with a first engagement structure and a wheel rim with a second engagement structure, ensuring correct assembly by allowing only specific matching positions, thereby preventing incorrect mounting through a mechanical failsafe mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wheel designs without engagement structures are used, then the wheel assembly process is simple and flexible, but the risk of incorrect assembly on specific axles or sides increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing the wheel hub arrangement with a first engagement structure (axial protrusion) and the wheel rim with a second engagement structure (recess) that are asymmetrically positioned. This asymmetric design ensures that the wheel can only be correctly assembled on the specific axle and side intended, preventing incorrect assembly while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement structures (axial protrusion and recess) act as intermediary elements that mediate between the wheel hub arrangement and wheel rim. These intermediaries provide a mechanical failsafe that guides correct assembly by allowing engagement only in the proper orientation and position, thereby improving assembly reliability without significantly complicating the design.
2Reliability
If engagement structures are added to prevent incorrect assembly, then assembly correctness is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric engagement structures are designed to be integrated into the existing wheel hub and rim geometries. The axial protrusion on the hub and corresponding recess on the rim can be manufactured using standard machining or molding processes, minimizing the impact on manufacturing ease while achieving the reliability benefit of preventing incorrect assembly.
3Ease of operation
If the wheel design allows flexible mounting positions, then ease of assembly is improved, but the risk of misalignment and safety issues increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement structures serve as intermediary guide elements that facilitate easy correct assembly while preventing incorrect positioning. The axial protrusion fitting into the recess provides a self-aligning mechanism that ensures proper alignment during assembly, eliminating misalignment risks without reducing assembly ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The asymmetric positioning of the engagement structures ensures that only one specific mounting orientation is possible. This asymmetric design naturally guides the assembler to the correct position, providing both ease of operation (by eliminating guessing) and safety (by preventing misalignment).
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to avehicle wheel (1) comprising a wheel hub arrangement (2) with a wheel hub arrangement surface (6) and a wheel rim (3) with a wheel rim surface (7). The wheel hub arrangement surface and the wheel rim surface are arranged to abut to each other when the wheel rim is mounted on the wheel hub arrangement. The wheel hub arrangement (2) is provided with a first engagement structure (17) and the wheel rim (3) is provided with a second engagement structure (18), wherein the first engagement structure and the second engagement structure are adapted to engage with each other, and wherein the wheel hub arrangement (2) and the wheel rim (3) are assemblable together to form the vehicle wheel (1), provided that the wheel hub arrangement and the wheel rim are mutually positioned such that the first engagement structure (17) and the second engagement structure (18) are engaged thereby enabling the wheel hub arrangement surface (6) and the wheel rim surface (7) to abut to each other.