Wheel-Retaining Auto Slide for Locked-Vehicle Towing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing towing methods for disabled vehicles, such as those with locked wheels, often result in damage to low-profile vehicles and are cumbersome to implement, especially when using conventional skates or winch-based towing.
Innovation Solution
A device called the auto slide, comprising a metal or polymeric body with a wheel well and ribs, is positioned under a vehicle's wheel to facilitate sliding onto a truck bed or trailer, using straps or bands for securement and a winch for towing, with optional ribs for reduced friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional skates are used to pull the car onto the truck bed, then the car can be moved, but the skates easily get caught on the edge of the truck bed and the wedge-shape makes it difficult to move the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The towing system is divided into separate functional components: the auto slide device with wheel retention features, the truck bed adapter, and the winch system. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without the interference that causes conventional skates to get caught on truck bed edges.
Solution Approach 2:
The auto slide acts as an intermediary device between the vehicle wheel and the ground/truck bed. It provides a smooth transition surface that eliminates the catching problem of conventional skates, allowing the vehicle to slide smoothly onto the truck bed without the wedge-shaped interference.
2Productivity
If conventional towing with winch-based pulling is used, then the vehicle can be towed, but low profile vehicles become damaged during the pulling process
Solution Approach 1:
The auto slide creates a smooth, continuous surface from the ground to the truck bed, eliminating the potential energy difference and abrupt transitions that cause low-profile vehicles to damage their undersides during towing. The vehicle rolls smoothly over the transition point rather than being pulled over it.
Solution Approach 2:
The auto slide with its rounded transition edge provides beforehand cushioning for the vehicle's underside as it approaches the truck bed. This prevents direct impact and damage to low-profile vehicles by distributing the force over a larger area and time period.
3Strength
If straps or chains are attached to vehicle suspensions for towing, then the vehicle can be secured, but this requires access to suspension attachment points which may be difficult to reach
Solution Approach 1:
The auto slide device is self-contained with built-in wheel retention features that do not require access to the vehicle's suspension system. The device secures the wheel through its own structural features (wheel well, retention arms, or friction fit) making the towing system independent of the vehicle's original attachment points.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The auto slide enables easy and damage-free towing of vehicles with locked wheels across various surfaces, eliminating the need for cables or chains and ensuring uniform movement onto a truck bed or trailer.
Implementation Method 1
The body can be configured to have ribs on the bottom of the body there can be ribs attached to a bottom of the body below the wheel well in some embodiments. The ribs can be configured to directly contact the ground so that the ribs are between the wheel well and the ground to facilitate sliding of the auto slide along the ground
Data Source
AI summary
An auto slide includes a body having a wheel well defined in the body. The wheel well can be sized to retain a wheel of a vehicle (e.g. a tire of the wheel). The body of the auto slide can be sized and configured for attachment of the wheel to the body of the auto slide. After attachment of the wheel to the auto slide, the vehicle can be pulled along the ground and onto a tilted trailer or truck bed for transportation of the vehicle.